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Central Boiler Blower Maintenance

Started by stumper, November 18, 2012, 08:45:14 AM

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stumper

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,

AsaG

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.

 

stumper

An oil bottle with long flexable hose on the spout work great for oiling things like this. Cost about 3 bucks.

firechief

Thanks guys for the information, much appreciated.  Wouldn't you think Central would give everyone a heads up on this ?

Local4Fitter

Bought my e-2400 this summer and my manual says to oil the blower motor.
1974 John Deere 510, Wood fired pizza oven,2005 Dodge/Cummins,Firearms for all occasions.

thecfarm

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.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Logging logginglogging

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!

mojamboo

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! 

upsnake

Hmm better go check mine as well.
I have a e classic 1400

thecfarm

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.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

firechief

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.

AsaG

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.





Roger2561

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

AsaG

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.

thecfarm

AsaG,did a great job with the picture. Looks alot like my Heatmor motor.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

island

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?

thecfarm

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.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

r.man

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?
Life is too short or my list is too long, not sure which. Dec 2014

r.man

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.
Life is too short or my list is too long, not sure which. Dec 2014

thecfarm

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.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

r.man

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.
Life is too short or my list is too long, not sure which. Dec 2014

AsaG

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.   

firechief

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

thecfarm

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.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

mojamboo

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.

...?

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