Mac Guyver people! How do I find the right replacement part for the blower on my wood stove?
Asked by
snowberry (
27645
)
January 22nd, 2023
Our wood stove (made in china) has a cylinder shaped fan on it that moves the air through the stove. It’s shaped like the blades on this snowblower. https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/big-yellow-snowblower-cleans-snow-streets-city-146504823.jpg
We run this fan constantly. The fan works great but we need to replace the bearing that holds the other side of the fan shaft in place. That’s the part that keeps failing.
The first part actually melted through, so we don’t want to bother with buying a replacement from the company. I would like to find a permanent solution instead of having to keep reinventing the part. The part we used to replace it is a very small nylon bearing from the hardware store. We can tell from the sound of the fan that it will fail sooner or later.
The fan doesn’t get hot except for the constant rotation of the bearing at the end of the fan shaft. Maybe with the right bearing it wouldn’t get hot at all.
So my next question is what kind of bearing to get? I am guessing a very small shielded bearing would work, (it needs to be shielded because of dust). (See link) https://www.mcmaster.com/miniature-bearings/light-duty-ball-bearings/
Beyond that I’m not really sure what to get.
I’m also not sure how to go about securing it to the frame. Perhaps someone sells a bearing with a frame that can be adapted to my fan assembly?
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9 Answers
I think there are folks better qualified to comment on the bearings. I know bering selection can be a very technical engineering thing so I don’t want to misspeak on it. As for securing it, is it possible to use plastic in your application? if so you may be able to have something 3d printed that does your job. Maybe you have a neighbor with a kid in college studying engineering or something like that? or access to a local community college. It might be a simple job, measuring a few dimensions with calipers and then they can mock up a part in CAD real quick and print it out.
Go to an electrical motor repair shop with the part you need fixed or replaced.
The bearings failing only on one side sounds like one of two things: either it is a piss poor design or a bad installation. If the bearings are designed to support the shaft that is exactly horizontal and the shaft is NOT exactly horizontal, it could be putting unusual stresses on the bearing causing it to fail more quickly. I would suggest finding a store that specializes in wood stoves and asking them.
You are looking in the right place. McMaster Carr is the best!
It sounds like you might have a slight misalignment issue. Have you considered one of these:
Self-aligning flanged ball bearings
McMaster has everything!
Thanks all for answering! This is great information, and I appreciate your time. I’ll let you know what we end up doing.
Great! You should measure everything precisely. Use digital calipers. You can get a set for ~$12 – $20. That will tell you the exact size you need.
@seawulf575 the stove was made in china. We didn’t realize that until we already had it installed, But it was also the only one we could find that would fit inside our fireplace.
Anyway that explains the poor alignment.
I have found it’s always worth it to get the best bearings even if they are overdesigned for the application. Sure, you can get a nylon one for $2 but a self-aligning, sealed steel one will last forever. Who cares if it costs $20? You are not making thousand of units. You are only fixing one. That price difference is insignificant when compared to the whole job and inconvenience of having to replace it.
Another place I love is The O-ring Store . I have used it to fix and improve so many things. It’s like the McMaster Carr of O-rings! Wonderful!
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