Does this inducer fan on my new furnace look normal?

[Jayn123]

Here's a video of the inducer fan on my new Carrier 58CVA forced air gas furnace:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=661gZz1OspY

When capturing this video, the furnace was shut off and I had spun the fan by hand. It spins very freely, and it even seems to spin on its own at the slightest air current (or whatever).

Just wondering if the "wobbly" appearance means it is out of balance and causing it to be noisier than it should be. If you stare at the lower left hedge of the fan as it spins you'll see what I mean. Let me know if you think this looks normal. You could click on the "Change Quality" button (which looks like a gear) for a better quality video.

Thanks.

J

[The Daring Dufas]

That's the plastic cooling fan for the motor and it's so light it
shouldn't have any effect on the bearings but if the heavier metal
blade inside the housing is warped it would cause a failure. The cooling
fan blades can be noisy but it's harmless. You can always
check on a replacement blade which is held on by a push nut and easy
to remove/replace. I've never seen a draft inducer that was quiet. ^_^

TDD

[Tony Hwang]

Hi,
If it is not noisy like bearing is going. No worry that plastic blades
is cooler. If really inducer motor is running wrong, you'll get an error
code.

[jyan...@gmail.com]

Thanks for the replies.

Ok, so, if I'm understanding correctly, that plastic fan wheel isn't what actually induces the draft...it is only a cooling fan that happens to be attached to the inducer motor to help keep it cool...and some other heavier duty metal fan blade, further in, is what actually induces the draft...right?

From 2 floors up, directly above where the furnace is, I can actually hear a humming noise (akin to an air conditioner compressor running somewhere in the house, or maybe akin to a clothing dryer running somewhere in the house) during the start-up phase, and I'm told it is the inducer motor. I was just wondering if the plastic fan wheel being less that perfect would be causing that hum, but from what you're telling me, then perhaps the hum is normal for an inducer...is that correct? My furnace is a Carrier Infinity, and for a furnace that is billed as quiet, it is strange to hear a noise during start-up that never happened on my old pilot-based furnace from the good old days, before they came up with the idea of inducer motors. I guess I'll just have to get used to the hum during start-up of my 2-stage furnace, right?

[The Daring Dufas]

On 1/26/2013 12:40 AM, jyan...@gmail.com wrote:
> Thanks for the replies.
>
> Ok, so, if I'm understanding correctly, that plastic fan wheel isn't what actually induces the draft...it is only a cooling fan that happens to be attached to the inducer motor to help keep it cool...and some other heavier duty metal fan blade, further in, is what actually induces the draft...right?
>
> From 2 floors up, directly above where the furnace is, I can actually hear a humming noise (akin to an air conditioner compressor running somewhere in the house, or maybe akin to a clothing dryer running somewhere in the house) during the start-up phase, and I'm told it is the inducer motor. I was just wondering if the plastic fan wheel being less that perfect would be causing that hum, but from what you're telling me, then perhaps the hum is normal for an inducer...is that correct? My furnace is a Carrier Infinity, and for a furnace that is billed as quiet, it is strange to hear a noise during start-up that never happened on my old pilot-based furnace from the good old days, before they came up with the idea of inducer motors. I guess I'll just have to get used to the hum during start-up of my 2-stage furnace, right?
>
>

You might check with Carrier to see if you can get a replacement plastic
blade or if it's under warranty the company may repair it
at no cost to you. Like I wrote, draft inducers do tend to make some
noise. ^_^

TDD

[amdx]

Hey J,
Since that plastic fan blade is so easy to remove, remove it and do a
very short test for the noise problem. Remember this, someone said this
is a cooling fan for the motor, so don't let it run long enough to over
heat the motor. That means you need to know how to remove power from the
unit before you start the experiment. Do this at your own risk.
It is worth testing because it is bothersome to you, but, I think you
will find, the draft inducer is still noisy. :-)
Mikek