Fixing An Old Furnace Fan

Wiring and rusty contact problems were most of what I had to resolve. With a little hardware to replace some missing screws and nuts, a little belt tightening and some oil for all the bearings, this fan is going strong once again.

[@Area51XP]

Hi Bill, you missed one thing.. a shot of ZOOM SPOUT OIL in that little yellow cap on the bearings.. :) you should keep some in your tool box of things for next time. Good deal fixing it up.. its a much happier motor indeed! love it. Keep up the good work friend. Peace

[@DOLRED]

Thanks for making this video. I can think of one great use----drying out wet carpet/flooring. Try buying one of those fancy high volume air movers for carpet--big bucks! This is a great idea on that alone.

[@More350Power]

I love them old blowers! Usually if you reverse two of the leads in the motor it just changes the rotation of the motor ive found. Usually I find the tension adjuster on the back of the blower opposite of what yours has, but I guess it depends on how it is installed in the furnace. Great vid!

[@lewiemcneely9143]

I got one out of a junked out furnace. 13 inches wide and not too bad shape. New cord, straightened pulley on fan, good oiling on fan and motor and built a base so it'll stand up by itself. Really hums and I like the belt drives better. This is my 2nd one. They will do the job.

[@gregorymalchuk272]

What kind of oil did you use?

[@theimaginator16]

This is why i keep emory boards handy, not only are they great at keeping your nails all pretty *wink!* but they are great at cleaning points, and connectors just like those! Couldn't help but sub when i saw all of the electronics stuff BTW!

[@mechanicwarrior20]

hmm thats a nice motor, you can also go up a size for a start capacitor to give it a little extra kick if she is stuborn turning over. Mind you that centrifugal switch you got to keep an eye out for that.

[@chatrkat]

You did well for $7. I'd have guessed 20. or higher. It was mostly going bad if the motor starts better now, along with a clean starting switch.

[@pearselives1916]

if you already oiled the motor bearings dont forget to put grease in the caps on the blower bearings. if the caps arent there, just pack grease into the ports where the caps would screw on. lithium grease works fine

[@mjmcomputers]

It will spin up faster and the motor will be happier if you partially block the intake, or add a grill to restrict it a little.

[@chatrkat]

that motor was in sad shape, you did well. as previously noted, there is too much load on the motor with the blower running that fast in free air. put a smaller pulley on the motor shaft.

[@Ajaces]

Good job, and a little learned here.

[@mjmcomputers]

While it is running try partially blocking the intake and see if the motor speeds up and starts blowing more air.

[@randomrazr]

ah yeah thats true wouldnt it be more cost effective to get one new from the store? i would assume newer ones use less hydro

[@iamdave0887]

Since we both seem to fancy electric motors perhaps i should take a video of the motor on my 1940's shop compressor. It's an ancient "Delco Motor" non-capacitor start 1 1/2 horsepower motor running at ~1725 RPM pulled 10 amps at 220 volts. The motor is huge to say the least. Has a lovely startup sound to it as well. Interested in a video?

[@chatrkat]

not knowing the hp of that Dayton (Emerson) motor, it could be 1/2 or less. the motor pulley looks a little large to run that blower in 0 static pressure especially if it's less than 1/2 hp, so a slightly smaller pulley will lessen the chance of overloading the motor. the blower will still move lots of air. wise move to replace the old starting cap. unfortunately the they have gotten mighty expensive! ...nice job on the video. 5 stars!

[@rrodri09]

Thank you. I will try to repair it myself.

[@DRNEGOLICIS]

i have that exact same blower but its a little bigger and the motor is 1 and a half horse power i got it in the trash though lol neghbor had it in their trash pile ive had it for a long time make sure to oil those bushings on the sides of the blower it take a load off that motor and well u dont want those bushings to go out dont think u can get them any more

[@BOBSKARBONKIEWICZ]

You don't talk about oiling the motor. I see it has oiling ports. What oil would/should be used on a motor like this? Thanks.

[@uxwbill]

Any oil suitable for electric motors can be used. Even good quality motor oil could be used in a pinch, in any common viscosity.

[@randomrazr]

so what are u going to do with it now?

[@billybonewhacker]

cool paint it and sound proof it

[@MrGeorgeDrummer]

What size in the squirrel cage? How many speeds is the motor ?

[@uxwbill]

I don't know the exact size of the squirrel cage assembly. The motor is a single speed model. Speed is adjusted by pulley size at the blower wheel and by narrowing or widening the pulley on the motor. Keep in mind this is a very old video!

[@67tr876]

dayton still is around and i have bin geting stuff form them.

[@HDXFH]

asking for trouble... no ground pin

[@chatrkat]

Dayton motors have come from a couple different manufacturers through the years, mostly Emerson, and they were mainly sold by Graingers. Some years back I started seeing Dayton motors coming out of Mexico. Now Chinese motors are sold with a Dayton label. Sad, very sad.

[@philliphatfield4884]

Does your furnace fan have a capacitor the one that you played 10 dollars for

[@cbhonda90]

cool...... ''long live the blower fans''

[@richardhall9053]

Where do you buy the bearings

[@isaacedwards7675]

good thinking

[@youyou5923]

who is the key keeper

[@richardhall9053]

Need to know where to buy the parts to fix it

[@uxwbill]

At a *good* electric motor repair shop.

[@fireinthesky4982]

For having one in a room, I'd rather have a belt drive because they're quieter and are less powerful (typically).

[@WilliePeck]

Why do you say belt drives are quieter?

[@fireinthesky4982]

Willie Peck I don't really know that they are, it's just what I've read. Possibly because they would run slower.

[@WilliePeck]

Oh.

[@thepaashaas]

Ive baugt plenty of lighther, then again, i am a smoker, yes indeed, there are still people in this bizarre world that smoke...(and no, its not 'that' bad at all as they tell you...)

[@wow1022]

you should clean it up and paint it

[@elijahmoore8526]

Can you tell me if the fan speed can be changed?

[@uxwbill]

Sometimes, yes. It depends upon the motor *or* its pulley setup.

[@elijahmoore8526]

uxwbill can I email you pictures of my motor? We’ve been freezing the last 2 days because I replaced the motor and it’s only blowing at half the power my old motor was

[@uxwbill]

Post them to a public image sharing site somewhere and you can send the links. Show the data plate on the motor as clearly as possible. However, it sounds like the motor you have is really not made for the application, or that it's being overloaded. In particular, the RPM, horsepower, and line voltage ratings need to match the old motor.

[@elijahmoore8526]

uxwbill home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/heating-and-cooling/how-to-troubleshoot-a-forced-air-distribution-system2.htm

[@elijahmoore8526]

Take a look at that link. I have a pully exactly like that. Could that make a noticeable difference?

[@MrCinimod93]

why would he do that there is nothing wrong with the motor that is on the fan

[@briandustin3596]

you should've just gotten a NEW MOTOR!

[@FSM_Reviews]

Waste of money. You don't have to replace a perfectly working motor.

[@barneyboby8620]

you could of got contact cleaner

[@barneyboby8620]

i was able to fix a old marantz recever

[@thepaashaas]

Dont worry im not offended, but here in Europe, armericans are usually know be very anti-smoke, but i guess thats not realy true. Im pretty sure its the same in america, that some think the Dutch actually walk on wooden shoes and that we all smoke pot in amsterdam, butt thats not realy true, just because pot is a legally available product here, doesnt mean we actually smoke it, i never did, i also never will. Because i promised my mother i shouldnt :p