I have found out the hard way that the blowers in the eclassic 2300 and I beleive the other eclassics and the classics with draft blowere all need biyearly oiling. I did not find this in my manual but found out by not doing so and killing my blower. In removing it I found oil ports. I had the blower looked at to rebuilt it and confirmed that it is designed for oiling every six months. Needing a new one I have ordered one from the dealer ($130.00 + shipping more the the cost of a cord of wood)). My dealer tells me they the blower typically only last 3 to 4 years.
Through the help of this website I have found that the same blower without a the electricat connector can be had for about $65 plus shipping (Fasco A166). I guess I will be ordering one of these and having a back up like the selonoids.
Hopefully, by sharing the need for bi-yearly oiling we can get more then 3 to 4 years and save you a lot when your blower does go.
I am sure you all can figure out how to oil the motor but simply place two to thee drops of oil in each oil port. I also plan to take my air compressor or a can of compressed ait to blow the crap away from the blower with when I clean the boiler in the spring,
Thank You for the heads-up about oiling ports!! The way the motor is oriented, the oiling ports are facing the solenoid box. This makes them completely hidden and nearly inaccessible for routine maintenance. >:( I picked up a spare blower after noticing a change in how the existing one sounds and didn't look close enough to see them. I agree, these blowers should last many years if not decades. With proper maintenance, they probably will. While I have it out, I'm going to see if it's possible to rotate the motor 90° so the ports are topside.
Edit to add:
Yes! The motor can be rotated on the blower housing to allow the oiling ports topside - even the proper holes are punched for doing so and the ground wire between the motor and housing was long enough too. Total time to remove, rotate motor, oil and reinstall was < 10 minutes. The tools needed are 7/16" nut driver or wrenches to remove/reinstall blower. 1/4" nut driver or socket to remove/reinstall blower screen. 7/64" Allen wrench to remove/reinstall blower wheel. 11/32" nut driver or socket to remove/reinstall motor. Of course, a small adjustable would probably work okay too. A bit of oil has the old blower running quiet as new....at least for now.
An oil bottle with long flexable hose on the spout work great for oiling things like this. Cost about 3 bucks.
Thanks guys for the information, much appreciated. Wouldn't you think Central would give everyone a heads up on this ?
Bought my e-2400 this summer and my manual says to oil the blower motor.
Heatmor blowers need to be oiled too. I use the 3 in 1 oil. I keep a can,it's plastic now,in the back just for this. This way it's there when I think of it.
Mine holes are on the bottom. Have to remove the blower to oil it. Just two big thumb screws and a few drops in each hole and it's good until the next time.
Excellent find! I replaced my blower last xmass and i dident notice any ports. Ill look this weekend and if i find ports on mine ill rotate and oil as well. I think air tool or gun oil would work well.
Great find and thanks for sharing!
Can I get confirmation from other 2400 users that we are supposed to oil these? I heard nothing from my dealer regarding this, was it something I missed in the manual...? I thought I read it throughly but will have to revisit later tonight.
Any chance they can be oiled on machine or does this require power off and disconnecting?
Thanks for sharing!
Hmm better go check mine as well.
I have a e classic 1400
Was your dealer using a classis? Kinda why I brought my heatmor. he had one in use at his house and I went and talked to him there. He told me about the ports and the few others things to do it.
Ok heres a dumb question. Where exactly are the oil ports ? I have my blower apart but want to make sure I'm putting oil in right place. Thanks for any help.
Quote from: firechief on November 20, 2012, 05:16:36 PM
Ok heres a dumb question. Where exactly are the oil ports ? I have my blower apart but want to make sure I'm putting oil in right place. Thanks for any help.
