Furnace Motor Problems

  • Zach H
    Posts: 374
    #1356322

    Came home from work and noticed the house was colder than normal. Went down stairs to see what the problem was, and noticed my motor on my blower fan was HOT!. I shut off the power and called a technician. He won’t be here until 10 p.m. Now I sit here wondering what this could be and how much this is going to cost to fix. Anyone have any ideas on what this could be? Thanks!

    Tom Sawvell
    Inactive
    Posts: 9559
    #1370418

    Sounds as though the motor cooked. If it is just a motor it probably won’t be that bad of a fix.

    big_g
    Isle, MN
    Posts: 22529
    #1370422

    Did you call Opie !!! I would guess a new motor… probably about a $300-$400 bill

    07lotwchamp
    Andover, Mn
    Posts: 299
    #1370432

    Get the numbers off of your current motor and call around to find a match, I had same problem last year and replaced the motor myself, not as bad as u would think. Good luck

    big_g
    Isle, MN
    Posts: 22529
    #1370438

    A great place in St Cloud is Electric Motor service… right across from Eich… I regularly call a guy named Todd from there, that is great to work with as far as electric motors and such go.

    Brian Klawitter
    Keymaster
    Minnesota/Wisconsin Mississippi River
    Posts: 59992
    #1370448

    You didn’t want to have heat tonight did you?

    Check your furnace filter and if you can get at the fan, see if it rotates freely.

    big_g
    Isle, MN
    Posts: 22529
    #1370454

    I would hope he has back-up ? Maybe I am just too prepared…

    kwp
    Eden Prairie
    Posts: 857
    #1370463

    Had a similar problem with my mom’s furnance a couple wks ago…In her case, it was the exhaust fan motor. I wasn’t feeling good when the technician said “this is one of the most expensive parts on a furnance”. $800 later made me think we should have just replaced the entire 12 yo furnace.

    I would think a regular blower motor should be more standard and in the $250 to $300 range.

    Richard V.
    Somewhere over the rainbow
    Posts: 2596
    #1370470

    Cooked the motor on our furnace a couple years ago and replaced it for a little more than $100. I have a neighbor that has a heating and cooling company here, we just found a motor that was the same diameter, HP, and RPM as the old one.

    He told me to clean the furnace, blower, and motor yearly. And lube the motor.

    It was pretty easy to change I did all the work myself and had it finished within 30 minutes.

    icenutz
    Aniwa, WI
    Posts: 2540
    #1370482

    Quote:


    Had a similar problem with my mom’s furnance a couple wks ago…In her case, it was the exhaust fan motor. I wasn’t feeling good when the technician said “this is one of the most expensive parts on a furnance”. $800 later made me think we should have just replaced the entire 12 yo furnace.

    I would think a regular blower motor should be more standard and in the $250 to $300 range.


    Wow he ripped you a good one, those exhaust mortors are normally around $200. I had mine replaced because of bad fan blades on the exhaust fan assembly. It’s a sealed unit, cost was $300 total. I could of bought the fan off the web for $200 but it was worth the extra $100 to have it done right away.

    dairycat
    Posts: 169
    #1370485

    I would check the filter like Brian K. said. If they are dirty your fan has to work alot harder to pull the air through your hvac system.

    Zach H
    Posts: 374
    #1370491

    Well the tech just left…. $721.47 Later I have my furnace running again. It was the inducer fan. He told me the part costs $787.00 and then he gave me a discount. I told him that was insane! He said I have to call their shop tomorrow morning to see if I can get some knocked off. They best do something or it’s the last time they see this household. The thing that gets me most worked up is that they are suppose to come grease and clean my furnace once every fall before winter, a service I pay for monthly, and they haven’t been here yet this year to do their maintenance on it. Needless to say I might loose some sleep over this one.

    joeyno5
    Rochester MN.
    Posts: 486
    #1370502

    There is a lot to be said for maintenance on your mechanical equipment, plain and simple a little maintenance can go a loooong way. That being said it also opens the door for some BS Service contract and a sales/tech selling on commissions.

