A Complete Actionable Guide On How To Replace An HVAC Blower Motor From Your Heating And AC Repair Company
Your HVAC system’s role in your home might seem normal and go unnoticed; it is incomparable to any other system. A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system lets you choose your home’s climate. Apart from choosing what temperature to enjoy with your loved ones, your HVAC system helps you promote the health of your family members. However, sometimes your system will experience issues that compromise this comfort. The motor blower is one of the major parts that could cause a problem with your system. However, before ultimately giving in, your HVAC system will show you signs that all is not well. Therefore, always watch for weird or new developments in your HVAC system. With a heating and AC repair company, it is easier to address the leading cause and, most importantly, address it. This article will review the signs of a faulty blower motor, the process of a defective blower motor replacement, and why it is crucial to get a suitable replacement blower motor.
What Is A Blower Motor?
The first step to understanding your blower motor is to know what it is and how it functions during normal operations. This will help outline when something is wrong. A blower motor is an essential component in your HVAC system. It helps circulate air through your home for comfortable temperatures. A blower motor is a fan that pushes conditioned air from your HVAC system through the air vent. The fan speed is either preset by a professional heating and AC repair company during installation or influenced by smart gadgets such as a programmable thermostat. When you adjust your home’s temperature, the HVAC system sends a signal through a resistor to the blower motor to either slow down or pick up the pace.
Which Are the Signs of a Malfunctioning Blower Motor?
A homeowner must know the signs to look for when they suspect their system’s blower motor is malfunctioning. Knowing these signs will help to know when to contact a technician for a consult. Consequently, they will help protect your HVAC system from deterioration and eventually breaking down. Some of the signs that indicate your system has a blower motor malfunction include the following;
High Electricity Bills
An unusually high electric bill is the first indication that your system has a blower motor problem. The blower motor is among your HVAC system’s top components that use high energy to run. This energy helps the fan to blow and circulate the cooled or heated air through your home efficiently. However, when your blower motor is malfunctioning, it uses more than the usual energy amount to meet the temperature requirement of your home. This is because a malfunctioning blower motor has to work harder throughout to accomplish the task. Consequently, the HVAC system uses extra energy for its operation, thus driving up your energy costs. Therefore, you should consult a professional immediately when you notice a sudden energy bill increase. However, if your HVAC system uses a single-speed motor, replacing it with a variable-speed model will help conserve energy and lower your electric bills.
Reduced Airflow
Another common sign you will notice from your heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system when the blower motor is malfunctioning is a reduced or weak airflow to your home. When dust and dirt accumulate in your system’s motor, it may strain the motor, thus impacting its ability to blow the conditioned air to your home. Therefore, although the system works efficiently to heat and cool your air, the blower motor does not blow that air into your home, and the conditioned air that gets to your rooms is lower than the intended amount. Therefore, immediately contact a heating and AC repair company when you notice a reduced airflow in your home. The technician will evaluate the issue and clean the accumulated particles, relieving the blower motor and returning your home’s normal airflow.
No Airflow
Have you been experiencing no airflow from your air conditioning unit? The problem might be your blower motor. A non-operational blower motor will not circulate the conditioned air to your home. Even if the other parts of the HVAC system operate efficiently, the air will stagnate once it reaches the blower motor. Consequently, you will have no airflow, although your air conditioning system is running.
The lack of airflow in your home could mean that your blower motor is no longer functioning and needs a replacement. However, the lack of airflow in your home can also be caused by other factors, such as fan control problems, a bad relay or battery, or a faulty thermostat. Therefore, it is best to consult a heating and cooling specialist to inspect the system and identify the cause of the problem.
Unusual Heating and Cooling
The system’s unusual heating and cooling is the other significant sign of a faulty blower motor. When dirt and dust accumulate on your system’s motor, they hinder the motor from venting correctly. Therefore, heat and cold will build in your motor, which circulates into your home. If you leave your blower motor in this condition for a long time, it might eventually break down due to too much strain. In addition, a straining blower motor can also cause other components in your system to break down, leading to unnecessary repairs and costs.
