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Posted by on July 11, 2007, 2:47 am
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> > > I have a 9 yr old Amana 4 ton 12 seer unit on my 9 yr old house in
> > > Houston TX. Yes, we use the AC nearly year-round so down here they
> > > seem to have a 10-15 year life span from what people tell me.
> >
> > > Mine is having kicking off problems where it stops before the
> > > requested amount of cooling. I replaced the computer thermostat with
> > > the original manual one and tested to see if the therm was the
> > > problem, which it was not. So, then I called a company a neighbor
> > > recommended and the tech appeared to be well trained and did many
> > > tests, found the systems (upper level was not giving any issue) to
> > > both be 2lbs low on coolant gas which he added. He also indicated the
> > > blower motor was over-amping and was having trouble starting. He
> > > replaced the starter capacitor but it still has trouble starting. He
> > > tested for leaks around the evaporator using a sniffer and found
> > > none. The house air handlers (is that what they are called?) pressure
> > > drop across the evaporator was found to be ok, and other tests he
> > > performed.
> >
> > > He recommended cleaning the condenser fins, and replacing the blower
> > > motor. The cost for the new blower motor was $500+ including labor.
> > > Having purchased a new 1hp 115v TEFC motor for my bandsaw for little
> > > over $100, I was wondering how this motor could cost so much to
> > > replace. I told them thanks for the good work but I wanted to get
> > > another estimate.
> >
> > > FYI - The tech charged us over $300 for the testing, service call and
> > > charging of the freon, so I'm not against paying for the work that was
> > > performed by a knowledable tech.
> >
> > > FYI part 2: I'm a homeowner, not a HVAC trained tech, but I have
> > > extensive experience with various repairs and can easily turn off the
> > > power and physically replace the motor. I have re-wired an entire
> > > house including 220v appliances, piped in natural gas lines to
> > > appliances and water heaters, re-done a house's entire plumbing system
> > > (this is also called buying the wrong house to fix up, but that's
> > > another story), and more. In my spare time I build furniture and
> > > repair cars, so I think I'm able to swap parts now that the
> > > diagnostics have been done.
> >
> > > My questions are:
> >
> > > * Is this estimate out of line for replacing the blower motor?
> >
> > > * Where can I get a Amana condenser blower motor for my unit so I can
> > > replace it myself?
> >
> > > * I see on Ebay some blower motors for less than $100 (item
> > > #170128953740). After searching this group and reading on replacing
> > > motors I'm aware of the need for careful matching of direction, size
> > > and amp draw. If I can find one that matches the HP, direction, shaft
> > > dia and amp rating, wouldn't that work?
> >
> > > * What is the best way to clean the condenser fins? I am planning on
> > > turning off the power to the unit and opening it up, spraying a simple
> > > green and water solution, letting it soak a minute and then using a
> > > garden hose to spray through it from the inside out (reverse flow for
> > > my unit).
> >
> > > I can handle the flamers if some of you can provide me good
> > > information.
> >
> > > Thanks in advance - Scott
> >
> > So the $500 motor replacement also included cleaning the condenser?
> >
> > I guess it's $500 because the tech knows WHICH motor to purchase and
WHERE
> > to purchase it.- Hide quoted text -
> >
> > - Show quoted text -
>
> Thanks for the smartalec response, and no, it did not include
> cleaning. Perhaps someone will provide some useful information
> relating to my problem.
> I can (if I can get the guy to answer his phone) have my wife's
> friend's husband who is a HVAC tech and has his own company to either
> replace it for me or source the part, but if I can do this w/o
> bothering him during busy season so much the better. He didn't feel
> like coming down to diagnose the problem (even when we insisted on
> paying for it) - which I totally understood given he's on the other
> end of town 30 miles away.
Purhaps he didn't feel like doing it for nothing and he knew you'd bitch
about his pricing. <g>
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