All,

IâÂÂm relatively new to burning, so IâÂÂll be completely honest in saying that I donâÂÂt know what I donâÂÂt know. We purchased a Vermont Casting Merrimack almost three years ago. IâÂÂm in Michigan, so it can get cold, so IâÂÂve got this thing burning from September through March.

I think that I have two issues at hand: Vibration and a malfunctioning fan/blower. Towards the end of the burning season last year, it started to get loud. I assumed that it was a problem with the fan, but discovered that this appeared to be more about vibration than anything; so I wasnâÂÂt too concerned about it. I was able to find a few ways to reduce the vibration, but it has continued to get worse. The noise has been tolerable, but has recently gotten out of hand.

Until this point the only issue has been with the noise, which I initially thought was more about vibration, but have recently noticed that noise continues when IâÂÂve used shims and the like to stop the vibration. Recently, the blower has been turning itself off at various times throughout the day. WeâÂÂll often come home from work to find that we have a hot bed of coals, but the blower turned off at some point during the day, leaving the room cold. It will turn itself on at random times throughout the day. Now that this has started happening IâÂÂm starting to wonder if I need a new fan/blower.

The main question I have for the group is in regards to the fan/blower. Specifically, how many hours of operation should I expect to get out of this thing? I feel like I should be able to get more than two years of operation out of this thing.

Again, I donâÂÂt know what I donâÂÂt know. I can tell you that IâÂÂve taken the fan apart a few times to clean it. Is there anything else I could/should be doing? If I need to replace the blower, will that help to reduce the vibration? Should I expect to need to buy a new blower every few years? I see that there are multiple variations of blowers available to purchase, do I need to buy a specific one?

I than you in advance for your assistance.