Ok, so I have a Carrier Weathermaker 800 in my house that was rattling and running so loud that we couldn't hear anything. We had a guy come check it out and at first he said something was probably stuck, but couldn't find anything. Then he said we needed a new blower motor and wheel.
So today, it is whisper quiet and and working better than ever before. And I'm thoroughly confused. No work has been done. Any ideas?
Sounds like you had a very good tech. The furnace just KNEW it had to shape up. I sometimes have that effect on equipment. I get close and whatever was malfunctioning mysteriously stops (for at least as long as I'm around - but often longer)
More than one of my clients has joked about having a picture of me around for when I'm gone on holidays - - -
Could be a bearing/bushing is on its way out and the "wheel" happened to have been moved onto a sweeter spot -- for the time being.
replying to Don Y, ZM wrote: Thanks for the replies.
So should I go ahead with the replacement? Or save the $700 for the time being.. I mean seriously, it's never worked better since we bought this house..
replying to clare, ZM wrote: Thanks for the input.. should I go ahead with the repair or save the $700? It seriously has never worked better and that makes no sense. And it improved well after the tech left
Look at the bearing/bushing. Move the "wheel" off to one "side", try it; move it to the other side, try it. If there's slop or a noticeable difference in performance, inspect more closely and see if you can just replace the bearing/bushing.
You may find that it sounds good *now*. But, over time, the wheel "moves" into a bad spot that makes the noise more pronounced. I'm just suggesting you do that NOW, manually, and see if such a spot exists; then figure out WHY it exists!
E.g., swamp coolers (here) have a large squirrel cage blower... like 2 ft in diameter by 1 ft wide. They tend to be supported by sintered bronze bushings that wear, over time. Replacing the entire squirrel cage would cost more than the cooler itself!
OTOH, swapping out the bushings is an hour's work and $30...
I would put the money aside for the repair and see what happens. It may go another 5 years with no problems or it may get loud in 15 minutes.
If and when you have the repairs done, have them done by the company who told you it was the problem and get a warranty - not just on the repairs, but on solving the problem. If what they replaced doesn't solve the problem, they make good on it.
My guess it was something stuck or out of line and while he did not see it, he fixed it. His poking around could have knocked something loose that fell out or stopped something from rubbing. Could even have been the access panel.
My seconf guess is he did not have a clue what was really wrong and figured replacing everything would fix it. Motors do go bad but blower wheels rarely have problems unless physically damaged.
I;d enjoy the quiet and do nothing until something happens again. Ten I'd call a different service compamy.
replying to clare, KAREN R ROBINSON wrote: I had a new motor wheel last year now I have the same LOUD noise. the furnace is older but it is in a BAD spot and will be hard to replace there is concrete around the bottom
If this is like the typical furnace blower, you'd think the bearing is part of what was replaced just a year ago, no? And if it's like a typical blower and you have the typical repair tech, they aren't going to replace a bearing, they will most likely replace the whole motor or blower assembly, etc. A bearing like that isn't typically even shown on the parts diagram as a separate, replaceable part. If you're creative, capable and determined, as a DIY you may be able to identify it and replace it.
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