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Blower Motor Troubleshooting

The blower motor plays a crucial role in circulating air through forced-air heating and cooling systems. Common causes of blower motor failure include dirt accumulation, worn bearings, electrical issues, and old age. When diagnosing blower motor problems, technicians should check for mechanical and electrical failures, test the capacitor, and verify that the correct voltage is being supplied. It is best to replace failed blower motors with identical OEM models, especially for newer systems with electronically commutated motors. Replacing a blower motor also provides an opportunity for technicians to recommend system upgrades or maintenance to prevent future issues.

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Rahul Chandrawar
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80 views3 pages

Blower Motor Troubleshooting

The blower motor plays a crucial role in circulating air through forced-air heating and cooling systems. Common causes of blower motor failure include dirt accumulation, worn bearings, electrical issues, and old age. When diagnosing blower motor problems, technicians should check for mechanical and electrical failures, test the capacitor, and verify that the correct voltage is being supplied. It is best to replace failed blower motors with identical OEM models, especially for newer systems with electronically commutated motors. Replacing a blower motor also provides an opportunity for technicians to recommend system upgrades or maintenance to prevent future issues.

Uploaded by

Rahul Chandrawar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Diagnosing and Solving Blower Motor Problems

achrnews.com/articles/131184-diagnosing-and-solving-blower-motor-problems

December 7, 2015

Jen Anesi
KEYWORDS blowers / furnace
troubleshooting / HVAC Drives /
motors for HVACR /
troubleshooting and HVACR
Order Reprints

The blower motor plays an


extremely important role in forced-
air systems. It’s the trigger that DIRT AND DEBRIS: Dirt is one of many possible
circulates conditioned air causes of blower motor failure in a residential forced-
throughout the home. air system. Photo courtesy of Thornton & Grooms

Blowers in older furnaces generally employ single-speed permanent split capacitor


(PSC) motors while many newer furnaces use variable-speed electronically commutated
motors (ECMs). Knowing how to troubleshoot and diagnose problems with these
motors is an essential skill an HVAC technician must possess.

DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM


Blower motor breakdown can be the result of anything from old age to failed bearings,
high amp draw, electrical failure in the windings, dirt accumulation, and more.

“The most common cause is dirt accumulation due to lack of maintenance,” said Tom
Beaulieu, president of Bay Area Services Inc. in Green Bay, Wisconsin. “In very old
residential systems — or, more commonly, in commercial systems — there could be a
belt-drive blower. In those cases, excessive belt tension can be a cause. Tight belts place
undue stress on the bearings, causing premature wear. Otherwise, normal old-age
issues, such as bearing failure, cause seizing, which leads to massive electrical failure. A
less common cause is insufficient voltage to the blower.”

The first step in diagnosing blower motor failure is to check to see if there is demand for
the blower. If there is, and the blower is not operating, then it’s likely either a
mechanical failure or an electrical failure, said John Boylan, general manager of
Lakeside Service Co. in Brighton, Michigan.

“We check for mechanical failure by testing if the bearings are good and if the wheel
spins freely; then, we check for electrical failure by first verifying that the circuit board
is applying the correct voltage to the blower,” he said. “If that is good, then we check the

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microfarads on the capacitor to see if there’s a short or open on the capacitor. If the
capacitor is good and there is no mechanical failure with voltage applied to the motor,
it’s an electrical failure.”

“If there’s power going to it, the capacitor checks out, and the motor still doesn’t run, it’s
bad,” Beaulieu added. “Or, it could be that the motor does run but is very noisy and
drawing high current. That means the bearings are worn and causing excessive drag.”

Ed Kittle, operations manager at Howald Heating and Air Conditioning in Indianapolis,


said the module on ECMs is often the culprit and replacing it will solve the problem the
majority of the time.

“It takes about four screws once you get the housing out,” said Kittle. “Then, you plug it
back in. There are a couple of tools out there [for testing motors], like the TECMate
[from Genteq]. You plug it into the motor and hit a button, and it tells you if the motor
is good or bad.”

While recurring blower motor failure is uncommon, it does happen, and finding the root
cause is required in order to prevent the motor from failing again.

“If it’s dirt, it’ll be quite evident,” Beaulieu said. “If it’s power-related, a meter reading,
under load, will tell you what’s going on. Triple check there is the right matched set of
pulleys and the proper belt size.”

DO’S AND DON’TS OF MOTOR REPLACEMENT


Whenever possible, motors should be replaced with the same make and model, Kittle
said. This is especially important when it comes to ECMs in newer high-end furnaces.

“The key thing on an ECM motor is you have to replace it with the OEM ECM,” Kittle
said. “A lot of those motors are programmed at the factory for that particular furnace —
you just can’t pull one off the truck, stick it in, and say, ‘Here you go.’ It won’t work.
They’re programmed for that equipment.”

Boylan also said it’s standard practice to replace blower motors with like motors. “OEM
direct replacements are stocked on our trucks,” he said. “Install the motor according to
the manufacturer’s instructions, always ensure you have the correct rotation on the
blower wheel, and perform post testing to verify proper operation of the motor. Don’t
guess the blower size, and be sure to verify performance after installation.”

Beaulieu said he’ll replace the motor with an OEM motor depending on the age of the
furnace. “If it’s less than 5 years old and under a parts warranty, we’ll get an OEM
replacement,” he said. “That usually means going back the next day.”

Bay Area Services’ technicians also carry a limited amount of universal-fit motors in
their service vans to use as temporary replacements when the need for heat is critical,
Beaulieu added. “We offer the Evergreen ECM retrofit motor when the homeowner has
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to purchase a new motor and the furnace warrants it. We carry two sizes — ¼-½ hp
and ½-1 hp — that fit most applications.”

No matter the cause of the blower motor’s failure, Beaulieu said it’s important to make
sure the equipment is cleaned and maintained during the service call.

“Take the time to clean the furnace thoroughly. That includes the secondary heat
exchanger, the evaporator coil, etc.,” he said. “Measure the supply voltage to the blower
as it’s running to be sure there is adequate power supplied. Measure the current draw
when complete to make sure it’s within proper parameters. Don’t just replace [the
motor] and run — check things over thoroughly. Tension the belt properly, if there is
one.”

WHEN TO UPSELL
When a blower motor does fail, Beaulieu said it is often a good time to tell the
homeowner to “consider upgrading the equipment.” Sometimes, that means a new
system, but it can also mean upgrading to a more efficient, reliable blower motor.

“Most frequently, we install them when we have customers with airflow issues and
correcting the ductwork isn’t an option,” Boylan said. “We also offer them when we
perform energy audits and the equipment is less than 10 years old with a PSC fan.”

The only hurdle to upgrading to an ECM is the higher initial cost, Boylan said, though
educating the homeowner can help overcome that issue.

“If you want to increase your service tickets by asking techs to become salesmen, ECM
retrofit motors are an easy solution,” Boylan said. “Just be sure to teach your service
techs about the technology, and give them some collateral to educate homeowners. If
you offer options every time, you’re guaranteed to sell more. It’s an easy way to raise
average invoices and customer satisfaction.”

Publication date: 12/7/2015

Jen Anesi is Legislation Editor. She can be contacted at 248-


244-6495 or [email protected]. Jen’s responsibilities
include covering state and federal legislative and regulatory
actions relevant to the HVACR industry, running the annual
Best Instructor and Best Trainer contests , managing the
Regulatory Update section of The NEWS, and producing the
monthly Tech of the Month feature. She has six years of
writing and editing experience, holds a bachelor’s degree in
journalism from Oakland University, and is currently
working toward her MA in English at Wayne State
University.

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