If your blower motor is worn out or old, it may also strain to cool your home leading to overheating, and if not replaced, it may break down. Additionally, a straining blower motor will use more energy to provide cool air, which leads to high energy costs. An inefficient blower motor negatively impacts your HVAC system’s operation, lowering your system’s lifespan. Therefore, you should immediately schedule an appointment with a heating and AC repair company to investigate and repair your system. Sometimes, when a blower motor malfunctions, you notice a burning smell in your air conditioning unit or the vents. Therefore, you should immediately switch off your HVAC system if you notice a burning smell. This is a preventative measure that will stop any further damage.
Odd Noises
Have you heard strange noises originating from your air conditioning system? Your blower motor is malfunctioning. Screeching and squealing noises can be a sign of a bearing problem. When the bearing of your blower motor is not operating as it should, it produces a screeching sound which can be fixed by lubricating the bearings. In addition, an odd noise from your air conditioning system can also be a sign of a damaged belt. When a blower motor’s belt is damaged, you will notice a squealing noise whose solution is replacing the belt.
There might be a broken or loose part if you hear loud banging, clanking, or rattling noises coming from your air conditioning system. A loose part in your system is problematic as it could cause extensive damage to the system. Therefore, you should seize using the HVAC system and contact a heating and AC repair company to schedule a specialist’s visit.
How To Properly Diagnose A Malfunctioning Blower Motor
Diagnosing the specific problem of a faulty blower motor is challenging for a homeowner. It requires extensive knowledge of an HVAC system and skills to handle it. Therefore, although you may notice that something needs fixing with your system, opening or trying to fix it is not advisable. It is best to contact a heating and AC repair company specialist to handle the problem.
However, you can still do some investigative work. Before calling in a specialist to properly diagnose your HVAC system, some of the preliminary steps are inspecting the air filter, checking the thermostat, and listening for any odd noises coming from the motor. Sometimes the issue could be more extensive. Thus, it does not need a specialist. Below are some of the steps to properly diagnose a faulty blower motor;
Check For Overheating
When your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system is running correctly, all its parts will not have a heated sensation. Therefore, if you touch the casing of your system and it feels scorching, there is a problem. In contrast, if you notice that your HVAC system is continuously shutting off, this is a sign of overheating due to a faulty motor. An electrical burning smell emanating from your system is your HVAC telling you everything is not okay. Since this is more extreme than a hot surface, you should immediately turn your system off to avoid further damage and contact a heating and AC repair company for a specialist visit.
Check The Airflow
Another quick step to help you correctly diagnose an HVAC system is to check the vents for airflow. If the airflow is weak, it could be a sign of a faulty blower motor. It could also mean that your air ducts are dirty and need a professional duct cleaning service. Therefore, please consult a professional to outline the cause of the weakened airflow and fix it to restore your home’s airflow to normal.
Conversely, a non-existent air flow indicates a more severe problem with your blower motor. The problem could be fan control issues, a bad battery or relay, or your HVAC system’s thermostat could be the issue. Therefore, since these issues can only be outlined by a professional, schedule an appointment with a heating and AC repair company.
Check Your Energy Bill
A faulty blower motor causes your HVAC system to strain and work harder to meet the temperature needs of your home. Although the energy escalation might start slowly and seem unrecognizable, it escalates with time as your blower motor deteriorates. Therefore, study your energy bills to see if there is a change in your energy consumption. A sudden spike in energy usage can indicate that your HVAC system is not operating efficiently. It can also indicate that your system is aging and needs a replacement.
However, you should only use this as your diagnosing method if you have yet to make any new changes in your home. Factors such as adding new appliances and changes in lifestyle that contribute to energy usage in your home can also cause a spike in energy usage. Therefore, put this under consideration as you go through your electric bills.
