Furnance out 14 hours, send help and a blower motor

it's almost 50 degrees in the house.......send help, to cold to type...but really anybody know how much it is going to cost to get a the blower motor replaced...let's make it a contest the closet answer gets...to be the closet answer!!!

$482

I did this once. Amazon had the blower motor for like $75 so I paid the $20 to get it overnight and dealt with not having heat instead of paying jacked up labor charges and dealing with idiots trying to replace my whole furnace instead. You have to buy your parts online, though (at least I did) because they won't sell locally to you unless you're some certified furnace guy. It helps that I have a separate furnace for upstairs and downstairs and a gas fireplace, though, so I have a few choices if one goes out.

pretty much agree with above reply..

I don't know where you are, but good luck. I rented a room in a house years ago and the owner went off to the UK for chirstmas. We had a big freez and the propane ran out. No heat on Xmas eve and I could get anyone out until the 27th. I survived with a small elctric heater in the bedroom with every damn bit of clothing I could get on, then me and the dog got under every blanket we could. I spent a lot of time away from the house.

One dollar, Bob.

I've had pretty good luck with my HVAC/Plumber Guy, where he's more likely to R&R components instead of always wanting to just put in a brand new A/C or furnace.

If you can get the part, blowers aren't usually too hard to do, and you'll still save money after paying for a hotel room while you wait for delivery.

Grainger has the motor on the shelf. Go there, get it, and get warm.

Also, a blower is not a magical unicorn...it simply moves air. If you have a $9 box fan, you can stick it in the base of the furnace and do a reasonable job of moving some air around to keep your nut sack from freezing. (although you should always keep nuts in a sealed jar, not a sack, especially almonds and peanuts. ) That will get you through until the motor arrives.

150 in parts and 450 in labor. That is if they don't try and sell you the whole thing.

The blower motor at my in-law's house died not too long ago. It is a computer controlled nightmare with a controller board build into the motor somehow. Apparently it has more than one speed and varies the motor RPM based on temperature control needs. Screw. That. If you have one of those...I'm sorry.

slefain said: The blower motor at my in-law's house died not too long ago. It is a computer controlled nightmare with a controller board build into the motor somehow. Apparently it has more than one speed and varies the motor RPM based on temperature control needs. Screw. That. If you have one of those...I'm sorry.

that's the one we have (so iam told) $80.0 to come out $600.00 for the motor and capacitor and another $80 to install it........if i was 30 years younger and would not lose more than that by taking off work i might tackle it. but..even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then.

In reply to The:

Get a part number. That's highway robbery for the part. Ask them how much to install it if you hand the part to them. If I was 30 years younger I'd only be one, but still, I'd do this for about 1/6th that.

The kitchen oven makes a good temporary furnace. Turn it on, open the door, and let the heat roll out.

Seriously, it can do a remarkably good job. Use a standard house fan to help blow the heat around the house.

pinchvalve wrote: Grainger has the motor on the shelf. Go there, get it, and get warm. Also, a blower is not a magical unicorn...it simply moves air. If you have a $9 box fan, you can stick it in the base of the furnace and do a reasonable job of moving some air around to keep your nut sack from freezing. (although you should always keep nuts in a sealed jar, not a sack, especially almonds and peanuts. ) That will get you through until the motor arrives.

I did exactly this a couple if years ago, got us by just fine for three days that were in the teens.

I removed the enclosure and mounted on a simple wood stand that allowed it to take the place of the 4" air filter, and still had room for a standard 1".

My wife thought I was nuts for even trying, but was impressed with the final result and rarely questions my ingenuity anymore. :)

Here is what I ended up with for $615.00 Service Agreement 1 Residential Agreement We Agree to provide you with a complete precision tune up and professional cleaning either annually or semi-annually as described below for your heating and cooling equipment during the term indicated. Benefits 24 Hour Emergeny Service, Priority Customer, Extended equipment Life, Fewer Repairs, Improved Capacity, Inflation Protection, Agreement is transferrable, Lower utility bills, 15% Discount on Repairs Precision Tune Up Includes Clean Condensor Coil, Condensate Drain, Clean and Adjust Burner Assembly, Clean Ignition Assembly, Check Heat Exchanger, Check Heating Elements, Check Flue Draft Vent, Monitor Refrigerant Pressures, Test Starting Capabilities, Test Safety Controls, Clean Blower Components, Measure for Corrext Airflow, Check Thermostat Calibration, Measure Temperature DifferenceLubricate Moving Parts, Clean or Replace Air Filters, Clean Equipment Cabinets Number Systems and Visits 2

