Hey all:
This weekend my wife mentioned to me that she started smelling something hot and some investigation showed that the furnace blower was not running. I went downstairs and turned the blower on to "ON" instead of "AUTO" and heard the motor humming, not turning. This is a belt driven unit. I oiled the two oil ports on the motor and got it spinning again. I attempted to adjust the belt tension and found that the bushing (for lack of a better term) that holds the bearing on the shaft of the squirrel cage is disintegrated. The whole unit still works but is very worn out and will need replaced soon. I took phone pictures of the placard on the electric motor and went to my local builders surplus place and bought a used/good condition/tested direct-drive squirrel cage blower fan that matches the output 'flange' dimensions and is also a 115v 1/2hp. I'm wondering if wiring it up is going to be straightforward and if there are any concerns. Both units have a total of three wires, the new one a red, white and black, and to the best of my knowledge, the old one has three unmarked black wires, one of which is obviously a ground. I'll snap pictures when I get home but does anyone foresee any issues making this change? I think the direct-drive unit should be more reliable and I'm also pretty sure with how gunked up the old one is, it's not pushing nearly enough air.
This weekend my wife mentioned to me that she started smelling something hot and some investigation showed that the furnace blower was not running. I went downstairs and turned the blower on to "ON" instead of "AUTO" and heard the motor humming, not turning. This is a belt driven unit. I oiled the two oil ports on the motor and got it spinning again. I attempted to adjust the belt tension and found that the bushing (for lack of a better term) that holds the bearing on the shaft of the squirrel cage is disintegrated. The whole unit still works but is very worn out and will need replaced soon. I took phone pictures of the placard on the electric motor and went to my local builders surplus place and bought a used/good condition/tested direct-drive squirrel cage blower fan that matches the output 'flange' dimensions and is also a 115v 1/2hp. I'm wondering if wiring it up is going to be straightforward and if there are any concerns. Both units have a total of three wires, the new one a red, white and black, and to the best of my knowledge, the old one has three unmarked black wires, one of which is obviously a ground. I'll snap pictures when I get home but does anyone foresee any issues making this change? I think the direct-drive unit should be more reliable and I'm also pretty sure with how gunked up the old one is, it's not pushing nearly enough air.
