Keystoker Heat Distribution Fan Problem

I moved into a home with a keystoker coal stove last spring and I just tried to fire it up. I got it going and the fan(that blows heat in the house) was blowing out heat just fine. Then I notice some smoke or maybe steam coming out from the coal bin area,( I thought it might be steam because coal was left in the bin all summer.) and then the fan stopped(before reaching the set thermostat temperature). After the fan stopped the fire went out and when I tried to relight it with out the fan going it wouldn't start. I was wondering if perhaps the fan had broken and if so if and how I could fix/ replace it. help its getting cold!

You need to give a little more information on your keystoker. Is it stoker, hand fired, direct vent, which model or size, BTU, ect. But, without knowing more, it sounds like a stoker & the fume switch has tripped. All direct vent models have them as a safety feature. If there is a blockage it shuts the power off to the stoker so that your house does not fill up with carbon monoxide. There is reset button on the body of the switch to turn the power back on to the stoker. If the stoker is a D.V. you might want to take the D.V. unit apart a clean it. I would also check for any blockages in the vent pipe before attempting to relight the stoker. A clog in the direct vent or vent pipe is a common cause of tripping fume switch. Please make sure your co detectors are in and in good working order because the smoke you saw coming out of the hopper contains carbon monoxide.

Themule, as Redman said you should provide a little more info. When you plug the unit in, does anything work at all? If you pull out the switch for the blower motor to run constant, does it come on at all? Does the stoker motor run? If everything is dead it probably is the safety switch if it has one. If other fans or stoker still runs you most likely have another problem. If blower and stoker work, you probably have a bad combustion blower or motor. Let us know what you find out.

Jeff

Post a photo of the stove if you can..

The smoke/steam.. did you notice a smell?? I'm thinking maybe the fan motor needed lubrication and burnt up or siezed.. does the fan turn with your finger?

We need to know if it is hooked to a motorized vent system, or hooked to a chimney, and as much info as possible.. So we can better help you sort it out.

Greg L.

I reset the stoker unit and I cleaned out the D.V unit and I could see a small fan inside it that wasn't spinning. I cleaned around and now it is spinning. I relit the stove. it seems to be working fine the smoke rising from the hopper is gone and all the fans are blowing. Thank you every one for your help my house is nice and toasty.

Plan on cleaning the DV fan and pipes at least once or twice a season..This varies with the coal you are burning, and the quantity you burn.. The resulting flyash from the coal will eventually clog up the DV motor/fan again. Once you track your coal use and inspect The DV unit a few times, you will have a good idea how often you need to clean it out.

From a safety standpoint,, make sure you have at least two Carbon Monoxide detectors, one in the room with the stove, or nearby.. and one near the bedrooms. CO is a silent killer,, you and your family need to be safe.. Most of us on the forum recommend a digital CO Detector, that will show if you had ANY CO, not just enough to set off an alarm.. They have a digital readout that will record and show if any CO is detected..

An easy way to determine if you are in need of cleaning the DV unit, is to see if you have any moisture accumulating on the underside of the coal hopper lid.. Or installing a Manometer to read the draft in the stove body, to make sure it is slightly negative and the fumes are being pulled out of the stove..

Also, carefully seal the flue pipe from the DV unit to the outdoors.. this pipe is pressurized and will leak CO into the house unless all the joints are sealed with RTV or high temp tape.

Hope this helps..Greg L

Themule, I highly recommend you follow Greg's advice on the CO detectors and maintain the DV as he said. I had a DV on mine also and finally removed it and hooked up to a chimney for a couple of reasons. 1st as Greg stated, you will need to do regular cleaning of the DV unit. This requires you to shut the stove down to do the cleaning and was really more of a pain than it was worth. It also has to run 24-7 and uses electricity that adds to the cost of heating. I don't know your situation but if at all possible I would recommend hooking to a chimney. Keep reading here on the forum and you will learn much about using coal and the operation of your stove.

Jeff