Hello All

I have a customer thats experiencing fan problems on her gas
fireplace.

The fan wall switch has two settings hi and low. I can see the fan
spinning on different speeds and it's going in the right direction.
However this translates to virtually no air flow out the top. Barely
perceptable on hi and nothing on low.

What do you think is happening here? Could the vent be plugged??

BTW I do have some gas pro's scheduled to come. An electrician stated
everything was fine just a couple days ago.

Thanks
Dale

On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 07:58:56 GMT, wrote:

Hello All

I have a customer thats experiencing fan problems on her gas
fireplace.

The fan wall switch has two settings hi and low. I can see the fan
spinning on different speeds and it's going in the right direction.
However this translates to virtually no air flow out the top. Barely
perceptable on hi and nothing on low.

What do you think is happening here? Could the vent be plugged??

BTW I do have some gas pro's scheduled to come. An electrician stated
everything was fine just a couple days ago.

Thanks
Dale

Where there is masonry, there are often plugs.

But many of those early fans were not designed to be felt as they
were underpowered. I've seen the same problem on many of the early
firebox fan systems.

You have to use the candle test to determine if they are working.
Watch the smoke when holding the candle in front of the exit vent.

On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 06:39:33 -0600, DK wrote:

On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 07:58:56 GMT, wrote:

Hello All

I have a customer thats experiencing fan problems on her gas
fireplace.

The fan wall switch has two settings hi and low. I can see the fan
spinning on different speeds and it's going in the right direction.
However this translates to virtually no air flow out the top. Barely
perceptable on hi and nothing on low.

What do you think is happening here? Could the vent be plugged??

BTW I do have some gas pro's scheduled to come. An electrician stated
everything was fine just a couple days ago.

Thanks
Dale

Where there is masonry, there are often plugs.

But many of those early fans were not designed to be felt as they
were underpowered. I've seen the same problem on many of the early
firebox fan systems.

You have to use the candle test to determine if they are working.
Watch the smoke when holding the candle in front of the exit vent.



Hi, I'm sorry I forgot to mention this is a brand new home with a new
gas fireplace.

Regards
Dale

On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 06:39:33 -0600, DK wrote:


You have to use the candle test to determine if they are working.
Watch the smoke when holding the candle in front of the exit vent.


Use an incense stick for smoke. You can even close the fireplace door
to watch. . A fan will blow out the candle and the fireplace flame may
melt the wax..

Remove the screws, and with a very strong light and one of those
telescoping inspection mirrors, you should be able to see the
obstruction if there is one.






On Sat, 17 Feb 2007 07:44:52 GMT, wrote:

On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 06:39:33 -0600, DK wrote:

On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 07:58:56 GMT, wrote:

Hello All

I have a customer thats experiencing fan problems on her gas
fireplace.

The fan wall switch has two settings hi and low. I can see the fan
spinning on different speeds and it's going in the right direction.
However this translates to virtually no air flow out the top. Barely
perceptable on hi and nothing on low.

What do you think is happening here? Could the vent be plugged??

BTW I do have some gas pro's scheduled to come. An electrician stated
everything was fine just a couple days ago.

Thanks
Dale

Where there is masonry, there are often plugs.

But many of those early fans were not designed to be felt as they
were underpowered. I've seen the same problem on many of the early
firebox fan systems.

You have to use the candle test to determine if they are working.
Watch the smoke when holding the candle in front of the exit vent.



Hi, I'm sorry I forgot to mention this is a brand new home with a new
gas fireplace.

Regards
Dale

I was going to suggest canned smoke, but incense is cheaper if you
can see the smoke.

The key here is that fireplace fans are not like window fans and the
OP should NOT expect them be too strong. Otherwise the room occupants
will be colder with the fan on than with it off.






On Sat, 17 Feb 2007 11:45:37 GMT, PaPaPeng wrote:

On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 06:39:33 -0600, DK wrote:


You have to use the candle test to determine if they are working.
Watch the smoke when holding the candle in front of the exit vent.


Use an incense stick for smoke. You can even close the fireplace door
to watch. . A fan will blow out the candle and the fireplace flame may
melt the wax..

On Sat, 17 Feb 2007 11:45:37 GMT, PaPaPeng wrote:

On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 06:39:33 -0600, DK wrote:


You have to use the candle test to determine if they are working.
Watch the smoke when holding the candle in front of the exit vent.


Use an incense stick for smoke. You can even close the fireplace door
to watch. . A fan will blow out the candle and the fireplace flame may
melt the wax..

Is it that delicate of a flow? I can sense air movement from the hair
on my hand while on the high setting.

Are not most gas fireplace fans tied into a thermostat? This one is.
You can over ride it too. So if one uses the thermostat it will only
blow warm air.

Regards
Dale

On Sun, 18 Feb 2007 16:08:01 GMT, wrote:

You have to use the candle test to determine if they are working.
Watch the smoke when holding the candle in front of the exit vent.


Use an incense stick for smoke. You can even close the fireplace door
to watch. . A fan will blow out the candle and the fireplace flame may
melt the wax..

Is it that delicate of a flow? I can sense air movement from the hair
on my hand while on the high setting.

Are not most gas fireplace fans tied into a thermostat? This one is.
You can over ride it too. So if one uses the thermostat it will only
blow warm air.

Regards
Dale


(Gas) Fireplaces are not my area of knowledge. But as someone else
said the fan shouldn't be so powerful that it sends out more heat out
through the stack than it radiates into the room. My gut feeling says
a gentle waft to direct burnt gasses up the stack and not seep into
the room (through down draft from the stack -cold air hot air density
differences or just outside wind) seems to be the correct condition.
I'll be visiting a home with a gas fireplace tonight and report back.

On Sun, 18 Feb 2007 20:07:22 GMT, PaPaPeng wrote:

I'll be visiting a home with a gas fireplace tonight and report back.


As far as we can determine the hot gas fire fumes are just vented
convectionally through the flue. This venting does not have a fan
assist. The fan is to draw air from the room, pass it through its own
ducting, be heated by the fire. This hot air is then vented back
into the room. through the louvers on the top front side of the
fireplace.