Author Topic: Accessing heater/replacing fans in living room and bathroom  (Read 9679 times)

Mike Groves

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Accessing heater/replacing fans in living room and bathroom
« on: February 16, 2016, 11:32:49 PM »
Has anyone replaced the mechatronics fans in their hydronic heaters?  I swapped out the easy one beneath the fridge for one with a 140cfm fan.  It operates at the same current (.95amps) but gave me much more circulation on high.  The low speed was about the same as the original hi-speed. 

I just ordered 4 more fans and I anticipate the ones hardest to work on will be in the living room ("desk") and the bathroom.

Since I am not at my coach (its in storage) I am trying to forecast the problems of accessing those 2 fans.  The front one is pretty accessible and I am guessing I can get to the rear one (bedroom) by removing the drawers in the bed.

Any thoughts?

Mike

Mike Groves

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Re: Accessing heater/replacing fans in living room and bathroom
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2016, 08:39:55 PM »
Fair enough.  Guess I'm on my own in this case, as, evidently nobody has attempted to change out their fans in those 2 locations I mentioned.  As with the battery cage removal, I'll figure it out once I return to the storage location and let everyone know just in case they're not happy with the fan output they currently have.

Thanks for reviewing the question you all.

Mike

Steve Huber Co-Admin

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Re: Accessing heater/replacing fans in living room and bathroom
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2016, 09:13:31 PM »
Mike,
Replacing the fans is pretty straight forward. If you can get access heater assy, remove the top panels using a short shaft phillips. The fans should be mounted to the panel and come out with it. Trick is getting access. Not sure of the 99 layout but the 00 wasn't too bad. Had to remove drawers and panel (front unit) and lift bed platform in bedroom.
Steve
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Mike Groves

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Re: Accessing heater/replacing fans in living room and bathroom
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2016, 09:55:54 PM »
What about the really difficult ones that I mentioned in the living room "desk" and bathroom under cabinet?  I am hoping perhaps that the bottoms of those two cabinets come out in order to expose the fans. 

As you said the front one is easy, just like the one beneath the fridge which I've already replaced.  And you probably have a slide out in the bedroom and therefore a different bed setup there but mine has two drawers above the fan unit so I am hoping that by removing one or both drawers that one will appear.  Other than that, installation is a snap with only some wire stripping and new butt connectors as was the case with the one I replaced under the fridge.  The difference in air flow is amazing!  But, then, they are noisier on high speed too.

Mike

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Re: Accessing heater/replacing fans in living room and bathroom
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2016, 10:38:44 PM »
I'd check to see if the desk has a "false bottom' that can be removed. Another option may be to remove the desk.
Steve
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Mike Groves

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Re: Accessing heater/replacing fans in living room and bathroom
« Reply #5 on: February 20, 2016, 06:39:10 PM »
I've seen "updates" to the carpet done and in the pictures of the "teardown" they installer does show the desk in the living remove missing with the obvious heating system still there, so that's my guess is that somehow the desk sits down on the pedestal which houses the heater core.  I'll find out, possibly tomorrow as the fans arrive today.

Thanks, Mike

Mike Groves

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Re: Accessing heater/replacing fans in living room and bathroom
« Reply #6 on: February 29, 2016, 01:52:23 PM »
Just FYI for anyone either wishing to clean their Hurricane (perhaps Aquahot) radiator/fan units or to replace the fans as I did.  In my '99 Marquis I removed my front lower drawer which presents each screw to the fan unit except the farthest away (vertical side) which were also not visible.  I had to purchase a small (4 inch long) ratchet screw driver with short screw driver bits (less than 1 inch) to work in that small space.  While I had the fan cover off I hit the front unit with compressed air to attempt to clean the radiator portion.

For the desk in the living room, rather than being a difficult location to replace/clean the fan/radiator, it was pretty simple.  There were 4 screws that connected my desk to its base.  After removing those the desk separated with a little lift (two people is a better idea but I was alone).  It appeared that my fan had been replaced in the past and the unit was labeled "Radio Shack" and rather than a .95 amp rating was only .32 amp which partially explains why my air flow from that register was so weak.  Having removed the desktop, I had easy access to clean this radiator too, and there was a thick film of dust on the fins (which I hope I removed from the unit upfront that I couldn't see).

This desk radiator fan also was held in by 3 (missing one screw) screws with nuts, rather than the plastic push pins that the other three fans I've seen so far.  So, looks like an aftermarket "fix" gone very BADLY.  I did go ahead and use the screw/nut to attach the new fan.

For those having no slideout in the rear bedroom like me, the bedroom fan/radiator was accessible by pulling the two draws then unscrewing 2 cover panels.  I've cleaned this one with vacuum and compressed air, but there is so far not enough room to removing those pesky vertical face (of the fan cover) screws - 3 of them.  This vertical surface is up against the wall to the engine compartment with less than 1 inch clearance.  I have still not removed this fan unit because I ran out of time in figuring out how to get to those screws. 