Listen For Strange Sounds
Your blower motor has many moving parts that supply your home with conditioned air. Therefore, its faulty operation might be caused by one of these parts not operating as it should. That is why keeping an ear out for new odd noises is vital. Sounds such as clanking, rattling, and banking indicate that a part has come loose and is hitting the system or other components. Other sounds like screeching and squealing mean some parts struggle to operate and must be checked on. Therefore, always pay close attention to the running of your HVAC system and call a heating and AC repair company any time a new sound develops.
What Is The Importance of Rightly Replacing a Blower Motor
When replacing a blower motor, getting the ideal one for your HVAC system is vital. Selecting the wrong blower motor can have dire effects on the overall system, such as reduced efficiency of the system, high energy consumption, and even total system failure.
Therefore, you should always ensure that a blower motor is a good fit before purchasing by consulting a professional. Some of the things to consider when choosing it for your system include the following;
- The Motor’s Voltage Rating
- The Motor’s Horsepower Rating
- Size and Shape of the Motor
- Quality of the Blower Motor
Blower Motor Replacement Services
A faulty blower motor can damage your HVAC system, especially if left unattended for a long time. In worst-case scenarios, it may even lead to your system’s total failure, necessitating a new HVAC system. Therefore, contact us at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth for any blower motor replacement service to prevent this and keep your family comfortable.
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Insights From Your Reliable AC Repair Technician On the Differences Between Pleated and Fiberglass Air Filters
Some air filters are made from fabric to trap larger debris, others use microfibers to trap invisible particles. The different builds, materials, and fixtures are used for distinct purposes. Microparticles are not just smaller particles. They are invisible to your naked eye. There’re no ordinary air filters that can trap particles this small. The trick here is finding the right filter and putting the suitable ones together, creating an impenetrable filtration system. Most air filters you probably might hear of are pleated or fiberglass made. Many homeowners and AC repair technicians debate the efficacy of each when it comes to cost comparison.
Pleated vs. Fiberglass Air Filters
When you consult your reputable HVAC specialists, you’ll hear of the benefits of pleated and fiberglass filters. However, some prefer either over the other for very different reasons. Hence, you must know the details of each to ensure you are in a better position to choose one that suits your needs. Below is a discussion of each and how they differ.
Fiberglass Air Filters
Fiberglass filters are more effective against larger particles and are cost-effective. They are made from cardboard frame that houses spun glass. These air filters use woven glass forming patterns that do not restrict airflow. Effective air filtration, affordable costs, and abundant airflow provide quality albeit inexpensive filtering. These filters provide better airflow, trapping large debris and pet dander. The advantages of fiberglass filters include reliability, accessibility, better air quality, and affordability.
While great airflow means greater air quality for whatever air filters, fiberglass air filter stability isn’t as reliable. While some units are cheap, others are inexpensive for a good reason. The flimsy fiberglass filters might crumble under plastics, hair, fabrics, pollen, and pet dander. The right filter should last more and withstand more. However, the fiberglass filters might turn brittle and contaminated with more debris. Unless you change them regularly, this might cause airflow issues and other problems that might necessitate AC repairs.
Pleated Air Filters
Pleated filters have high sustainability compared to fiberglass filters. They are made from recyclable material and are better at trapping small particles such as lint, pollen, dust mites, volatile organic compounds, and smoke. Do you use cologne, deodorizing sprays, incense, and fragrant candles? Then the indoor air quality at your home might take a toll because of volatile organic compound saturation. Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide might also be in excess in your indoor space; contaminating the air filters at your home cannot trap the microscopic contaminants. However, pleated filters are more durable than fiberglass ones, albeit more expensive. With their durability comes reliability, diversity, and recyclability.
Do you have a store or place where clean air is most needed? Then consider using pleated filters. Their high upfront costs are the only drawback to these filters. However, you get what you pay for with these filters, leading to higher long-term savings. The pleated air filters might save your air conditioning system from the costly AC repairs caused by saturation. On paper, the better air filter of the two is a pleated one.
What Do Air Filters Do?