Not a dumb question at all. Been around motors my entire life and didn't think to look until a fellow member mentioned it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/28912/Oil.JPG)
I have an e-classic 1400 and no where in the manual can I find where it says to oil the pump. But, this weekend when I give the weekly thorough cleaning I'll take a few minutes to see if it has the oil ports you are all talking about. The pump is running nice and quiet but I want to be sure I don't overlook anything simple like oil ports. Thanks for the info regarding the pump oil ports. Roger
Roger,
What is being discussed is oiling the blower motor not the pump(s). If you are using a wet rotor pump (Taco, B&G, Grundfos, etc), the pump is lubricated by the water moving around the rotor.
AsaG,did a great job with the picture. Looks alot like my Heatmor motor.
Not to be negative but,do you think that those 2 (oil port) holes are designed to be drain holes for condensation and should be pointed down?
island,my dealer showed me those port holes to me. It is also covered in my manual. The Heatmor has them on the bottom too.
If the oil ports normally point downward and the motor can't be rotated should the motor be run a bit in the upright position after oiling before the oil gets a chance to gravity drain?
Forgot to mention that I had to swap out my blower motor 2 days ago. No oil ports on it, I looked expecting to find them. This is not from a CB but it is the same basic blower that is used for combustion and moving air around smaller woodstoves.
r.man,good question. May be designed to let any access oil drain out. Too much oil can be a bad thing. And running the blower without being bolted to the OWB is kinda dangerous,for no better word.If it was stated to run the blower without being bolted on and it fell over and someone went to grab it and got thier finger in the fans,than the company would get sued because the manual said to do it..... ::)
Maybe that's why the blower stopped working. I burn a lot of junk wood in my OWB. I would think they run more than if someone was burning good dry hardwood. I think I had my for 4 years and blowers are going good,so far.
Do the factory boilers have a plug in cord on them? Mine didn't originally but I took the time to wire a receptacle where a covered junction box had been. I made the lower half of the receptacle thermostatically controlled for the blower cord and the upper half live for convenience power. I am also going to make the blower hang on its mount without bolts because I really dislike having to lay on the ground to undo dinky bolts to change a part. It should have been built that way in the first place and I considered changing it the last time my fan hiccuped but I got in a hurry and settled for one bolt instead of three.
Although not marked on the motor itself, the openings in my picture are oiling ports according to Fasco's technical literature. The motor is an open, air-over design. In the Central Boiler E-2400 application, the ports are at the 3 o'clock position as viewed from the rear of the unit (shaft end of motor). In this position, the oil ports are not easily seen or serviced due to it's mounting on the solenoid/air box.
Thanks AsaG for the picture
Looks like my motor was oriented that those oil ports were already topside on my E2300. I'll put a few drops in each port. If anything else I've learned a bit from the experience. I've also ordered a backup blower unit from Amazon for $68 just in case. Thanks again.
Jim
I have a light on the front of my boiler. I turn it on to keep the blowers from running when I feed the OWB. When the light is on,that interrupts the power to the blowers.
Just went through my manual for my 2400 (6/2011 build) and it says nothing regarding blower maintenance. I called cb itself and they said no blower maintenance required, and that the blower was a "closed system" in their words.
So...who is right? I want the thing to last, but don't want to be oiling something incorrectly in drain exit ports that shouldn't be oiled.
...?
mojam
Your comment makes good sense to me. They don't look like oil ports and depending on what is behind those holes shown, any oil may just cause more problems than solve i.e. getting oil to a bearing. I'd strongly suspect they are sealed bearings.
Anyone had the motor apart to observe if there is a tube to the bearing or shaft? Or at least a wick?
Brings up some interesting thoughts as to what is going on with these motors.
In light of some of the bologna I've gotten from CB over the years and the fact I have a rather lengthy history with Fasco, I'll go with what the manufacturer of the motor/blower states about maintenance.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/28912/motor_end_view.JPG)
A closed system?!?!? End view of motor. Shaft end is open as well. If you look closely through the ventilation holes in the area of the oiling port, a small stamped 'tube' can be seen leading from the motor's shell to the bearing packing area. Sorry, couldn't get a picture of it due to the angle and taking apart the motor isn't an option. In a bygone era, this tube was external.
