Can I Add A Rheostat to This?

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Mon. Dec. 17, 2007 10:46 pm

I just bought a 3 speed blower (
**Broken Link(s) Removed** ) &, because the speed selector is pretty inaccesible (on the fan behind the stove), I want to select the fastest speed & then work it off a rheostat to vary the speeds. Anyone know if this will work with this blower or what info would be needed to dsiclose if it would?

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Tue. Dec. 18, 2007 6:00 am

Wonder if this would work if I run a separate line to the blower?

WNY · Post by **WNY** » Tue. Dec. 18, 2007 7:41 am

Unless it's a shaded pole type motor,may not work. Not sure how they switch the power settings, but if you take it apart and they just use resistors, a rehostat may work?

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Tue. Dec. 18, 2007 2:21 pm

It didn't work. (I tried 2 different ceiling fan remotes & they each worked at higher speed but wouldn't do medium or slow.) The medium speed still turned the fan but way to slow. I'll just have to survive with a wireless on/off remote & adjust the speed on the fan itself. If I get real adventurous I will just take the fan apart, remove the selector switch & run a wire to a more convenient location.

Post by **coaledsweat** » Tue. Dec. 18, 2007 2:29 pm

Why not remove the selector switch from the blower and run the wires to a convenient location?

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Tue. Dec. 18, 2007 4:15 pm

coaledsweat wrote:Why not remove the selector switch from the blower and run the wires to a convenient location?

Beat you by a good 8 minutes!

rberq · Post by **rberq** » Tue. Dec. 18, 2007 9:12 pm

I bought a router speed control from a woodworking shop, for my Harman Mk 1 blower. It turned out to be a solid-state unit with a mysterious circuit board inside, which Harman says NOT to use. Sure enough, it didn't work with the fan. Instructions with the speed control say not to use it with a capacitor-start motor, whatever that is -- my buddy tells me the Harman fan IS capacitor-start because the cord goes into a little square box alongside the motor. Anyhow I gave him the speed control for his router. Merry Christmas. Now I'm going to Google to find out what capacitor-start means.

CoalHeat · Post by **CoalHeat** » Tue. Dec. 18, 2007 9:24 pm

rberq wrote:I bought a router speed control from a woodworking shop, for my Harman Mk 1 blower. It turned out to be a solid-state unit with a mysterious circuit board inside, which Harman says NOT to use. Sure enough, it didn't work with the fan. Instructions with the speed control say not to use it with a capacitor-start motor, whatever that is -- my buddy tells me the Harman fan IS capacitor-start because the cord goes into a little square box alongside the motor. Anyhow I gave him the speed control for his router. Merry Christmas. Now I'm going to Google to find out what capacitor-start means.

The box is just to house the connections between the motor and the cord set. The one annoyance with the fan was I had to unplug it to shut it off. I installed a toggle switch in the square box to turn the fan on and off. If you are able to get a rheostat similar to those used with stoker stoves that should work for you. The fan motor plugs into it and it has a cord to plug into the wall receptacle. To the best of my knowledge, it is a shaded-pole motor. Sorry, no wireless remote!

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Wed. Dec. 19, 2007 8:11 am

Actually, I just emailed CFM Products (blower mfg) & asked them if there was a way to remotely adjust blower speed through a rheostat or whatever.
Then of course there is the cost......I got the Blue Blower at Lowes for $37.00 (a deal) as opposed to the Harman blower for $117.00 so I am not about to spend more for a rheostat than the fan itself, anyway! I have it sitting on the floor behind the stove blowing into a 90* 6" duct elbow connected to the blower inlet under the stove. This setup negates any need to have the fan actualy touching the hot stove & eliminates any possible vibration noises.....very quiet! If need be, I can live with this setup since most of the time I run the fan at low speed anyway.Will let you know