Condenser and Fan Motors for Your HVAC System
A reliable heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is a must to keep your home or office within comfortable air quality and temperature ranges no matter the season.
For optimum performance, the system’s components and mechanisms must be in good running condition. Otherwise, you won’t be able to experience its full working capacity when you need it, like during extreme climate conditions of subzero winters and scorching summers.
Square One understands that a HVAC breakdown due to faulty parts not only inconveniences people but can also put their health and safety at risk. A heating system that fails on a freezing night is a serious concern for households with vulnerable residents like children and elderly.
To help prevent that, we have curated the most reliable replacement motors in the market so that customers can easily replace necessary parts and make repairs when the need arises.
Square One Electric has a wide selection of top-tier residential and commercial fan motors.
Save money and get uncompromised quality with our drop in replacement motors for quality brands like Trane, Carrier, Greenheck, and Hill.
Click here for OEM Brand Replacement Motors starting with A-L
Click here for OEM Brand Replacement Motors starting with M-Z
The HVAC System
Before we proceed with HVAC blower motors, let's look at the components of the HVAC system to see how vital the motor is for its function and longevity.
HVAC refers to equipment that is designed to maintain indoor air flow and quality and provide cooling and thermal comfort. It is responsible for managing temperature, air impurities through filtration, humidity level, and air movement in enclosed spaces.
An HVAC system is typically composed of air handlers and condensers that utilize HVAC fan motors.
The systems’ mechanisms include window and split air conditioning, packaged heating and cooling package, and central air conditioning.
What is the Difference Between an Air Handler and Condenser Unit?
The air handler is designed to move air around. It works with your heating and cooling units by using a blower motor to push controlled climate air through the ductwork in your home or business.
Air handlers are usually located in well-ventilated, indoor spaces. They contain filters to trap dirt and pollutants, improving air quality.
The condenser unit is that box parked outside of your home or business. It uses a condenser fan motor to blow air across the coils and cool the refrigerant. The blower motor is crucial in this process and, without it, the compressor can overheat, causing the AC system to stop working.
Types of AC Fan & Blower Motors
These blower motors come in various types. The most common ones used in air handling applications are the permanent-split capacitor and shaded-pole types.
There are also other motor types used in HVAC systems that fit specific requirements. Here are detailed descriptions of each type.
Permanent-Split Capacitor (PSC) Motor
PSC motors are used when higher starting torques are needed than what a shaded-pole motor can provide. They are energy efficient and are compatible with systems that require higher efficiency performance motors.
Due to their combined power and economy, they have become the motor of choice for many customers to drive blowers and other air-moving applications over shaded-pole motors.
They are also manufactured in higher horsepower ratings compared to shaded-pole designs. Therefore, PSC motors are more widely used in heavier duty applications such as outside condensers.
Shaded-Pole (SP) Motor
SP motors are practical choices for those with smaller budgets and with low starting torques requirements. They are used to drive blowers, bathroom ventilators, range hoods, attic ventilators, downdraft blowers, and fan coils, among others.
They are a practical choice for ratings below 0.05 HP (~ 40 W) because of their simple structure and mechanism. SP motors are single-phased, self-starting, low maintenance, and perfect for low power applications.
Capacitor Start Motor
This type of motor is used in hard-to-start applications such as compressors and pumps. Although its structure is similar to a split phase motor, capacitor start motors have higher starting torques.
Another key difference is that the capacitor start motor has a capacitor in series with the start winding to increase the start torque. Simply put, its capacity is reinforced by a capacitor which is usually visible and mounted on the motor frame.
Split Phase Motor
Split phase motors have higher starting torque motors compared to PSC. As such, they are suitable for belt drive furnace blowers and belt drive ventilators.
They are more efficient than shaded-pole motors but less efficient than PSC, with a narrower RPM range (usually rated at 3450, 1725, and 1140).
These types of motors are not constructed to provide the wide-range of multi-speeds as seen in shaded-pole and PSC motors. Multi-speed split phase motors are commonly built using separate windings to provide multiple speed options.
Air Conditioner Capacitor
Aside from blower motors, Square One Electric also offers air conditioner capacitors for blower motors from top-tier manufacturers. Good quality AC capacitors can make or break your AC condenser motor and ultimately affect the way your entire HVAC system functions.
Most problems with air conditioner condensers are caused by something electrical in nature. One of the most common electrical issues is a faulty capacitor.
READ OUR DIY AIR CONDITIONER REPAIR BLOG
If your condenser is acting up, check the capacitor first to know whether you simply need to replace it or if the issue necessitates buying a new motor. This can save you time, money, and energy.
Power Pool
The capacitor for AC units acts as a battery. It essentially stores electrical energy to start the compressor motor and condenser fan motor. And, just like any battery, it can get drained or go bad.
If the condenser or compressor motor isn’t running, or you only have warm air blowing out of your vents, it could mean the motor has a bad capacitor.
How To Check Your Capacitor
Turn the power off at the breaker box and open the condenser unit. The capacitor looks like a large oval-shaped battery with a couple of wires connected to the top. If the top has puffed out like a mushroom or the connectors are rusted, it’s time for a replacement.
Capacitors can also be checked using a meter. If you don’t have one, take it to your local electric motor shop for inspection.
Square One Electric sells a wide range of AC Capacitors.
Troubleshooting Your Blower Motor
With regular maintenance, your blower motor can keep working without glitches for an extended time. However, motor failures eventually happen, whether caused by a manufacturing defect, external factors, or natural wear and tear.
Square One’s selection of blower motor brands is the most trusted in the business and is backed with warranties. We also offer repair services through our team of experts in your local area.
As with any electrical equipment, knowing how to troubleshoot an issue before immediately replacing or having it repaired can save you precious resources.
Motor glitches include failure to start, sudden stop, lag in acceleration, wrong running direction, vibration, noise, capacitor failure, or bearing failure.
Here are some of the ways to check for and fix bugs:
You may notice signs that your electric fan motor has failed or may fail soon. Some signs include little or no air flow or the unit runs intermittently or only at certain settings.
Before replacing a condenser fan motor, first check that the problem isn’t something simple:
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Is the thermostat working properly?
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Has the fuse blown?
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Are the filters clean? When were they last changed?
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Is the thermostat temperature set so that air will blow (is the temperature you set lower than outside)?
Be sure to take safety measures before working on any motors to avoid injury and further damage.
Your Partner in HVAC System Maintenance
Blower motors are vital to any HVAC system air handler and condenser. These parts need to be routinely checked to avoid breakdowns and replaced with a new motor if repairs can’t do the trick.
Square One Electric has been the trusted supplier of many households, businesses, offices, and other indoor spaces for their HVAC maintenance, repair, and motor replacement needs.
We carry a wide selection of OEM brand replacement motors and top quality residential and commercial fan motors for your various needs - from condenser motors to range hood motors.
We also provide excellent customer service that you can count on to help you determine your motor issues, HVAC system needs, and other motor replacement requirements.
If you’re not sure which model or type to purchase, we are here to assist you. We also have troubleshooting and parts selection guides on our website to help take the guesswork out of your decision making and selection process.
We offer repair services to fix various equipment and processes like electric motor repair, pump repair, cooling tower repair, field services for large, immovable equipment, dust collector systems, and long-term or temporary equipment storage services.
Contact us today for your repair, replacement, and other related service needs.