The last obstacle then is the bathroom fan beneath the sink cabinet.  I looked at it quickly but didn't go further.  Nothing obvious as to how to access it but when I go back I'll see if the carpet in the lower shelf comes out.  It may cover an access panel.  I'd hate to think that they simply installed the fan/radiator, then moved the cabinet on to that.  I can only imagine, given the amount of dirt I saw in the front desk unit, that this unit is also very dirty.  Perhaps the only thing I can do is to blow compressed air into it while vacuuming through the inlet air vent to the right of the cabinet.

I had already replaced the refrigerator unit fan/radiator.  That unit was easy to get to by simply pulling the left had draw under the fridge.  There was plenty of space to get to all the screws.

I hope this helps another who is wanting to clean these units.  I recommend you do so.  Other than the weak replacement fan (.32amps) that was obviously replaced in the past (why would Beaver use a Radio Shack fan when the rest were Mechatronic), all other fans have been the same amp rating .95 as my new fans but the new fans do allow more air to be pushed.

Mike
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Michael Rump

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Re: Accessing heater/replacing fans in living room and bathroom
« Reply #7 on: March 07, 2016, 02:36:35 AM »
Hi Mike,

Was wondering what model / part number your ordered, cost and supplier?  I have a different fan made by ETRI, but these units are probably the same.  A couple of mine are pretty loud.

Thank you!
Mike and Janis Rump
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Mike Groves

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Re: Accessing heater/replacing fans in living room and bathroom
« Reply #8 on: March 07, 2016, 10:22:35 PM »
Michael,

So far (and I haven't uncovered the bathroom one yet), aside from the Radio Shack low power unit in the desk, all were the .95amp Mechatronic fans 120mm square.

I went with what I believe is the upgraded version which still used .95amp but gives out 140cfm -

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181535284011?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I bid $15.99 and he sent 4 of them to me.  You might try $14.99.  One was not the right piece but he told me to keep it and then sent me the correct one so this dealer is good.

Now I must tell you that the practicality of these fans is that on high speed they push the air out, and on low speed they are as good as the old fans on high speed.  The noise level on low speed is about the same as the noise level of the old fans on high speed.  I wanted the heating to work faster on high speed and I'm happy to run them on low speed at night and after the coach has warmed up.

Michael Rump

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Re: Accessing heater/replacing fans in living room and bathroom
« Reply #9 on: March 08, 2016, 01:18:18 PM »
Mike,
Thanks for the link and the info on the fan noise levels. 
Good luck with the others.
Mike and Janis Rump
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Stan Simpson

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Re: Accessing heater/replacing fans in living room and bathroom
« Reply #10 on: March 08, 2016, 02:07:52 PM »
Michael,

So far (and I haven't uncovered the bathroom one yet), aside from the Radio Shack low power unit in the desk, all were the .95amp Mechatronic fans 120mm square.

I went with what I believe is the upgraded version which still used .95amp but gives out 140cfm -

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181535284011?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I bid $15.99 and he sent 4 of them to me.  You might try $14.99.  One was not the right piece but he told me to keep it and then sent me the correct one so this dealer is good.

Now I must tell you that the practicality of these fans is that on high speed they push the air out, and on low speed they are as good as the old fans on high speed.  The noise level on low speed is about the same as the noise level of the old fans on high speed.  I wanted the heating to work faster on high speed and I'm happy to run them on low speed at night and after the coach has warmed up.

Mike,

Our thermostat doesn't have a fan control option when its set to "furnace" which is the Hydro Hot. When the A/C or heat pumps are on, there is an option to set the fan to auto, high or low. How do you run your fans on low? I'm assuming a different thermostat?

Stan
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David T. Richelderfer

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Re: Accessing heater/replacing fans in living room and bathroom
« Reply #11 on: March 08, 2016, 02:44:50 PM »
There are wall switches specifically for the furnace fans.  My coach has two fan speed-switches for the three living room fans, and one switch each for the bathroom and bedroom fans.  The switches have three settings - down is low, center is off, and up is high.  The fans will actuate only if the thermostat demands heat and the switches are set to low or high speed.
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Mike Groves

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Re: Accessing heater/replacing fans in living room and bathroom
« Reply #12 on: March 09, 2016, 02:47:11 PM »
Stan,

David is exactly right in his description of the fans and switches in my "SMC era coach".  If I wanted to warm up from a "stored condition" ("cold"), then I will go through the coach and set each fan to HI.  Once everything warms up then my feeling is that the low speed will be fine so I would then reset them to LOW speed.  I just wanted something that would warm up the coach faster and also use the heat generated by the combi more efficiently.

Mike