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Posted by Scott on July 11, 2007, 8:53 am
> Scott wrote:
> > 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
>
> You say above "He also indicated the blower motor was over-amping and
> was having trouble starting." The blower motor is generally defined as
> the motor in your air handler that moves the air in your home.
>
> Toward the end of your post you say "Where can I get a Amana condenser
> blower motor for my unit so I can replace it myself?" These are two
> different motors. One moves air through the evaporator coil and the
> other through the condenser coil. Which one do you need?
>
> If your "Motor" is turning off, are both fan motors turning off or just
> one of them? Needing two pounds of freon is not a good omen. Lack of
> coolant will make the compressor run hot and that could cause it to shut
> down. You would do well to find fix the leak first. Define your
> problem further.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
I appreicate the help, but I get the feeling you're looking at things
to criticise. I indicated I'm not in this as a profession, so misused
the term blower for fan. I'm referring to the fan that draws air
across the outside unit condenser, that is the one that is giving
trouble. When it overheats & turns off, as the tech explained to me,
the system shuts down and eventually (when the thermostat is set to
auto) the furnace blower shuts off. He did not find issues that I did
not mention.
The sniffer did not find a leak, and since both units were down the
same 2lbs he figured the installer either made a mistake or was being
cheap by saving r-22 (gee, a HVAC company being cheap?) as it would be
a fairly low probability for both to be down nearly the same exact
amount.
The problem is, the outside condenser fan motor on the bigger 4 ton
unit does not want to run. It makes noise and is slow to get started
rotating, it does not "snap" to full speed the way the same brand
smaller unit does. The fan does appear to rotate freely when the
power is off. Tech stated there is probably something wrong with the
windings.
I just want to know if an exact brand replacement fan motor is
strongly recommended and what are the pitfalls of using another motor
that has the same exact specs, plus if someone knows of a good source
on-line for such parts. The Ebay item was one that was an example, not
something I was going to use as a replacement by guessing, give me
some credit.
Thanks folks, its hot here and while its limping along we need to get
this fixed in the next week.
Scott
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