Air Filters prevent airborne pollutants from saturating the indoor air. Inhaling the smaller particles could endanger your health and that of your family. Even those that are healthiest could succumb to sensitivities such as allergen-induced asthma. While in this debate, the pleated air filters have been proven to trap more contaminants and debris. However, there might be so many factors that may render fiberglass filters better for your home. Regarding your family’s health, pet dander, pollen, dust particles, and other contaminants should be considered along with other sensitivities. The accumulation of different elements might pose a severe risk to your family’s health.
How Do Filters Affect an HVAC System?
Based on your HVAC system, you might not need sophisticated filters for supplementing filtration. Modern heating and air conditioning systems have a series of filtration systems, including scrubbers that can filter small and big particles, and yes, including microparticles. Your Heating and cooling system might be fitted with a carbon or HEPA filters. The HEPA filters work akin to fiberglass, trapping the larger particles. The carbon filters then filter out the microparticles in VOCs and smoke. Although you do not necessarily install pleated filters within your HVAC system, the air quality at your home impacts the unit’s performance.
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality can be affected by a wide array of factors. Remember, there is a high number of particles that are circulating in the ambient air. Thus, you must take every measure to enhance the IAQ. Has there been a recent bout with flu instances among your family members? Low IAQ could be the culprit. To know how better the IAQ at your home is, have an AC repair using IAQ calculators and other instruments to measure it.
Purchasing air filters that are appropriate for the surface area of your home is a more strategic plan than purchasing one on the basis that it is high quality but cannot keep up. They might succumb to excess contamination and might need frequent replacement. The distribution of your airflow and the performance of your AC may be impacted if a dirty filter allows contaminants in. Evaporator coils, among other essential parts, could be permanently damaged by a blocked air filter. The cost of replacing your entire air conditioning system will be higher than the cost of annual maintenance. Additionally, installing pleated and fiberglass filters on the air vents can be helpful.
Choose The Right AC Filter
While the debacle between pleated and fiberglass air filters is ongoing, that shouldn’t be the only reason you choose either. Consult your reliable HVAC technician before choosing either. Do you need help choosing an air filter? Contact us at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth. Our reliable technicians will be more than glad to help.
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How Can An AC Repair Company Help Ventilate Your Home or Building?
Your home’s air supply significantly contributes to essential life aspects such as your family’s comfort, well-being, and, most importantly, health. If your air supply is strained or contains pollutants, it can cause severe impacts such as mold growth and breathing-related illnesses. Therefore, it is essential to have a trusted AC repair company install the ideal ventilation system in your home. A ventilation system will help you to maintain a healthy and comfortable indoor environment by extracting indoor pollutants, moisture, and excess heat from your home. It will ensure that your home is adequately aerated and comfortable enough to enjoy family time with your loved ones. Therefore, this article will outline the types of ventilation systems and explore their applications to guide you toward an informed decision for the ideal ventilation for your home’s needs.
Types Of Ventilation
Natural Ventilation
As the name suggests, this ventilation type uses natural forces such as temperature differences between indoors and outdoors and wind to move air in and out. Natural ventilation is a passive system; hence it does not use mechanical equipment or fans. You can quickly achieve this ventilation by opening doors, windows, and other openings to allow air to flow through your home.
Pros
The most notable advantage of natural ventilation is that it does not have any energy requirements for you to enjoy its advantages. In addition, you do not need any special mechanical equipment installed in your home since it eliminates the need to call an AC repair company. Therefore, it is free, which means you save on cost. Natural ventilation can also help to improve your home’s air quality by bringing in fresh air from the environment.
Cons
This type of ventilation can be less effective, especially when your home’s environment is polluted or without wind. In addition, its reliance on natural factors makes it uncontrollable since these factors vary with time.
Mechanical Ventilation
Simply put, mechanical ventilation brings fresh air to your home through air ducts. It utilizes ducts and fans to remove contaminated, stale, or air excess air from your home and bring in fresh and clean air. Mechanical ventilation can be of two types; either supply ventilation, which brings in air from the outdoors, or exhaust ventilation, which extracts air from your home.
