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AC BLOWER MOTOR KEEPS BURNING UP! What should I do!?

Safeefee
Safeefee Member Posts: 1
edited May 2017 in A-C, Heat Pumps & Refrigeration
Hello! Please help! I payed out a big amount (probably foolishly) last year in April in order to have my AC Blower motor replaced. The unit continued to work fine but now the blower motor continues to burn up. Twice already. What could be the cause? Repairman seems unsure of the cause & says I just have a bad unit. The part is under warranty but he refuses to replace a third time. Please help! Thank you for taking time and reading. Any help would be appreciated.

Comments

  • ratio
    ratio Member Posts: 3,777
    How new is the ​unit itself? A few pics might lead to something, but not all causes a visible from the outside.

    I hate to say it, but maybe it's time​ to find someone a little more competent. Click the "Find a Contractor" link in the blue bar at the top of the page & see if anyone is near you.

  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,538
    Find a competent tech.

    Try the "Find a Contractor" tab at the top of this page.
    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
  • Jean-David Beyer
    Jean-David Beyer Member Posts: 2,666
    I am not a professional, but I was responsible for two forced hot air furnaces that were "twinned" by a "heating professional" that obviously knew way less than I did. The duct work for supply from the two furnaces was in parallel, as was the duct work for the return. The the single thermostat turned on both furnaces in parallel too. But the blowers ran based on the temperature of the air in the individual plenums. So one would turn on first. And that would blow the other one backwards. When that plenum got hot enough (soon after), that blower was already spinning backwards and powering it on to run in the forward direction meant those motors lasted only a couple of months. IIRC, they were about 1/2 horsepower. They do not like being started when already spinning in the other direction.
  • newagedawn
    newagedawn Member Posts: 586
    which blower motor, in the air handler or condenser?
    "The bitter taste of a poor install lasts far longer than the JOY of the lowest price"
  • njtommy
    njtommy Member Posts: 1,105
    If it's an ecm or an x13 motor and they keep burning up sounds like you have a high static pressure problem/ not enough return air.
  • Big Ed_4
    Big Ed_4 Member Posts: 3,004
    We know something else is wrong .. Is it an standard motor or one with but in electronics we call a ECM motor ?

    On an standard motor the first thing you check the capacitor , Good practice to change both .. And I always change the wheel and be done with it .

    Things I would check since this is an running problem ...

    1) Voltage , too low of voltage will burn out anything ..

    2) Is it the correct motor for the unit ?

    3) Is the motor getting wet ? condensation drainage issues..

    4) check the amp draw on the motor

    5) Is the duct work size properly

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

    j a_2
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,267
    edited May 2017
    First thing I'd check is the supply side static pressure.

    Interesting video on the subject : https://youtu.be/Dr3trVcFiI0

    I'd also want to see the total system static pressure, but the supply side would be my first concern.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • newagedawn
    newagedawn Member Posts: 586
    could be a short in a wire somewhere
    "The bitter taste of a poor install lasts far longer than the JOY of the lowest price"
  • j a_2
    j a_2 Member Posts: 1,801
    Wondering how this was fixed,or was it....How new is the system and the duct work?...Any recent changes to the system?..How about posting a picture, that always help...When it does work how is it?...
  • jumper
    jumper Member Posts: 2,384
    >>The voltage supplied to the blower exceeds the motor nameplate rating by more than 10%.<<

    too common. 220≠240 & so on
  • j a_2
    j a_2 Member Posts: 1,801
    II once new this real young fresh out of A and P school mechanic with his new aircraft license,who got his first job at a small airfield in Southen Florida...One of his first simple tasks was to replace a tail light on a Cessna 152, or similar...SO he went to the stock room and got a bulb,simple correct,then proceeded to replace it,still simple correct...Powed up the battery system and wam the bulb blew, so he went back and got another one,then another one...whoops no more bulbs in stock, so ordered one...Boss calls up and says there are 3 in stock..I said yup, all bad,go figure...Screams at me, says get a meter out and check power, I did, Holly crap it's 24 volts not 12 volts...1978, bulbs cost 68.00 ea. My pay 6.00 PER HOUR.Man did I learn how to use a meter real fast.
  • BobC
    BobC Member Posts: 5,501
    Many moons ago i walked by a new technicians bench with a box of 100ea 0.005 amp fuses and s Simpson 260 meter on it. I noticed about a dozen fuses on the bench and they were all open.

    A minute later this new tech walked up to the bench and told me that brand new fuses were bad right out of the package. I asked him what range are you using on the Simpson? He said the x1 ohms range, the meter jerks some but the fuses are all open.

