Your heating system likely uses a blower motor to push warm air through the vents to heat your home. Heated air from your furnace has to move through to every room in your house until you get the right results. Therefore, your system’s blower motor has to be in top working condition if you want to keep warm in the cold season.
But many things can cause the blower motor to malfunction, some that you might not be so quick to notice. The following signs can help you narrow down on a failing blower motor before you get the help you need.
1. Overheating Problems
A furnace blower motor may overheat if dust and dirt accumulate on the motor’s structure. The resulting grime might impede the motor’s ability to vent properly. The motor might also struggle to keep up and build excessive heat in its internal components.
In addition, your heating system’s motor might overheat if you don’t keep to regular maintenance schedules. The blower motor has several moving parts that could slowly degrade as time passes. Worn-out parts may grind against themselves and generate a lot of heat in your system.
Similarly, an old motor may have to work much harder to push air through the vents. Besides suffering from the effects of wear and tear, the added strain on the motor might increase the amount of heat it produces.
To further help you know when your motor overheats, look out for the following signs:
- A sharp burning smell. Excess heat might damage other internal components inside the blower motor, which may create a lingering burning smell.
- Frequent furnace off-cycles. Most furnace systems have fail-safe mechanisms that protect themselves against heat damage. If you have to reset your unit before you turn it on, an overheating blower motor might be why that happens.
Don’t take any chances if you suspect an overheating blower motor. Turn off your heating system and call your HVAC technician instead. This step helps avoid any additional damage that you have otherwise prevented.
2. Strange or Unusual Noises
Unusual furnace sounds are often a less-obvious sign of a failing blower motor. For instance, if you hear squealing noises from your system, the blower motor may have a faulty belt or damaged bearings within itself.
Your HVAC expert may recommend replacing either of these components to get rid of the noises. They might also lubricate the bearings if you don’t have enough lubricant to keep bearings from rubbing against each other.
On the other hand, banging and rattling noises could mean that your blower motor has come loose or some of its components are damaged. The louder these noises get, the more serious a problem may be. Your HVAC expert may replace the blower motor if they discover any signs of severe degradation.
Some furnace sounds are normal, but turn off your furnace immediately if you hear any strange noises. A loud or uncomfortable noise could get worse if you ignore it – not to mention the risk of damage to other parts of your furnace.
An alignment issue, for instance, could easily trigger damage to other functional parts of your system if you take too long to address the problem. Your technician can perform an in-depth inspection to assess the damage and inform you of any steps you might need to take.
Your system’s blower motor might not be easy to access, so avoid any DIY diagnostics if you have little experience with heating systems. You could accidentally tamper with the electrical components and other sensitive parts that might trigger even worse issues. Instead, reach out to Steele Brothers
Heating, Inc., for reliable, professional diagnoses and repairs.