CB is correct about maintenance not being required but the manufacturer of the blower/motor recommends it for longevity. CB also has a solution for those who choose not to oil - they'll sell you a new one for around 100 bucks. ;) My 10/10 unit doesn't mention oiling either but applying a few drops quieted the blower motor to like-new sound levels.
Done all I can do here so good luck and happy Thanksgiving to all. smiley_turkey_dancing
UPDATE!!!
Cb called me back (see above). The now say that YES you are supposed to oil the blower twice a year, and that they were going to update their users manual to this end. I will be saving this voice mail to get a new blower and then I can take care of it right from the start. We had already made comments to dealer regarding noises from the blower as if it was out of Grease or a leaf stuck in it. Now we know why. Cb said we can go through them for warrenty directly. I will first try dealer if the labor is free. If not I will have cb send it to us and swap it myself.
Wish I wasn't dealing with this, but it still functions, and good on cb for following up on the issue and standing behind their product.
Are you implying that CB will warranty my blower? Somehow I doubt that.
By the way the cost for the pump from my dealer was $130.00 and $160.00 from another dealer. We have discussed the fact that the blower is available for $65 to 70 elswhere. He shared that his cost on the blower was more then that.
Cb said dealer can ok the warrenty claim, and my dealer said tonight that it has all be recorded on our file and we won't be hung out to dry, even if we have future blower problems. (all saved voicemails, one from dealer, one from cb). So far so good, our dealer seems like good people and they have a big cb install base in northern vt.
The dealer still said he didnt think they were oil ports, but was going to talk to cb. I still took it out and oiled it today anyway. So long as it's covered I gave it a shot, and it could have been psycological but I thought it sounded better once I reattached the blower.
Hey - who knows, but I figure we all share our experiences and learn.
I do agree that if out of warranty we can get the parts cheaper 3rd party. Only hangup us the connector between the blower and the panel, but I am sure it could be done.
I will still put the oil to mine,no matter what the hole don't look like. ::)
when i get some time ill take apart the old moter and see if these are oil ports.
a lil oil in the moter now untill proved wont hunt nothing. ill probally use gun oil or air tool oil
I found some 3 in 1 brand oil specifically for motors at Lowes for a couple bucks that I used.
I did take apart my bad motor and they are oil ports.
Quote from: stumper on November 26, 2012, 05:34:18 PM
I did take apart my bad motor and they are oil ports.
Well thats good to know. How do they work? just a open tube pointing down into a bearing race?
Tube to a bearing, with an absorbent material to hold the oil. No roller or ball bearings.
have e classic 1450, 3rd winter using it. NO mention of oiling blower fan. Mine stopped working, seized up, was very hot, took it off, oiled it with marvel mystery oil and it started up. Dealer just says its not under warranty, very disappointed with cb, if they don't give us the proper info to maintain their products they should cover it! oiling is needed
Thanks for the tip I just replaced my blower motor on my heat source out door wood stove.
Did not know there were oil ports on the motor, mine lasted 7 years.
Thanks for the info.
Gun oil or Air tool oil seems to work well. That's what I have been using for years.
Don't let the Blue Creeper get by without a chance to do that oiling for you. I've witnessed some pretty impressive results using it where other oils just don't penetrate well. Give it a shot.
I use Sea Foam aerosol lubricant/penetrant on the blower on my Heatmaster. With the red plastic straw I can get the stuff where it needs to be.
Zoom oil comes in a small plastic bottle with a long tube that pulls out the bottle. I have been oiling fasco fan motors in the heating, cooling and refrigeration world for almost 40 years they are a good motor but probably the least maintain. I would hate think how many fan motors on condensing units I have gave a couple drops of oil to the motor in the middle of the night to get the unit going and out of alarm and go back later and change the fan and service the unit correctly. There are a lot of techs that don't know those motors need oiled.