    Bottom line is when you make the service call and have no heat, your at their mercy. The guy came at 10:00 pm and potentially saved your home from other damages. Your options are very limited and in a bind they did the service you asked of them.

    Steep, you darn right! You payed a premium in a time of need, but the best thing you can do is know your mechanical contractor. Qualify them on the customer service that they have given your friends and neighbors, then hire that same person every time you need service. The bill sucks but at least you can sleep tonight in a warm bed.

    Mike W
    MN/Anoka/Ham lake
    Posts: 13310
    #1370519

    Yep. No sales on heat for your home at 10pm at night on one of the coldest nights of the year. Lots of shops here in the metro would of been $200 to $300 just to show up. Atleast your not dealing with frozen pipes and water damage this morning. Glad to hear your heat is back on.

    icenutz
    Aniwa, WI
    Posts: 2540
    #1370527

    Quote:


    Well the tech just left…. $721.47 Later I have my furnace running again. It was the inducer fan. He told me the part costs $787.00 and then he gave me a discount. I told him that was insane! He said I have to call their shop tomorrow morning to see if I can get some knocked off. They best do something or it’s the last time they see this household. The thing that gets me most worked up is that they are suppose to come grease and clean my furnace once every fall before winter, a service I pay for monthly, and they haven’t been here yet this year to do their maintenance on it. Needless to say I might loose some sleep over this one.


    it’s easy enough to check the cost onlin=e, just google your make model and induction fan. I’m guessing that the fan is $250 or less online, come on I can but a brand new high efficient furnance for $1500 and get a $500 rebate from the energy company and the Gov.

    18fisher
    Hastings,MN
    Posts: 412
    #1370578

    Every year this subject comes up.

    The company had to keep a tech on call so someone answers the phone when it rings. That costs money.

    The company has to keep a van stocked and on the road. That costs money.

    Go ahead, buy that motor online. When that motor fails in 30 days. Call them back and try to get them to come out and fix it.

    You are lucky the guy fixed it and got it right the first time. We (people in the business) deal with customers like this everyday. As soon as they get the bill they complain its too high. If you could get the motor cheaper online why didn’t you? Is it because you didn’t know what
    was wrong? That takes experience and that’s what you pay for.

    Besides, there is no grease zerks on fan motors. Most are sealed bearings and don’t need anything for the lifetime.

    joeprov
    Posts: 10
    #1370596

    For the most part Residential maintenance programs are a joke. These furnaces and Air conditioners need little maintenance and the homeowner can do most themselves by just keeping them clean and clear of dust. I have worked for the companies that offer these contracts and they need these so that the techs can stay busy during the slow times. This way in May and June they can “service” your A/C and in September and October they can do the furnace. Usually folks are not using A/C or Heat in those months so calls for service come to a halt. Remember that companies do have to make money so they will add a %40 premium to any part they put it. They wouldn’t be in business if they couldn’t do that. A fan motor may cost $75 or $100, but that means that you will pay $150-250, tack on the after hours service charge, trip charge and labor and there you have it. Only other option is to buy one of every part and keep them in the basement ready to go.
    Cheers

    Zach H
    Posts: 374
    #1370738

    Alright, you guys are right. These people need to make a living I should be calm and cool. I guess the thing that bothers me the most is that my furnace is only 6 yrs old. This is the second part I have had to put in it. I shouldn’t have went off the deep end. I will hand out advice to anyone that wants to avoid these problems in the future. Get set up with a appliance plan that will cover repairs when they need to be made with you energy company. I called today and signed up. Sorry about the rant, just upset that a little fan cost my an arm and a leg.

    run&gun
    MN
    Posts: 125
    #1370745

    What brand furnace? Gas furnace? I have the yearly maintainance done on mine because if there is a emergency call I don’t get charge extra. So if there is a off hours need they still charge normal rates. $75 a year gives me piece of mind. All they do is clean the flame sensor and all the dust that collects on fans and motors.

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