That list of stuff you got is comparable to a mechanic charging you several hundred dollars to check your tire pressure, windshield washer fluid, verify presets on the radio, test keys in ignition, etc. Blower motors, like any other electric motor are less than $200. Everything he is going to "check" is done by the computer before the ignition fires off or slightly after the ignition fires off. If there is a problem with any of the controls, it either won't fire of it shuts itself off on safety.

But......and here's the cherry on top, he left behind a new pair of 'Gloves'..... i am golden.

foxtrapper wrote: The kitchen oven makes a good temporary furnace. Turn it on, open the door, and let the heat roll out. Seriously, it can do a remarkably good job. Use a standard house fan to help blow the heat around the house.

Just mind the CO, crack some windows if the place isnt drafty all on its own.

40 berkeleying degrees in the shop today...AGAIN. berkeley this E36 M3, I'm going home.

when the blower motor in the one year old furnace in the house i used to own died on a friday night, my broke ass did the only thing i could think to do: pull it apart and see what was wrong... one of the bearings (actually just a bronze bushing) was dried up and seized... i fixed it by putting some grease in it and spinning it by hand until it spun freely, then put it back together... got 2 more trouble free winters out of it before i moved...

poopshovel wrote: 40 berkeleying degrees in the shop today...AGAIN. berkeley this E36 M3, I'm going home.

HTFU. 40* and I'd still be in shorts.

This is exactly the reason why I have a couple of furnace fans wired up for use in the shop. This and that they are usually free and super quiet.

mndsm wrote:

poopshovel wrote: 40 berkeleying degrees in the shop today...AGAIN. berkeley this E36 M3, I'm going home.

HTFU. 40* and I'd still be in shorts.

All day? You're full of E36 M3. There's a reason (okay, a berkeley ton of reasons) I don't live in a state that borders Canuckistan. I just went out for a smoke in 30* in a t shirt & shorts. Woohoo.

I had a HVAC guy come out to look at my Lenox Pulse a few yeas ago that was 18 years old at the time. It wouldn't come on. He checked things out and found that a wire on CPU board was loose. He moved it and it furnace came on. He said the part was $600+ and you could only get it from Lenox. I said thanks, paid for the service call and then went "on line" and found some sites that catered to the Lenox Pulse furnace. I read up on it and found that one can do a "tune up" on it for less then $60 in parts. I also found where I could buy the "unavailable except from Lenox" CPU board for about $250 delivered.

I ordered the tune up parts and the CPU and installed them in less then an hour. The furnace has been trouble free since. It's now going on 21-22 years old and my heating bills are hundreds of dollars less per year then my neighbors! Added insulation help here as well.

I awoke at 0600 this morning to a faint squeeky sound. At first I thought it was one of the heat registers whistling 'til Mrs. Motomoron said "It's on my side".

Downsatairs, glad I put a light in the HVAC closet. 2 breakers, 4 screws, cover off. 4 more screws, pull 2 wires w/ spade connectors, fan assembly is out. One squarehead set screw to loosen the squirrel cage, 3 1/4-20 bolts, motor is out, 4 longs screws, motor is completely apart.

Hose out the bushings w/ WD40 and a brush, blow all the oily dust off, oil the bearings w/ some synthetic electric motor lube I've had around forever, reassemble motor, install to housing, tighten squirrel cage, re-install fan unit, connect leads, cover on, throw breakers.

Back in bed at 0630. But, you've got to catch it early.

poopshovel wrote:

mndsm wrote:

poopshovel wrote: 40 berkeleying degrees in the shop today...AGAIN. berkeley this E36 M3, I'm going home.

HTFU. 40* and I'd still be in shorts.

All day? You're full of E36 M3. There's a reason (okay, a berkeley ton of reasons) I don't live in a state that borders Canuckistan. I just went out for a smoke in 30* in a t shirt & shorts. Woohoo.

Dude. After the E36 M3show weather we've had.. 40,is 60 degrees warmer. I wore shorts all day every day until December this year. I've become acclimated. Probably would a gone out for a smoke in in if I still did.