    These were military fuses that cost about $8 ea in the early 70's and they were not easy to get in quantity. I told him to go get a 1 amp meter out of the equipment cabinet and measure the resistance of that 1 amp meter. He did so and the ohmmeter indicated zero ohms but the ammeter indicated over 300 milliamps.
    He looked at me with very wide eyes and said I didn't know, I told him you do now. i also told him to use the x10,000 range on the ohmmeter.

    We all **** up, the key is not to make that particular mistake again. He worked for us for 20 years and became one of our better techs.

    Bob
    Smith G8-3 with EZ Gas @ 90,000 BTU, Single pipe steam
    Vaporstat with a 12oz cut-out and 4oz cut-in
    3PSI gauge
    j a_2
  • j a_2
    j a_2 Member Posts: 1,801
    I loved the Simpson meters...
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,267
    j a said:

    I loved the Simpson meters...

    I still use one. A 7P.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
    j a_2
  • j a_2
    j a_2 Member Posts: 1,801
    Yes I think there the top of the line...Back in my airline days that's pretty much all we used....At that time not sure if Simpson had digital meters, so on some resistance checks we had to use the fluke...
  • j a_2
    j a_2 Member Posts: 1,801
    @ChrisJ ...We agreed, that don't happen, a lot.....lol....
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,267
    j a said:

    @ChrisJ ...We agreed, that don't happen, a lot.....lol....

    My main pieces of test equipment are :

    Fluke 179 DMM
    Simpson 260 7P
    Tektronix 100MHz dual channel scope with 10x probes. Can't remember the model.


    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • j a_2
    j a_2 Member Posts: 1,801
    Those coming into certain trades out here best know how to use a meter....Well,then again you can just replace all the parts,and charge the unknowing customer...
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,267
    j a said:

    Those coming into certain trades out here best know how to use a meter....Well,then again you can just replace all the parts,and charge the unknowing customer...

    If I was in the trade, I'd probably want a hand held scope.
    It's just too useful to not have in my opinion. It's like anything else, once you get used to having one, you don't want to be without.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
    j a_2
  • newagedawn
    newagedawn Member Posts: 586
    sounds like a short to me
    "The bitter taste of a poor install lasts far longer than the JOY of the lowest price"
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,267
    newagedawn said:

    sounds like a short to me

    Why?
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • BobC
    BobC Member Posts: 5,501
    I still have a couple of Simpson 260 series 3, I bought the oldest one in 1961 from Radio Shack on Commonwealth Ave when I was just about to go into high school. I must have saved for 6-8 months to buy that .

    I preferred the Simpsons to the Tripplet's because the polarity reversing switch switched the polarity of the test leads and that was the easiest way to check a transformer for a shorted turn. Switching the polarity would cause the needle to kick and the amount of kick was a good indication of the inductance you were looking at. A transformer, or motor, with a shorted turn has very little inductance.

    I think Simpson was the only multimeter that switched polarity like that.

    Bob
    Smith G8-3 with EZ Gas @ 90,000 BTU, Single pipe steam
    Vaporstat with a 12oz cut-out and 4oz cut-in
    3PSI gauge
    Jean-David BeyerMilanD
  • j a_2
    j a_2 Member Posts: 1,801
    ChrisJ said:

    newagedawn said:

    sounds like a short to me

    Why?
    Good question?
  • Mark Eatherton
    Mark Eatherton Member Posts: 5,858
    Blower motors are very susceptible to overloading. If the blower is undersized, it's working too hard. If its correctly sized, it may be trying to move too much air. You may need to adjust a damper and choke air flow.

    Short cycling is also a known killer of any electric motorized device. The hardest thing you can do to any piece of equipment is to start it....

    ME

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,266
    This has become an interesting coffee shop chat of preaching to the choir. The OP has not been back.
    Just another thought is that even if the motor rotation is correct, it is possible to put the wheel on backwards. (If the set screw is an allen head that can be reached thru the wheel blades.)

    Good general discussion though, IMO.
  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 6,283
    > @JUGHNE said:
    > This has become an interesting coffee shop chat of preaching to the choir. The OP has not been back.

    >> I think he's stuck in the attic. His wife's never been happier.
    j a_2
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,266
    This isn't ChrisJ in the attic is it?? >:)
    ChrisJ
  • unclejohn
    unclejohn Member Posts: 1,833
    Call the manufacturer's custmer service line and tell them you have replaced 3 motors under warranty and want help.
  • j a_2
    j a_2 Member Posts: 1,801
    unclejohn said:

    Call the manufacturer's custmer service line and tell them you have replaced 3 motors under warranty and want help.

    I would venture to guess it has nothing to do with the manufacture of the motors...but that's jmo
  • unclejohn
    unclejohn Member Posts: 1,833
    Then your guess would be right. I'm talking about the manufacturer of the equipment. Everyone else knew that. But thats jmo.

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