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Blower vibration issue and ideas?

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moemah123
moemah123 Member Posts: 67
in THE MAIN WALL

Hey folks,

I am looking for ideas for this setup. The current blower is a new one and heater is a new one. Yet we have replaced blower 2 times and same effects persist.

You can see blower attached to a white / black vent. This pipe vibrates on touch. This subsequently vibrates a portion of house. Also the fan has some humming voice but my heating guy says its expected.

I need help, am I doomed to have vibrations in house when heater runs + weird mmmmm sounds?

Any ideas or tips help as my quality of life is impacted and heater guy is not giving me promising ideas

I am leaning on your help and appreciate it

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Comments

  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 27,481
    edited May 12

    Most likely problem is that the blower wheel — the fan — is out of balance. Something stuck on a blade that shouldn't be there? Out of balance from new (shouldn't be, but not unheard of)? But with two new blowers…

    A bit difficult to do, but can you take the blower off of the rest of the system — set it on a bench or something — and run it all by itself, as a test? That would isolate the problem.

    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 12,417

    @moemah123 stated: "You can see blower attached to a white / black vent. This pipe vibrates on touch. This subsequently vibrates a portion of house. Also the fan has some humming voice but my heating guy says its expected."

    This has been a problem with so many of the heating systems with many of my customers: Humming! I find that the usual cause is that they forgot the words. Often this is fixed by placing the sheet music with lyrics on a table near the appliance so the words are readily available and all of a sudden the Humming STOPS instantly.

    I hope you find this "trick of the trade" helpful

    Edward Young Retired

    After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?

    moemah123
  • moemah123
    moemah123 Member Posts: 67
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1896366#Comment_1896366

    Thank you. I was thinking of that too, but what exactly am I watching for? To compare the 2 blowers or excessive vibrations?

    Also, is there no way to just absorb shock between blower and the vent pipes? Something like Fernco P1056-33 flexible coupling

  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 27,481
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1896379#Comment_1896379

    The blower, by itself, should not vibrate perceptibly at all. If it does, it has a balance problem — which may be remarkably hard to isolate, unless it is something obvious.

    If you are dealing with hot air, not exhaust, there are flexible couplings which can be had or fabricated, depending on the duct work — but that's a band-aid on the symptom, not a fix.

    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 17,116

    if the piping is right up against structure it may telegraph normal vibration in to the structure. I would concentrate on using some sort of resilient mounting between the structure and the vent.

    some of the blowers in powered vent water heaters are very loud as well. it might just be that it is engineered for price, not to be quiet.

    kcopp
  • pedmec
    pedmec Member Posts: 1,440

    I would cut out the firestop around the abs 90 at minimum and maybe some sheetrock and see if the vent has some flex to it. If not it might be pinned against the structure and the normal noise made by the blower is resonating thru the structure. It might even be pinned against the gas piping.

  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 4,139
    edited May 12

    Hi, I wonder if something like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/174435310323?_ul=US&toolid=10001&customid=eb%3Ab%3Avms%3Aeb%3Ap%3A174435310323-473635588452%3B710a3237e8fd143fc15058345162b3ad&loc_physical_ms=86421&loc_interest_ms=

    might give you better isolation in the vent pipe? I don't see just how soft the rubber is. 🤔

    Yours, Larry

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 17,116

    i think they use those a lot in turbo systems. i'm having trouble reading where it is listed for gas vent systems.

  • moemah123
    moemah123 Member Posts: 67
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1896436#Comment_1896436

    Thank you! Would this be to soften the vibration effect from blower?

  • moemah123
    moemah123 Member Posts: 67
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1896437#Comment_1896437

    I am not sure, this was sent to me part of bradford white combi and was told its the only option :(

    I am struggling to believe that its expected for it to send vibrations to structure. And that 2 components came with similar effect. Its becoming hard to argue its a manufacture batching problem, but my old heater of same company and type wasnt like that and no one can tell me what blower it had, because it was thrown away

  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 4,139
    edited May 13

    Hi and yes. It's silicon rubber so should be soft and easily able to take the heat and any acidity too.

    Yours, Larry

  • Bernie_the_Brewer
    Bernie_the_Brewer Member Posts: 55

    I had a bad vibration on a sidedraft blower that was audible throughout the house. It was kind of a bad resonance between the blower and another component (IIRC, the electrical box, but it doesn't matter exactly). I "fixed" it by placing a one- or two-lb weight on the vibrating part. (I used a C-clamp.) This shifted the resonant frequency, and greatly reduced my audible vibration.

    Trying to keep Bernie burning!

    Larry Weingarten
  • moemah123
    moemah123 Member Posts: 67
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1896507#Comment_1896507

    This is fixes humming or noisy fan problem for me when I weight it down with my hands. But unfortunately still the forced air or something is strong enough to vibrate the pipes? :O

  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 7,505

    So this is the second blower assembly on a new tank and its same noise? What is the exhaust venting touching besides the high temp silicone? I just replaced a power vent water heater for my in-laws, and it purs like a kitten. Is the tank level and stable?

    I can zoom in pretty good on the pic, and I don't see glue or primer evidence on the PVC. Are those joints glued? IDK what the black pipe is. ABS?

  • moemah123
    moemah123 Member Posts: 67

    Hey folks how can I upload a video here ?

  • moemah123
    moemah123 Member Posts: 67
    edited 12:13AM

    Black pipe is ABS, I am not sure if pvc is glued. This blower was replacement to first brand new blower. But it is definitely noisy and not quiet. I can link my reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/askaplumber/s/EnRlEIt1Om

    Plumber suspects its vent pipe vibration not unit itself

  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 7,505
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1896619#Comment_1896619

    Can you get above the ceiling to follow the vent pipe?

  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 4,139

    Hi, Another test would be to remove the blower, hold it in your hand (safely) and power it up. Does it still make the noise then? I'm just trying to get to the actual source of the racket.

    Yours, Larry

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