Ecofan Repair using Thermal Paste. Fixing a Woodstove Fan for 10 dollars

Today I take you through the process of fixing an EcoFan that stopped spinning on my woodstove. The official details on this fan are "EcoFan AirPlus by Caframo". This EcoFan has been in operation for many many years and up until recently spun freely and worked well. To repair this fan I purchased some CPU silicone paste/thermal paste (see below) and applied it to the contact surfaces that is linked to the fan motor. By doing so, the fan is back in smooth operation and the overall cost was right around $10 Canadian dollars. Pretty good deal if you ask me considering the high cost to buy a new fan. Only suggestion I may make is that clear CPU paste would be easier to hide than the white-coloured CPU paste. Hope the heating season is off to a good start for many of you and the smell of a hot woodstove fire is filling the air. Cheers.
Fan -- Ecofan Airplus Heat-Powered Fan for Wood Stoves, Model# 802CA-KBX
www.amazon.ca/...
(currently unavailable on amazon.ca)
CPU Silicone Paste --StarTech.com 20g Tube CPU Thermal Paste Grease Compound for Heatsinks Cooling HEATGREASE20 (White)
www.amazon.ca/...

[@sawingwithsandy]

Please consult your fan manufacturer for help with repairing your fan before attempting what you see in the video. Use any of the information presented in this video at your own risk.

[@strongrootsresources8324]

Handy video. We're snowed in and I'm tinkering with small things around the home. No thermal paste on hand, but I took it apart, cleaned everything and reassembled and it's running well. Sturdy little thing considering it's been knocked to the ground by cats more than once.

[@myvoice7159]

I tried this and it worked! My eco fan stopped working so I tried replacing the motor but that did not fix it. So I did the thermal paste on the contact surfaces as shown in this video and the fan started right up! Wow cool. Do not know how long it will last? But happy it worked for now. BTW you can check your motor by using two wires connected to the ends of a AA battery before ordering a replacement. If the blades rotate off the battery you know that is not the problem and can go ahead and try the thermal paste. Thank very much for this informative video 😊👍

[@sawingwithsandy]

Great tip about using the battery first. Thanks for sharing that

[@dallaswolbaum4575]

Mine is 10 yrs old...was not working but fan spun freely. I took it apart and did this fix. Works great now!!

[@77Cardinal]

Hey. Thanks for the video and thanks for the towel tip. I can tell by your hands you work on things bigger than a mini thermal fan! When I work on a haybine or a baler I'm often on grass and things like chain link parts can get away from me. I've used card board, etc and even my kids metal detector toy to find stuff in the grass. Towel makes more sense. Regards.

[@allanpemberton4143]

Thank you for this...I have 2 ecofans, one works most of the time but the other, older one, stopped.

[@troods8110]

I'm having the same issue. One works great, the other stopped and hasn't worked since. I am going to try and take it apart and clean it. If that doesn't work, I'll have to look for thermal paste to try.

[@allanpemberton4143]

@@troods8110 I used the thermal paste and it works ok, but not the same as when it was new.

[@ragheadand420roll]

Make sure to squirt some lube into the fan motor also Its from the heat and cooling Like exhaust manifold s U can also squirt some lube into the screw before u try to loosen them U can also remove the fan blade for easier access

[@mikechristensen9744]

Glad it worked out for you! For future reference, only a very thin amount of thermal paste is required(just enough to make the layer opaque)...too much can actually cause thermal resistance. The only reason I know this is that I have used it many times when repairing/building computers and have to use thermal paste on the CPU heat-sinks. But bottom line...it worked for you and that is really the only thing that matters! :-) Edit: I am thinking that what may have caused the issue in the first place is that the mating surfaces warped and so were no longer true which can happen. If(when!) this happens on my EcoFan, I will be checking this aspect out for sure...truing up the surfaces is not hard(same method as truing small engine heads) except it looks like they may be a bit hard to completely separate the two pieces in order to do this.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Good to know Mike. Thanks for passing that along. I don't use the stuff too much so good to get some tips from others like yourself.

