If you were Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
|
Posted by Ted Lee on June 2, 2008, 12:51 pm
show/hide quoted text
>Some of the other guys may know better than I, but if I remember
>correctly a variable speed motor uses around 120 Watts or so; which is
>equal to a couple of 60 Watt light bulbs. So don't fret over it.
>Also motors are similar to car motors, it's the stopping and starting
>that does most of the wear and tear. So it's not going to kill the
>motor to let it run a little. The benefit to running the fan is that
>it keeps the air mixed up. If you spent the extra money on 16 SEER
>equipment then you should go ahead and spend a little more and fix the
>windows and any other air leaks you may have. They are costing you
>more than you think.
Strange. I can't find anything with Google that has hard numbers about how
much power those motors take! The few owner's manuals with specs on various
furnaces I could find only talk about the gas (BTU) usage, not the
electrical. I did find one chart from a public utility somewhere with a
graph comparing PSC vs. DC motors on furnaces/AC's, low speed/high speed
that looked like running at low speed it was 30 watts, but I wouldn't say it
was definitive.
--
Ted Lee
Minnetonka, MN
|
|
Posted by Noon-Air on June 2, 2008, 5:24 pm
show/hide quoted text
>>Some of the other guys may know better than I, but if I remember
>>correctly a variable speed motor uses around 120 Watts or so; which is
>>equal to a couple of 60 Watt light bulbs. So don't fret over it.
>>Also motors are similar to car motors, it's the stopping and starting
>>that does most of the wear and tear. So it's not going to kill the
>>motor to let it run a little. The benefit to running the fan is that
>>it keeps the air mixed up. If you spent the extra money on 16 SEER
>>equipment then you should go ahead and spend a little more and fix the
>>windows and any other air leaks you may have. They are costing you
>>more than you think.
> Strange. I can't find anything with Google that has hard numbers about
> how much power those motors take! The few owner's manuals with specs on
> various furnaces I could find only talk about the gas (BTU) usage, not the
> electrical. I did find one chart from a public utility somewhere with a
> graph comparing PSC vs. DC motors on furnaces/AC's, low speed/high speed
> that looked like running at low speed it was 30 watts, but I wouldn't say
> it was definitive.
go here...
http://www.gamanet.org/gama/inforesources.nsf/vAllDocs/Product+Directories?OpenDocument
|
|
Posted by Ted Lee on June 3, 2008, 10:22 am
show/hide quoted text
> go here...
>
http://www.gamanet.org/gama/inforesources.nsf/vAllDocs/Product+Directories?OpenDocument
Thanks. Lots of good information, but I couldn't find anything about the
low-speed ("idle", if you will) power consumption of the blower motors,
which is what I was wondering about -- what does it cost to run one
continuously? On the other hand, it is a huge file and perhaps there is
something near the end that talks about it. The listings of the individual
furnaces didn't.
--
Ted Lee
Minnetonka, MN
|
|
Posted by Andy Energy on June 3, 2008, 1:27 am
show/hide quoted text
> >Some of the other guys may know better than I, but if I remember
> >correctly a variable speed motor uses around 120 Watts or so; which is
> >equal to a couple of 60 Watt light =A0bulbs. =A0So don't fret over it.
> >Also motors are similar to car motors, it's the stopping and starting
> >that does most of the wear and tear. =A0So it's not going to kill the
> >motor to let it run a little. =A0The benefit to running the fan is that
> >it keeps the air mixed up. =A0 If you spent the extra money on 16 SEER
> >equipment then you should go ahead and spend a little more and fix the
> >windows and any other air leaks you may have. =A0They are costing you
> >more than you think.
> Strange. =A0I can't find anything with Google that has hard numbers about =
how
show/hide quoted text
> much power those motors take! =A0The few owner's manuals with specs on var=
ious
show/hide quoted text
> furnaces I could find only talk about the gas (BTU) usage, not the
> electrical. =A0I did find one chart from a public utility somewhere with a=
> graph comparing PSC vs. DC motors on furnaces/AC's, low speed/high speed
> that looked like running at low speed it was 30 watts, but I wouldn't say =
> was definitive.
> --
> Ted Lee
> Minnetonka, MN
I just took a class from John Proctor. His organization does
extensive testing on HVAC units. A variable speed ECM unit uses
around 60-80 watts on low and around 300+ watts on high. This can
dramatically vary depending on the static pressure in the HVAC unit.
As the static goes up from the design the higher the electrical
consumption of the motor.
A single speed split capacitor may be in the 600+ watts an das the
static goes higher than the design the CFM and energy consumption go
down (yes the watts go down, I=92ve seen this in a static class where
gauges are installed for static and watts and then restrict the duct
and sure enough the watts go down).
Sorry no number on a 2 speed system
Hope this helps
Think and do Home Performance
Andy
|
|
Posted by Ted Lee on June 3, 2008, 10:27 am
show/hide quoted text
>I just took a class from John Proctor. His organization does
>extensive testing on HVAC units. A variable speed ECM unit uses
>around 60-80 watts on low and around 300+ watts on high. This can
>dramatically vary depending on the static pressure in the HVAC unit.
>As the static goes up from the design the higher the electrical
>consumption of the motor.
Interesting. I found a Canadian study that gave 22 watts on low -- big
difference between 22 and 80. I wonder which is closer to right? I'll
agree it could vary from motor to motor, but a 4-1 range for a "typical"
house doesn't make much sense.
--
Ted Lee
Minnetonka, MN
|
Page 2 of 10 < 1 2 3 > last >>
| Similar Threads | Posted | | Gas boiler - continuously cycling | January 13, 2008, 7:48 pm |
| Airhandler on continuously / compress not coming on | July 20, 2006, 11:36 pm |
| System 2000 Inducer Runs continuously | November 4, 2006, 5:41 pm |
| a/c stays running | July 30, 2006, 5:34 pm |
| Anyone Got Preston's CD running on a PDA | July 11, 2007, 9:33 am |
| Running a 1/4 hp 220 VAC condenser fan motor on 110 VAC | October 8, 2006, 10:42 am |
| Central Air Unit Not Running | October 15, 2006, 4:30 pm |
| My blower and compressor are always running | October 8, 2007, 12:44 am |
| Im running for Governor, possibly president | December 3, 2006, 10:50 pm |
| Running a mini refrigerator upside down? | February 20, 2008, 2:09 pm |
|
|
Yahoo! 
Google 
Windows Live 
del.icio.us 
digg 
Netscape 
XML Sitemap
>correctly a variable speed motor uses around 120 Watts or so; which is
>equal to a couple of 60 Watt light bulbs. So don't fret over it.
>Also motors are similar to car motors, it's the stopping and starting
>that does most of the wear and tear. So it's not going to kill the
>motor to let it run a little. The benefit to running the fan is that
>it keeps the air mixed up. If you spent the extra money on 16 SEER
>equipment then you should go ahead and spend a little more and fix the
>windows and any other air leaks you may have. They are costing you
>more than you think.