Mechanical ventilation can either be active or passive. Like natural ventilation, passive mechanical ventilation relies on natural forces such as differences in outdoor and indoor air pressure and wind to move air to and from your home. On the other hand, active mechanical ventilation uses mechanical items such as fans to force air in and out of your home.
Pros
The top advantage of using mechanical ventilation for your home is that it gives you more control than natural ventilation. This is because you can operate mechanical ventilation separately from external factors such as wind. For example, even on a calm day, you can use the fan regardless of the wind outside. Another advantage this ventilation offers is that it is more effective at removing indoor pollutants, moisture, and excess heat from your home. Therefore, when a reputable AC repair company installs the ducts, you will have a healthy and comfortable indoor environment.
Cons
Operating mechanical ventilation can be more expensive than natural ventilation since it requires energy to run the fans. In addition, it has an extra cost to install the ducts and maintain them. Ensuring that you have the correct duct size for your home and that a professional installs them to achieve adequate airflow is essential.
Energy Recovery Ventilation
Do you want to maximize efficiency and comfort in your home? Energy recovery ventilation is an ideal choice. An energy recovery ventilation, or ERV, is a mechanical ventilation that utilizes an energy recovery unit to transfer moisture and heat from your home through incoming and outgoing air streams. In turn, it helps to reduce the energy needed to cool or heat the incoming air. In addition, the transfer improves the overall efficiency of this ventilation system. The energy recovery ventilation system can be of two types. Supply ventilation brings fresh air into your home, or exhaust ventilation removes air from your home.
Pros
One of the advantages of the ERV system is that it can help you reduce your home’s energy consumption and improve the system’s overall efficiency. When installed by a reliable AC repair company, an ERV ventilation system will help maintain a consistent indoor temperature and minimize the energy needed to heat or cool the incoming air. Therefore, this makes the EVR very effective in areas with highly fluctuating temperatures.
Cons
It is important to note that installing an EVR system can be costly due to its complex nature. In addition, it is also more expensive to maintain than other ventilation systems.
Localized Ventilation
A localized ventilation system is ideal when searching for targeted solutions for a specific room in your home. This mechanical ventilation system will give only specified areas or rooms of your home fresh air. Due to their isolation capability, the localized ventilation system is mainly used where ventilation for the whole house is impossible or undesired. For instance, if your home is older or only some rooms need aeration.
Similar to the above types, localized ventilation is of two modes. It can be supply ventilation which brings in fresh air from the outdoors, or exhaust ventilation, thus removing pollutants, heat, and excess air from your home. In addition, the localized ventilation system can also be active or passive, depending on your needs.
Pros
The most significant advantage of a localized ventilation system is that when installed by a licensed AC repair company, you can use it for only a section of your home. Therefore, it allows you greater control over the ventilation of your home.
Secondly, it is less expensive to install and maintain since it only covers a part of your home. Therefore, compared to a whole-house ventilation system, it is cheaper in purchase, installation, operation, and maintenance. This makes it ideal when you only need a section of the house ventilated.
Supply Ventilation
The primary purpose of supply ventilation is to introduce fresh air into your home. A supply ventilation system is a type of mechanical ventilation that supplies fresh air from the surroundings of your home. Most homeowners combine this ventilation with exhaust ventilation to balance their home’s airflow and achieve a healthy and comfortable environment.
Pros
The primary advantage of supply ventilation is that it will help you keep your home fresh and aerated since it brings in fresh air from the environment. Fresh air can also improve your home’s air quality. Supply ventilation effectively reduces excess heat, giving you a comfortable home even in warm weather.
Cons
A supply vent can be expensive to operate since it needs its fans to run constantly, which uses a lot of energy. Finally, the supply fans depend on the kind of installation done by an AC repair company since they need proper positioning to work efficiently.
