SHOULD I GET A BLOWER?

 
ratherbeflying
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Post by ratherbeflying » Fri. Jan. 11, 2019 12:01 pm

i have a gibraltar mcc, and theres a square opening in the back on the bottom for a blower to bolt up. things have been going great without one, i just cant stop thinking it would be more efficient if i had one? i would think i would burn lower because its blowing the heat off the stove? maybe im wrong, and it just gets the heat across the room better? well i can for the life of me find anything that i am confident would work... maybe im not searching the correct words but im not sure what blower is the right blower?


 
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D-frost
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Post by D-frost » Fri. Jan. 11, 2019 12:34 pm

R-B-F,
I have 2 Chubby's(1 rear vent-1 top vent), each has a blower.Running with the blower ON, "scrubs" 100* off the temp gauge, which sits at the "doggy ears" on the Chubby, but, does a good job of distributing the heat.
May I suggest: Before spending the $$$ on a blower, go to a computer "boneyard"(electronics re-cycler) and get a 110 Vac boxer fan, and bolt it onto the opening. That might be enough for your set-up.
Cheers

 
ratherbeflying
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Post by ratherbeflying » Fri. Jan. 11, 2019 12:50 pm

ill look into it, im not sure its the right size, and i would be shocked if it blows hard enough to see a difference, but i have a couple extra computer fans at home. i built my computer myself, one of the hobbies. lol

 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Fri. Jan. 11, 2019 6:56 pm

Got a measurement of mount/opening?

 
Odyknuck
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Post by Odyknuck » Fri. Jan. 11, 2019 9:54 pm

You could make an adapter plate easy enough .

 
JohnR
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Post by JohnR » Fri. Jan. 11, 2019 10:25 pm

I'm using this on my Gibraltar LCC:

https://www.amazon.com/AC-Infinity-Cooling-Ventil ... AXIAL+1238

It's rated for 110 cfm and drops the stove top temp by about 100 degrees over no fan. It's smaller than the hole in the stove but works well nonetheless. The original fan is quite a bit more powerful and was too much for the smaller room my stove is in. I do seem to get more heat out of it using a fan.

BTW I started burning coal about a month ago and all of the advice on this forum has been invaluable in what to look for in a stove, how to install it, and how to run it. Thanks to all! Your posts, ratherbeflying have been especially helpful in deciding on a Gibraltar and in the particulars of our stoves.

-John

 
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SawDustJack
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Post by SawDustJack » Sat. Jan. 12, 2019 8:18 pm

I do not have your stove, but a blower makes a huge difference in moving heat around. At least in my opinion! My stove had an old blower on it and I didn't use it for a year. I replaced the motor over the summer months and it is amazing the difference in heat I can move and the speed at which I can reach a nice room temp. I have no real proof, but I feel like I can run the stove a little less hard to heat the space I am heating and I at least feel I am saving coal. (I had more coal left last year than I did the year before for what that is worth.) Of course all that big savings on coal is likely going right to the electric bill, but...we won't talk about that. Others will likely tell you their complaints about noise and yes there is fan noise. If you are bothered by noise maybe a blower isn't the best choice for you. If you do decide to get one, get a variable speed controller for it as well. That way you can control the speed and cut down on the sound. Mine is very quiet when it is turned down very low and it still moves heat pretty well.


 
Lobuc
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Post by Lobuc » Sun. Jan. 13, 2019 2:17 am

Ours is off more than on. In fact I just turned it off as it's now warmed up to a balmy -20 outside. I have found that a ceiling fan distributes the heat better in our 2300 sq ft home.

 
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BlackBetty06
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Post by BlackBetty06 » Sun. Jan. 13, 2019 10:45 am

I would say definitely worth getting a stove blower for it! For the piddly amount of electric that little motor draws the heat distribution is worth it. My hitzer sits in my basement opposite of the stairs. With the stove blower off the heat moves naturally pretty good until it gets below 30 outside. Then the furnace blower starts running. ( I have my furnace blower rigged up with second thermostat and a relay that turns the blower on instead of the burner when the house calls for heat as long as the basement ceiling is at 78 degrees.) That fan draws 4.5 amps. When I start the blower on the stove and am sitting in my lazy boy, I can feel a constant rush of cold air pouring across the floor to the stove from the upstairs and the furnace fan will not kick on until it drops into the teens. Stove blower is rated at 0.6 amps.

 
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BlackBetty06
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Post by BlackBetty06 » Sun. Jan. 13, 2019 10:47 am

Lobuc wrote:
Sun. Jan. 13, 2019 2:17 am
Ours is off more than on. In fact I just turned it off as it's now warmed up to a balmy -20 outside. I have found that a ceiling fan distributes the heat better in our 2300 sq ft home.
where ever you live I want to move there! Winter is my favorite season. Im just excited that we have a week long stretch of daytime highs in the 30s and lows in the 20s. Saw snow finally for the second time this season for a grand total of 9" this winter

 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Sun. Jan. 13, 2019 11:40 am

Best blower motor for all around economics is a PSC (permanent split capacitor) of which most if not all are ball bearing type.
Run way longer, quieter, cooler and uses half of the electricity of shaded-pole motor.

Shaded pole, "C" frame motors are very low torque, noisy bushing bearing motor that use double the current, which is overheating and on a fast path to self destruction.
It is a race to see if it burns up due to overheating or bushings drag down the RPM...cheap is not cheaper...

 
ratherbeflying
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Post by ratherbeflying » Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 8:29 pm

nice guys thanks for all the info! anyone know of where to get a decent blower? maybe a link somewhere? all the blowers i see arent rated for anything over 110degrees.. the back of the stove is easily 180 or more... i dont have exact measurements yet but its in the ball park of like 3-4 inch square maybe a little rectangle but in that area.. ill measure soon. i thought it would be easy like ok here is the blower for the gibraltar mcc or glacier bay mcc lol guess not

 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Mon. Jan. 14, 2019 8:37 pm


 
ratherbeflying
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Posts: 378
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Location: north jersey
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Gibraltar MCC
Coal Size/Type: stove, nut, pea
Other Heating: electric baseboard- breakers OFF!!

Post by ratherbeflying » Tue. Jan. 15, 2019 8:58 am

why do they all say not recommended for speed control?

 
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McGiever
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Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
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Post by McGiever » Tue. Jan. 15, 2019 9:04 am

They will stall if dimmer type is set too low. Don't use a dimmer use real motor speed control with built-in min.low speed to prevent stalls.
Some speed controls distort or chop the sinewave and that doesn't work on these type motors...they need pure sinewave.
Last edited by McGiever on Tue. Jan. 15, 2019 9:14 am, edited 1 time in total.


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