Diagnose my furnace! Making loud sound

[ExtraSlow]

So I'm not home, but wife texted me and said furnace was making a "horrible screeching sound" so she turned it off. We normally have fan running 24/7. Not knowing anything, does this sound like a belt or the motor dying? I was looking at retrofitting the motor with one of those fancy Marze Azure motors for energy savings and programmability as well. Talked about in this thread: https://forums.beyond.ca/threads/410475-How-much-electricity-does-your-house-use?p=4803540#post4803540

Anyway, maybe I should replace the fan motor anyway, but you internet HVAC warriors like ????? and cjblair, @Tik-toc, Darell_n, goldfish168, Maxt, what's my next step here in diagnosis? Furnace is Carrier model 58STA110-131-16 (Shows as 1/2hp motor)

And this may be finally time to do that fancy motor group-buy. D-man we should chat.

[Tik-Tok]

I don't it'll have a belt, so probably a blower bearing. Might be able to limp it along with some oil spray. I haven't gotten around to the Azure replacement yet. Waiting for mine to fail when it's -30 out

[bjstare]

+1 for blower bearing. One of my previous homes, exact same symptom you described. Luckily, it was a hearty, simple 80's furnace with cheap parts. Just went and got a new blower motor for like $80 and popped it in.

[Thaco]

if it';s a high efficiency there's also an incuder motor that could be bad, i had to change mine recently due to a bad bearing/noise.

[ExtraSlow]

I don't it'll have a belt, so probably a blower bearing. Yeah, it's direct drive, so no belt. Will see if I can get wife to listen for inducer vs blower.

[ThePenIsMightier]

Yeah, it's direct drive, so no belt. Will see if I can get wife to listen for inducer vs blower.

LoL RoFL LoL!!!!
Can you record that conversation?

[ExtraSlow]

My wife is pretty handy and technical, so there is hope. we shall see.

[ExtraSlow]

Wife was very clear. For sure blower motor and not inducer.

[Tik-Tok]

Wife was very clear. For sure blower motor and not inducer.

Your wife knows blowies. Noted.

[ExtraSlow]

Anyone have an account at RSL or James electric? This places only sell to accounts, I think.

[Darell_n]

Anyone have an account at RSL or James electric? This places only sell to accounts, I think.

Soper’s Supply does cash sales and doesn’t gouge. Good option for a quick OEM replacement.

[SJW]

Your wife knows blowies. Noted.


Can she talk with my wife please?

[2020]

Had the same issue a few weeks ago. It was my inducer motor fan blade rubbing against the case. Added a shim washer to one of the 3 rubber mounts and noise went away.

[ExtraSlow]

In this case I'm pretty sure it's not the inducer, just the blower motor.

- - - Updated - - -


Can she talk with my wife please?
The four of us can hang out and chat about it.

[ExtraSlow]

Nobody who's in Calgary today has an account at James or RSL? Guess Darell is away for a while.

[90_Shelby]

Pics of wife?

[Disoblige]

You guys are making sexual jokes when the real attractiveness is the fact she is handy and technical.

[ExtraSlow]

You guys are making sexual jokes when the real attractiveness is the fact she is handy and technical.
and she has total comp higher than me.

[Disoblige]

and she has total comp higher than me.
You are above 89coupe status.

[ExtraSlow]

You are above 89coupe status.
Well, his wife makes ~$500k more than my wife, I think, so he still wins.

[suntan]

BRB, hitting on 89coupe's wife.

[Disoblige]

Well, his wife makes ~$500k more than my wife, I think, so he still wins.
Yeah but if the house is on fire and she doesn't even know how to turn off the furnace by instinct, what's the point? Or know where the main water shut off is, or know that the hose lines need to be closed off during winter, etc.
Or most importantly, know where weird noises are coming from over the phone?!

[suntan]

Who cares, at that income you can hire someone to do all that.

[Disoblige]

Who cares, at that income you can hire someone to do all that.
lol, this is such a Betty vs. Veronica debate. I am so much more in love with Betty's.

[ExtraSlow]

Apples and oranges are fun debates. I think they are the foundation that beyond was built on.

[ExtraSlow]

Well, said fuck it and grabbed an evergreen 6005 from Sopers. Got the full "not a contractor" price gouge, but got my parts before they close for the weekend.

Let's see what install looks like when I get home. At least I have electric heaters and two NG fireplaces, so house will be warm either way.

[Darell_n]

Well, said fuck it and grabbed an evergreen 6005 from Sopers. Got the full "not a contractor" price gouge, but got my parts before they close for the weekend.

Let's see what install looks like when I get home. At least I have electric heaters and two NG fireplaces, so house will be warm either way.

Be sure to measure the heat rise across the heat exchanger to ensure its in range of what’s listed on your furnaces data plate. Running it too cold or too hot will shorten its life drastically, may need to adjust the speed from your first guess.

[ExtraSlow]

What if the furnace is not making any unusual noises when I get there? Because it's not. Wtf.