[@lallasjfk]

Any videos tjat show hie tk fix thr same kind of fan , that is making a npise? Probably had fan droped on the floor .....

[@Ecksterphono]

Heat over time will ossify the screws on the heat sink. Sometimes the screw may snap off.

[@stephenrhodesianridgeback7418]

Great idea . Need too get one of those fans . Prices I see are from 50$ too 200$ 👍

[@sawingwithsandy]

They are great little fans. Not cheap but it’s nice for when the woodstove doesn’t have a built in fan like mine

[@imkranlopez5426]

Works better if you get the screwdrivers you can put a wrench on.

[@bluegreenworld333]

Can you comment on why ecofan say not to use the thermal paste please? They have appaz, a helpline and say to do anything but. Also need advice on bimetallic strip, its function and what that means in practical sense. Is it down or up for functioning?

[@StudCity718]

Super lube sells a "heat sink compound" is that the same as thermal paste?

[@laura-leaberna4176]

Thx for the awesome effort, video, and your precious time 🎉

[@sawingwithsandy]

Thanks Laura-Lea

[@kathymccann2946]

I have a Winter Cocoon brand, similar type of stove fan as this one. Every screw was so totally seized up that I couldn't get any of them out. I assume the high heat of the stove causes the metal screws to melt and fuse? I had to abandon the project.....

[@rossmcdonell5182]

Also worked for me Thanks for your efforts !!!! 😊

[@denisedecker4914]

Thank you so much for putting this video together! for Me! LOL tomorrow I hope to find thermal paste before attempting to put the fan back together that I had just taken apart and cleaned tonight. I was in the hardware store earlier today considering purchasing another fan, when I came across a replacement motor for 19.99 ca (which I didn't realize you could do! ) now to find some paste and see if you saved me some $$

[@sawingwithsandy]

I hope it works for you Denise. Thanks for watching

[@bluegreenworld333]

In uk the new fans themselves cost 19.99 eng pounds, bizarre!

[@MegsCarpentry-lovedogs]

Awesome! Thanks! 🇨🇦 👍 💯

[@Andrew_From_NB]

Hey Sandy! Definitely a handy video here! Thanks for sharing this! I’m keeping this in mind for the future if I run into something similar! Andrew from NB :)

[@sawingwithsandy]

Hey Andrew!

[@Leftatalbuquerque]

I've replaced my motor twice now and each time, the new one starts working fine but then slows down after a week or so. Maybe the paste needs to be added to again... which I already did last year! Very expensive contraption to purchase, even when "on sale" at Home Hardware!

[@sawingwithsandy]

Yeah they sure are finicky things aren’t they. Mine has a mind of its own as well

[@Leftatalbuquerque]

@@sawingwithsandy Just replaced the grease with something my pal Steve suggested at my local Home Hardware (I'm sort of north of you!) It's a heat-proof grease with Whitlam as a brand name - meant for facets and valves... but supposed to be good up to 250F... I considered Never Seize, I have a jar of the aluminum-laced stuff (we own a truck repair shop) which was good to way higher heat range, but my friend thought the aluminum filings in it might interfere... anyway, I've applied the plumbing grease and it's running like a top as I write this... we'll see how long it lasts. The grease is 2 oz little jar - it's a lifetime supply! Thoughts?

[@Motoko1134]

Throw it out, these are a waste of time. Buy a normal electric fan and put it on 5-6 feet away from the stove, it will distribute heat 10 times more than these gimmicks, and they cost 15$. Will last 10 years +

[@pamrugh7534]

If the pace doesn't work what do I do next

[@kdriscoll57]

I have an Invicta wood burner, it has an enamel paint finish and stove top fans refuse to work on it, Why? Is it to do with the paint??

[@rocketman702]

It's called thermal coupling paste..

[@kimberlyhoy535]

Thank you!

[@lisehudson6985]

Anyone know of a video to re-attach the wires? Mine came off in a move.