Exhaust Ventilation
The primary use of an exhaust ventilation system is to remove unwanted air from your home. The exhaust ventilation uses fans to remove contaminated, stale, or excess air from your home. Therefore, this is your go-to system when searching for a ventilation system for your kitchen, toilet, and any other area with high levels of pollutants or moisture, such as the bathroom. In most cases, homeowners combine exhaust and supply ventilation to balance the indoor airflow and create a healthy and comfortable indoor environment.
Pros
First, an exhaust ventilation system will help you reduce the moisture and humidity in your bathroom, fostering a conducive environment for mold growth and other problems, such as breathing-related issues. This ventilation effectively removes fumes, odors, and other air pollutants. Therefore, you will enjoy a tranquil and comfortable home when correctly installed.
Cons
Exhaust ventilation can be expensive to operate. Since it requires energy to run the fans, the operation cost is higher in the long run than other ventilation types. Additionally, the operation of this ventilation type is very sensitive. The vents must be sized and appropriately positioned to serve your home’s airflow effectively. Therefore, you should hire a professional to install the exhaust vents in your home.
Hybrid Ventilation Systems
A hybrid ventilation system is a ventilation that combines multiple types of ventilation to aerate your home. These ventilation systems are designed to maximize the advantages of each ventilation type incorporated in the system to give you an effective and comprehensive ventilation solution. Like most other ventilation types, hybrid ventilation can either be exhaust ventilation, removing unwanted air from your home, or supply ventilation, bringing in fresh air. On the other hand, hybrid ventilation systems can also be passive or active, depending on your ventilation needs.
In contrast, active hybrid ventilation systems rely on mechanical components such as fans to move air in and out of your home. These ventilation systems need professionals from a reputable AC repair company to install and maintain. In contrast, passive hybrid ventilation systems depend on natural forces such as wind and the air pressure difference between your home and the outdoors to move air throughout your home.
Pros
The primary benefit of a hybrid ventilation system is that it incorporates the advantages of multiple ventilation types in one system. Therefore, this type can be more efficient than all the other types. Another advantage of a hybrid ventilation system is that it is very cost-effective than other ventilation systems that rely on a single type of ventilation.
Con
A hybrid ventilation system is more complex to install than the other types due to the combination of different types. Due to the combination of different types of ventilation, hybrid ventilation is costly to purchase and maintain.
Smoke Ventilation
This is a special type of mechanical ventilation. Its design is to remove smoke and other gas from your home during a fire, ensuring the safe egress of the fire. A smoke ventilation system has a network of ducts, vents, and fans, which a smoke detector activates during a fire. When installed by a reliable AC repair company, smoke ventilation facilitates better visibility by disposing of the smoke in the house to the outside, which helps evacuate those inside. There are different types of smoke ventilation in the market, including mechanical, natural, and hybrid smoke.
Mechanical Smoke Ventilation – This type of smoke ventilation uses installed mechanical gadgets such as fans to force the smoke out of your home during a fire.
Natural Smoke Ventilation – This type relies on wind and the air pressure difference between the outdoors and indoors of your home to remove the smoke.
Hybrid Smoke Ventilation – The hybrid smoke ventilation system combines natural and mechanical smoke ventilation systems to remove smoke from your home.
Pros
A smoke ventilation system prevents the build-up of toxic gases and smoke by releasing them into the environment. This, in turn, helps save lives by improving visibility, making the evacuation process easier. Therefore, it is an essential element of safety for your family. A smoke ventilation system has a low running cost since it does not need a lot of energy. The system stays in hibernation until a smoke detector triggers it in the event of a fire.
Cons
The purchase price of a smoke ventilation system can be high since it needs additional unique gadgets, such as the smoke detector, to operate effectively. In addition, the installation is costly since it needs a technician from your reputed AC repair company to position its components correctly for surety of operation during a fire emergency. The ventilation also needs regular maintenance to keep it functional.
Is Your Home or Office Space Properly Ventilated?
Ventilation removes excess moisture, heat, and indoor pollutants from your home and provides fresh air for a comfortable and healthy home. Therefore, let us help you choose the ideal type for your home by contacting us at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth.
See our most recent blog on this topic here.
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