strange smell 3500p countryside

[lacroixt13]

today we had a strange electrical smell coming from the stove. is it one of the blowers failing? will the stove shut down if one of the blowers fails? also since december we noticed a deep humming coming from the blower, which one i do not know, is this a sign of failure? the stove is 3 years old now. also will a bad exhaust motor cause the inside and glass to get dirty faster? thanks for any help...........

[tallcorn]

What fuel are you burning and at what heat setting? Have you cleaned the exhaust blower? The humming sound could be coming from a motor. Do you hear the humming sound as soon as you light the stove or not until the room air fan starts? The exhaust blower starts as soon as you turn the stove on. The room air fan starts after the stove has been burning long enough for the snap switch for the motor to click on. If either motor is running so hot that you can smell it then you should be able to smell the motor when it is cold that it has been overheating. Shut down the stove, unplug the electrical cord and open the side panels and smell the motors up close. If the exhaust blower motor is failing or has failed the stove either will probably not burn well or not at all. Yes, a bad motor could cause the door glass to get dirty quicker. The motor could be turning slower because it has a bearing problem or an electrical problem or because the impeller is dirty and the "dirt" is causing drag. Motors will run hot if they can't cool because of dust in the windings.
If the room air fan fails the stove will overheat and the high limit snap disc will trip and shut the stove down.
A failed motor will probably eventually trip an internal limit breaker and stop. I think they have them.
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Countryside 3500P (pedestal version) used 8-9 yrs, 24/7 during days requiring heat. All original motors. Burns moldy corn, and pellets equally well. Burn it if you got it.

[lacroixt13]

when the room air fan starts. thats when we hear the humming sound.

[upnort]

Good Morning. Believe me if the exhaust motor is not working (as soon as you light stove and waiting for the room blower to come on) you should know it right then. If you do not hear any fan noise from the left side of the stove (the slide side on the 3500) and you wait for the room blower to come on (on the right side) then you will definitely know. Then the firebox will fill up with smoke and start seeping out. (Pretty much stuck at that time. So good to listen for the exhaust fan every time you start the stove. How do I know? Easy mine went out Jan 1st. Naturally it would go out dead of winter. Good Luck. UP NORT

[rdaly]

My exhaust motor was sticky after 3 years and was due to dry bearings,(no oilers). If you can shine a flashlight on the vents or end shaft of the motor when it starts, you may be able to see whether there's movement inside on startup.

[lacroixt13]

is it hard to clean the exhaust motor even for a rookie like myself? i've vacuumed off the room blower motor but have really never touched any of the other stuff. what are the must cleans i should do now?

[rdaly]

I can't speak for the 3500. I had a baby countryside and the exhaust motor wasn't designed to be repaired. They crimped metal tangs to assemble it instead of screws, so I had to bend the metal tangs to take it apart. The hardest part was getting the exhaust fan off the motor, as the heat had locked it on. I had to cut a slit in the fan mounting boss to release it, and used a small hose clamp to put it back on.

I don't have the stove anymore, but had I kept it I would have taken the motor apart in the summer and made oilers for it somehow.

[lacroixt13]

exhaust motor. it was caked with dust. used canned air to spray every bit of it clean and then vacuumed up. did the room fan motor as well. nice and shiny now. that was probably the smell...caked dust in the electrical motor area. we'll see when i start her up later. high 30's here today. don't need the stove today.

[Hats2Heavy]

Look for oiler holes on thoes moters. They should be on top of the moter and you can tell because you can see with a bright light a tiny tupe that runs down to the bearing. they are on each end or the outer end of the motors. Use 3 in1 oil a couple three drops. Something we ofetn forget. Also on the exhust motor you can remove that cover and clean in ther. Fan blade and the hole area. Hope this also helps.

[Hats2Heavy]

Ment to say tiny tube.

[drizler]

I found the best way to clean that stuff out is with a nice blast of 120 psi air from a compressor or portable tank. That sends the crud flying elsewhere. Mine doesn't have any oilers on any of the motors being a 2004 model. If you want to locate that noise a cheap mechanics stethoscope. You can get them at the local chinese flea market or Advance auto parts stores ect for $10 or so. They are a great investment as they come in handy for other things. The shape and long screw on extensions are well suited for such uses better than a doctors scope. You can reach in there feeling around and quickly isolate what bearing is grinding itself to death.

[upnort]

UP NORT here. Cheap stetyscope is from garage sale, find longest thinest screw driver, go for about 15 inches or more. If cannot find take a piece of metal, cover up both ends with electrical tape. One end to hear and the other to touch motor. (Safety first using the electrical tape) Good Luck. Of course it does not usually fail in the summer shutdown. In January, I know.

[drizler]