How to Clean and Maintain Your Fireplace Blower for Maximum Performance

Fireplaces have been used for thousands of years, but modern fireplaces were only invented a few hundred years ago. Fireplaces today are very sleek and heat-resistant. Many of them come with fireplace blower options. 

A fireplace blower is great for distributing the fireplace’s heat throughout a room. This ensures that your home will be toasty and warm.

The blower may be outside or inside the fireplace. It is always outside the firebox which is important for ensuring it doesn’t get damaged.

But how can you clean and maintain a fireplace blower? How can you stay safe while cleaning it? Keep reading and learn more about cleaning this unique device.

How to Clean a Fireplace Blower

Many people don’t realize that they have to clean their fireplace blowers. They may let it run for years without cleaning or maintaining it. Others may not think that cleaning the blower is important. 

But this is a bad idea. Never cleaning your fireplace circulator will shorten its lifespan. A blower should last many years. 

But a poorly-maintained blower may last a fraction of that lifespan. This would be a waste of money since you would then need to buy a new fireplace heater blower. You can avoid this problem by cleaning your fireplace blower. 

Cleaning it once a year is all you need. If you use your fireplace often, it may be a good idea to clean it twice a year. This allows you to keep up with the debris and soot that the blower might pick up. 

You can also tell that it’s time to clean the blower by how it runs. If it doesn’t provide as much heat as usual or if it starts making strange sounds, it’s time to clean it. This is because dust and soot may have built up on the blower’s fan blades. 

This makes it harder for the blades to cut through the air and circulate the air properly. The harder the blower works, the more unnecessary energy it will expend. This will exhaust its moving parts and reduce its lifespan. 

You can solve this problem by cleaning it once in a while. Before you clean it, make sure the fireplace blower is cool. If it isn’t, you risk burning yourself.

You should also be extra careful if you have a gas fireplace. Make sure the gas is off and that there is no chance that the fireplace could start while you are working on it.

The Details

Start reading the manual that came with the fireplace blower. 

The manual will tell you how the blower works as well as how to clean it. Each blower model is different. Some may require you to open the access panel to clean it. 

Others may require you to take the entire blower apart so you can clean the individual parts. Follow the instructions according to the manual. You can think of your manual as a sort of safety net for your blower. 

As long as you follow it, it is hard to go wrong. You will then have access to the blower’s fan blades. 

These blades are too close together to clean them with a bulky object like a rag. This is why you need a more delicate tool like a paintbrush. You can also use a small nozzle of a vacuum cleaner to clean the blades. 

Don’t forget to clean around the blower’s motor. Dust and soot can easily get trapped in the crevices in and around the motor. Cleaning the blower should be a piece of cake, and it shouldn’t take too long either.

Avoid using water or cleaning fluid on the fireplace blower. 

Using liquid may damage the blower. This liquid may get near the blower’s electrical wires and ruin them. You should only use water on the blower’s blades if you can remove them from the blower and wash them separately. 

You should then dry them before putting them anywhere near the blower. Once the blower is clean, you can put it back together again. Test the blower to make sure it runs properly. 

If you hear any strange sounds, you may have reassembled it properly. Otherwise, the blower should be ready to go.  

How to Maintain Your Fireplace Blower

Maintaining your fireplace blower is as important as cleaning it. Cleaning is the main type of maintenance you can practice. But other forms are important as well. 

Inspecting your fireplace blower regularly is important. Most of the time, the blower should run fine. But if your fireplace blower starts to run strangely, there may be something wrong with it. 

If the blower is clean but still acting strangely, the mechanisms inside the blower may be getting old. The mechanisms may have also slipped out of place. This may cause the blower to make a strange noise or rattle when it runs. 

Consider if your blower is crackling, squeaking, chirping, or chattering.

Blowers will have more problems as they get older. Using them often will also wear them down faster. Read the blower’s manual to see what might be wrong with it. 

It might be necessary to repair or replace a small part inside the blower. Very old blowers may need to be replaced. Try taking the blower apart and inspecting each part. 

Get a magnifying glass to make sure you don’t miss any small signs of damage.

If there is anything amiss about a part, it would be a good idea to replace it. Sometimes the act of disassembling and reassembling the blower is enough to fix the problem. If your blower still has problems, it may be best to get a new one. 

How to Care For Your Fireplace Blower

A fireplace blower is an important piece of equipment for your fireplace. It circulates the hot air from the fireplace around the room. You can keep your blower in good shape by cleaning it a few times a year and keeping it maintained. 

To learn more about how it works, check out our fireplace options.