[@MegsCarpentry-lovedogs]

I did this and the fan hardly spun. I took it apart thinking I didn't put enough of the paste but that did not do anything to improve it. Here I am back on youtube trying to find out if anyone else followed the helpful tips in this vid yet no results for an efficient blade spinning. Cheers, from Canada.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Sorry to hear that this didn’t work out for you like it did for me. May want to contact the manufacturer of your fan

[@MegsCarpentry-lovedogs]

@@sawingwithsandy Thanks. Glad it worked out for you. I found a complimentary youtube vid similar to yours, a Scotish fella, and he suggested also putting a spray lubricant in the motor section. He emphasized that if things still didn't work that it was time to purchase another thermo plate. They sell on Amazon, of course :) Stay safe. Thank you for your helpful video.

[@garyworden5319]

Why didn't you start by testing the motor? Simple touch wires from 1.5 volt battery. I did it, and my motor works. So now it is on to perhaps trying your paste or getting a new thermocoupler.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Hey Gary, I never thought to try the motor initially.

[@garyworden5319]

Thanks. The Ecofan website says the motor is the most likely problem. But mine is OK. Now I don’t know whether to replace the thermocoupler or try the paste like you did.

[@newfoundlandsawmilling9023]

Can you give me some info on the thermal paste. Im searching amazon for it but there is a lot to chose from. Can you point me in the right direction? Thanks.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Sure. These are the details for the paste when I bought it a while back CPU Silicone Paste --StarTech.com 20g Tube CPU Thermal Paste Grease Compound for Heatsinks Cooling HEATGREASE20 (White) www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B005VULWLA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@yvanaudet4071]

C'est vraiment efficace avec un Tomersun 3 pales n'oublié pas de remettre la plaque thermique dans la meme position original sinon ca tourne pas ds le bon sens. Super MERCI

[@sawingwithsandy]

heureux que vous ayez aimé la vidéo

[@yvanaudet4071]

J'étais sur le point de jeter ma fan car ne fonctionnais plu du tout mais la ca marche tres bien merci encore.....

[@saccaed]

Far less paste. Gamers Nexus has some great videos about paste squish. A pea sized amount on both sides will squish out to completely or near completely cover both sides. Recommend checking screw tightness after a couple uses as the paste squish out can result in loose screws.

[@wildflower5511]

That piece that came out with the fan that you applied the paste too, mine is stuck to the base. Any suggestions?

[@sawingwithsandy]

Maybe a bit of heat will help

[@wildflower5511]

I ended up just a leaving it attached but applied the paste to the other 2 spots. It’s working! Thanks for the video!

[@jaysonstotts7604]

My fan now spins in reverse . Did I put it back together wrong ?

[@jaysonstotts7604]

I got it ! Thermal block was upside down !

[@grahammcfadyenhill9555]

@@jaysonstotts7604 Good for you! Figured it out!

[@benevered5604]

Should some paste be put inside the circuit?

[@sawingwithsandy]

I’m not sure.

[@jamesmartz4755]

The generator works based on temperature difference, so the bottom is heated and the top is attached to a heat sink for relative cooling. Ideally the paste would be on each side of the generator, making good contact with the metal, but not overlapping in the middle.

[@heyyoubuddy6749]

Hey Buddy how are ya?great video I love those fans! I just started running my stove that will help move the heat around better.

[@sawingwithsandy]

Doing well thanks. Finally over the sickness and back up to speed. Nothing like the smell of burning wood. How are things on your end?

[@heyyoubuddy6749]

Sawing with Sandy Hi Sandy all is well working hard getting ready for Thanksgiving we are hosting this year I’m hoping to deep fry a turkey for the first time still dreaming about retiring in the woods I got to tell you buddy you have sold me on the HM 130 looks like a wonderful piece of equipment. I hope to be able to start hunting and fishing again do you hunt and fish?

[@dennismccracken7922]

CPU thermal paste oughta work & don't put it on so thick