If you’re having problems with consistent heating in your home, you may wonder what’s wrong. With dozens of different components that all have to work together to create heat for your home, it can be a toss-up to figure out where the problem lies.
Since the blower motor is one of the larger components in your heater, it’s a good place to begin looking. The trick is to narrow down what’s wrong, and you can do that by knowing how to identify when your blower motor is causing heating problems. If you think that you need heating repair in Syracuse, our team is here to help. In the meantime, you can keep reading to learn signs that your blower motor is going bad.
Poor Airflow
The blower motor has an important job: blow heat and air into your home through the vents. If you do not feel a strong stream of airflow, coming out of your vents while your heater is on, there is a good chance that your blower motor is to blame. Keep in mind that low airflow means that your blower motor is still working, just not as well as it should. If you have no airflow at all, your blower motor may be broken.
Unusual Sounds
Your heater can make a variety of sounds depending on what the problem is. Sounds that you can attribute to the blower include vibrating, grinding, and high-pitched squealing. Vibration can happen if your blower motor is not centered and secure. Grinding can happen if lubrication wears down and your components are metal-on-metal. High-pitched sounds like squealing can indicate that a belt is loose.
Tripping Circuit Breakers
This is a problem that you may want to blame on your heater as a whole. But it’s individual components inside of your heater that can cause a power surge and trip your breakers. It’s possible that your blower motor is the problem. If the motor seizes up, it may trip the circuit breaker in its effort to restart. A bad capacitor can also trip your circuit breaker, so you want to check both of these major components.
Burning Smells
If your blower motor is going bad but still operating, it can overheat. When it gets too hot, it produces a smell similar to burning. Allowing this to go on without addressing it can lead to actual burning, and leaves you at risk for house fires. It’s always better to listen to your gut when you notice that something is wrong and have problems addressed soon.
Causes of Blower Motor Problems
Identifying the signs of a bad blower motor is a great start. But you also want to understand why your blower goes bad, so that if it happens, you can prevent it again in the future. For your blower to work correctly, it needs to have strong airflow coming into the system. If the vent for bringing air into the system is blocked, that will constrain your blower motor.
Damaged bearings can also be a problem. Having these replaced and making sure everything is connected correctly can prevent the problem from happening again. When our team does an inspection, we will also check for rust. If moisture gets into your system, it can quickly damage the internal components.
Contact your HVAC and plumbing experts at Rentmeister Total Home Service today to schedule an appointment.