[Darell_n]

What if the furnace is not making any unusual noises when I get there? Because it's not. Wtf.

Fire your parts cannon at it anyway. The new motor is a good upgrade regardless if it was really needed.

[ExtraSlow]

Fire your parts cannon at it anyway. The new motor is a good upgrade regardless if it was really needed.

You'd be ill of you compared your cost to my cost for that motor. But yeah probably just going put it in anyway.

[Tik-Tok]

What if the furnace is not making any unusual noises when I get there? Because it's not. Wtf.

Maybe it's your wife that needs her bearing lubed?

[Darell_n]

Maybe it's your wife that needs her bearing lubed?

Child bearing?

[ExtraSlow]

Maybe it's your wife that needs her bearing lubed?

Worth a shot

[max_boost]

lol, this is such a Betty vs. Veronica debate. I am so much more in love with Betty's.

Lol ya. Betty as the main. Ronnie as the side. Can’t forget about Cheryl lol

[killramos]

Yeah but if the house is on fire and she doesn't even know how to turn off the furnace by instinct, what's the point? Or know where the main water shut off is, or know that the hose lines need to be closed off during winter, etc.
Or most importantly, know where weird noises are coming from over the phone?!

Just going to throw this out there.

But if my house is on fire I sure as fuck don’t want my wife to try and do something about it.

[ThePenIsMightier]

and she has total comp higher than me.

Not anymore since she took that 25% hit.
You're alpha now.

- - - Updated - - -


... But yeah probably just going put it in anyway.

Put it in and lube that bearing, she said.

[ExtraSlow]

Not anymore since she took that 25% hit.
You're alpha now.
I'm only the alpha when I'm with you. She hasn't taken any hit, and I thank the taxpayers for their generosity with her compensation.

[ExtraSlow]

Hmmm, need a belly band for this motor. Previous one had riveted on mounting feet.
Wonder where sells that on a saturday. Darell_n any thoughts?

[ExtraSlow]

AMRE had one in stock, so I bought it.

[Pacman]

did you get it fixed? My furnace motor was making a harmonic type high pitched squealing sound and it was the blower motor that had to be replaced.

[ExtraSlow]

It's fixed. There were some issues. But it's fixed. Can do a proper write up tomorrow.

[suntan]

Nice. You fucked that furnace’s dad.

[ExtraSlow]

So summary of this project, roughly in order.
1) wow theres a lot of shit you have to take apart to even get at the blower motor. Or there is on my Carrier.
2) you really should find someone to get you the pro discount. Because the homeowners price is ridiculous, $500 for my evergreen 1/2 hp 6005 model.
3) check how your current motor is mounted. I needed a belly band kit, which my old motor did not. Extra $50 at AMRE on Saturday. Presumably cheaper for the pros.
4) mechanical reassembly is not particularly difficult, just more steps than you think is reasonable.
5) electrical. Oh my God, why are there so many damned wires? Total madness. Some are obvious. Some are super counter-intuitive if you are replacing a PSC with ECM like I was. Twist some together, cut some off, yay! Anyway, the instructions were actually really good, just follow those.
6) furnace works yay!
7) it's so quiet! Startups are quiet. Running is quiet, wow did I mention it's quiet?
8) save (probably) a pile of electricity. Savings will be massive. #7point2hereicome!

[Maxt]

Just saw this now, thats actually not a terrible price for that motor right now, most hvac parts have gone through the roof, if you can even get them. The ecm is a nice replacement, I prefer the marrs brand with the programmer, it lets you pick custom speeds.

[RX_EVOLV]

I dont know if this warrants a new thread so I'll just stick this question here and see if anyone replies since it's not urgent.

One of the blowers broke with our in-wall Direct Vent Gas Fireplace. It makes very loud noises when turned on and the dog hates it. From what I'm googled it sounds it's something to do with the bearings and the whole unit just need to be replaced.

The OEM ones are like $300/each but amazon has these third party ones for <$100 https://www.amazon.ca/Hongso-Fireplace-Majestic-Castings-Northern/dp/B081RSV5KR/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=vermont+casting+blower&qid=1637622970&sr=8-6

If I order these online, you guys know anyone that's willing to come do the install? I really dont' want to spend $600+ to replace a couple blowers.

[suntan]

Check where the blower is. Oftentimes they're just plugged into an outlet.

Get one of these and tell us how quiet it is:

https://www.quietfireplacefans.com/product-page/qff-3804-v-large-quiet-fireplace-fan

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Those fireplace blowers are usually very easy to replace yourself, assuming you're buying a direct replacement unit. Basically plug and play.

[The_Penguin]

You could try getting a bearing. Lots available out there.
Mrs. Penguin brought me one of her nail ladies' nail drills to fix. Some odd German Dremel-like unit.
Turns out it was a seized bearing. I measured the ID and OD and googled. 10 for $5.00
Replaced it, Mrs. Penguin got a few free nail sessions, and everyone was happy.

