How To Repair A Furnace Blower Motor
The furnace blower motor does the job of moving air through the ducts. When it fails, you cannot heat your home. The steps for how to repair a furnace blower motor may work for minor problems. Major problems will very likely require that you seek professional service from the licensed technicians at Oliver. You can, however, do some troubleshooting to figure out what the problem is before you call for service.
Tools Needed
- Flashlight
- Screwdrivers
Step by Step Directions:
- Listen for noise from the blower motor. If it does not turn on at all, then you could have a broken electrical component. Clogged ducts or filters will also cause problems. A failure elsewhere in the furnace could force an automatic shutdown.
- Open vents throughout your house to check for blockages. Furniture or excessive dirt accumulation could block airflow.
- Check your furnace filter. If it was never changed, it will eventually impede airflow. This in turn causes a blower motor to overheat and fail.
- Replace the furnace filter with a new one inserted correctly.
- Turn on the furnace at the thermostat after clearing blockages. If it starts and air flows freely through the vents, you may have remedied the problem. However, the strain caused by blockages warrants an inspection of the furnace in the near future. It may be on the verge of breaking down.
- If ducts appear clear, how to repair a furnace blower motor now involves checking the motor belt.
- Turn off electricity to the furnace at the circuit breaker panel.
- Remove screws securing the blower housing so that you can see the motor.
- Use a flashlight to inspect the entire belt.
- Cracking or shredding of the belt means that it has failed.
- Putting in new belt will be tricky. Contact Oliver to replace the belt.
- If the belt looks undamaged, you can try resetting the motor while you have the housing open.
- With the power still off, look over the motor until you find a red button.
- If the motor is not cool enough to touch, wait for it to cool down.
- A power overload can prompt an automatic blower shut off. If this happened, the button will be extended outward.
- Push the button back in.
- Restore power to the furnace.
- Turn on the furnace and see if the motor starts working.
- If the reset button was not popped out, the motor could have reached the end of its life. Alternatively, the motor’s capacitor may have burned out.
- You may have a bad capacitor if the motor makes a buzzing sound but won’t work.
- You should have an HVAC professional replace the capacitor. Its delicate electrical connections are not something to attempt without training.
Furnace Blower Motor Repair And Replacement
When you contact Oliver, you tap into over 50 years of experience. Delaware Valley residents rely on us for all of their heating and cooling needs. We have the parts and expertise to replace capacitors and belts or put in a new blower motor. Talk to us today about furnace repair.
