Your furnace blower is an important part of your heating system. It circulates air throughout your home, heating your living space. If your furnace blower breaks, it is likely the furnace blower motor and it can be difficult and expensive to repair. In this blog post, we will share some tips on how to check your furnace blower motor for damages and when to hire a technician.
Clean the furnace regularly.
The best way to reduce the need for a furnace repair is to keep your furnace cleaned regularly. A technician can come by regularly to perform routine maintenance and offset the need for a furnace blower motor replacement by more and more time. There are times when you might want to handle the cleaning yourself to prevent furnace issues. Between those scheduled visits, there are some steps that you as the homeowner can take to clean the furnace.
Can I clean my furnace blower motor myself?
If you are the kind of person who likes to take care of things yourself, then you probably know how to clean a furnace blower motor. However, even if you are an expert at DIY repairs, it is still a good idea to learn the proper way to clean your furnace motor blower.
Your first step is to turn off power to the furnace, cut off its power supply, and make sure it is cooled before anything else. The next step is to locate your blower motor. This is usually in the attic of your home. Once there, remove the furnace cover and disconnect the motor. This may require a screwdriver or a wrench. Removing the fan blade and motor cover are your next steps, then the brush assembly and the end cap. Now with everything at hand, you can clean the motor with a soft cloth and a mild detergent. Reassemble as you had disassembled. Replace the furnace blower motor with the furnace.
Don’t forget to clean the squirrel cage.
To properly clean a furnace blower motor, the squirrel cage must be cleaned as well. The squirrel cage is the part of the furnace that the blower motor sits in. It is important to clean the squirrel cage because it can become blocked with dust and dirt, which can cause the furnace to overheat.
To clean the squirrel cage, first, remove the blower motor from the furnace. Then, use a vacuum cleaner to remove the dust and dirt from the squirrel cage. Be sure to vacuum all the dust and dirt from the inside and outside of the squirrel cage. Once the squirrel cage is clean, replace the blower motor in the furnace and reattach the furnace cover. Then, test the furnace to make sure it is working properly.
When should I call a technician?
While it’s good to know how to do this yourself, a good chance at keeping your furnace working properly is to consult a professional HVAC technician for tips and tricks. If your furnace is experiencing leaks, an overheating blower motor, or leaky air ducts, you will need to call a technician to come as soon as possible to fix the problem. A bad furnace blower motor can be the result of a breakdown in the furnace itself, which will release dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide and lead to a deadly situation.
A good indicator of a broken furnace blower is to listen for odd noises. Odd noises suggest a good chance that your furnace blower is broken. Other indicators include a burning smell, issues with your air conditioner and heating, and squealing noises. If you want to make sure your furnace and its blower are working at their best, hire a technician for a thorough inspection of your HVAC system. Your furnace very well maybe at the end of life stage and need replacing altogether.
As the homeowner, you never want to pay higher energy bills because something somewhere is broken and you cannot find it. Saving energy bills not only saves your wallet but also helps the environment, too. Proper maintenance of your furnace will prevent damages like this from happening or affecting your quality of life long term.