[ExtraSlow]

Just saw this now, thats actually not a terrible price for that motor right now, most hvac parts have gone through the roof, if you can even get them. The ecm is a nice replacement, I prefer the marrs brand with the programmer, it lets you pick custom speeds.

The mars is not available anywhere that will sell to homeowners. Pros only. Suspect that evergreen would have been 20% less for a pro, but whatev, I got it done.

[Tik-Tok]

We're three pages in and not one joke about how the screaming noise was actually from the "art" room.

I am disappoint.

[ExtraSlow]

Car threads are for jokes, house threads are srs bzns.
Darell_n so I measured my heat rise, it's a bit high. What normal remedy for this?

[Darell_n]

Car threads are for jokes, house threads are srs bzns.
Darell_n so I measured my heat rise, it's a bit high. What normal remedy for this?

Is it still in acceptable range? Normally I would increase the heating mode fan speed. When you upgrade a blower motor, often the low/med/high speed wiring connections don’t equal the same amount of air flow as the old motor.

Also check the air filter cleanliness and make sure there’s enough air registers open / return airs not blocked.

[RX_EVOLV]

Those fireplace blowers are usually very easy to replace yourself, assuming you're buying a direct replacement unit. Basically plug and play.

It looks very easy to replace, but I can't figure out/ dont have the tools to pull the fireplace out from the wall to get to the blower.

102991

[ExtraSlow]

Is it still in acceptable range? Normally I would increase the heating mode fan speed. When you upgrade a blower motor, often the low/med/high speed wiring connections don’t equal the same amount of air flow as the old motor.

Also check the air filter cleanliness and make sure there’s enough air registers open / return airs not blocked.
Probably need the fan to be running faster in heat mode. Actually not sure how to do that, this evergreen motor is smarter than me. Will dig into it. And verify acceptable range.

[90_Shelby]

It looks very easy to replace, but I can't figure out/ dont have the tools to pull the fireplace out from the wall to get to the blower.

102991

The glass should unclip at the top and fold down/ or be removable. Take out the rocks and fake sticks etc. and there will be an access panel held in by 20+ self tapping screws. Remove the screws and panel, pull out blower fan, replace with new one and reverse the process to reassemble.

It's not a complicated process, the glass is always easy to remove or fold in order to clean. Based on the pic, the glass looks foggy/dirty therefore this step probably hasn't been done since installed, but it is easy to do.

[ExtraSlow]

I need to clean the glass on my fireplaces as well. Maybe I'll figure out how to do this soon.

[littledan]

My elica hood fan motor has decided to slowly kill itself. Started off making that quiet bearing noise, got louder, and now sometimes wont start on the slowest of the 3 speed settings. Decided to just buy a new motor unit I found out of texas for 100 usd. Will swap it out and see if I can use or repair the faulty motor for something else or a spare.

https://encompass.com/item/11447568/Elica/RIC00225/

[ricosuave]

And this may be finally time to do that fancy motor group-buy. D-man we should chat.

I’d be interested in a group buy

[RX_EVOLV]

The glass should unclip at the top and fold down/ or be removable. Take out the rocks and fake sticks etc. and there will be an access panel held in by 20+ self tapping screws. Remove the screws and panel, pull out blower fan, replace with new one and reverse the process to reassemble.

It's not a complicated process, the glass is always easy to remove or fold in order to clean. Based on the pic, the glass looks foggy/dirty therefore this step probably hasn't been done since installed, but it is easy to do.

wow thank you!! I'll give that a try. Appreciate it.

[ExtraSlow]

Probably need the fan to be running faster in heat mode. Actually not sure how to do that, this evergreen motor is smarter than me. Will dig into it. And verify acceptable range.

This motor has five speeds.
Low
Med-low
Med
Med-high
High.

Default setting is high for cool and med-low for heat. Was getting too much heat rise, around 85F. Max reccomend for this furnace is 70F.

Adjusted to med-high fan speed on heat, and have a 65F heat rise now. I am going to call this done.

Buuit, I did have some serious confusion after first attempt. No fire. Like the gas valve wasn't opening. Turns out I bumped this little switch, that was an easy fix once I realized.
103119

[ExtraSlow]

......
8) save (probably) a pile of electricity. Savings will be massive. #7point2hereicome!
Little update now I've had this new ECM motor installed long enough to look at my bills. I am saving a noticeable amount of electricity compared to previous December years. Depending how you read the little chart EnMax sens in my bill it's between 100 and 200 kwh per month.
So I'm saving like $7 to $15 per month. Not huge, but probably enough to save the planet and get to #7point2

Anyway, worthwhile upgrade and if you are organized and get these stuff with a pro discount, the payout is nearly reasonable.

[89coupe]

I need to clean the glass on my fireplaces as well. Maybe I'll figure out how to do this soon.

Weiman glass cook top heavy duty polish, makes it look like new.