Troubleshooting a Furnace Inducer Motor (The 4 Most Common Problems in 2021)
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- Опубликовано: 16 июл 2024
- Troubleshooting a Furnace Inducer Motor will walk you step by step to see if you have a bad inducer motor. The 4 most common problems that make inducer motors fail are discussed in this video. HVAC training videos like this will help you diagnose common problems with the gas furnace.
When a furnace begins a new cycle, the inducer motor is the first thing you should see kick on. 120 volts is applied through the wires coming from the control board. This starts the inducer motor for up to 60 seconds before anything else even happens. It’s a safety feature that creates a negative pressure or draft which purges the heat exchanger of any poisonous gasses, namely the biproducts of combustion. It makes the air inside the heat hollow tubes of the heat exchanger cleaner when the flame kicks on. When we have cleaner air inside the heat exchanger at the time of combustion the efficiency of the furnace increases.
The 4 reasons an inducer motor can fail are:
1. The shaft of the inducer motor could be seized up
2. The inducer motor could have an open winding
3. The capacitor could be bad, (If it has one)
4. If it starts making loud or odd noises, like rattling noise, a clanking noise, chattering, pinging, shaking, a wobbling noise
Because many inducer motors are nearly impossible to rebuild, an entirely new unit must be purchased in most cases when one wears out. One of the exceptions to this is the occasional Carrier or Bryant units.
During installation of the inducer motor, we need to make sure to either replace the gasket, (usually comes with the new motor), or make a gasket with high temp silicone. Once installed, a good technician will test the system for proper operation to make sure there are no other issues with the furnace.
So, just to recap, inducer motors pull the flame through the heat exchanger and vent the exhaust through the roof. In order to determine failure of an inducer motor, we need to verify the proper voltage is being sent to it. If the motor has proper voltage, the capacitor tests good, and is not turning on, the motor is bad. If it’s making a lot of noise, the homeowner should know the part is working but is on borrowed time.
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0:00 Intro
0:40 Disclaimer
1:23 Sequence of events
2:00 The inducer motor
3:00 How to troubleshoot the inducer motor
5:16 What to do next
6:25 Final steps
8:26 Recap
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→ Disclaimer
Portions of stock footage of products was gathered from multiple sources including, manufactures, fellow creators and various other sources. HousecallPro compensates Fox Family should you like what you see in your free demo and sign up with them for 30 days. 
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Hey guys, today I wanted to expand on our recent gas furnace troubleshooting series. “The Easy Guide to Diagnosing a Bad Furnace Inducer Motor” will fill you in on what the inducer motor does, why it’s important, the most common of ways I’ve found inducer motors fail, and how to let the customer know what you’ve found.
Putting off a code 113
Awesome content right there. I work for a school that has old furnaces and mud dobbers built a nest in the inducer. I have zero Hvac experience and your video just shined a bright light o the world of furnaces for me. Thanks.
Your videos were a great help as our temps hit single digits coming this week any my furnace quit on a Saturday. You helped me narrow it down to my pressure inducer switch. A few taps and the switch started working again. Now I just need to find a new one on Monday. Thanks.
Beautifully done video. I loved both the technical information, photos of parts and heat exchanger, and the advice on customer interaction. Well done. Thanks!
thanks for the video! diesel mechanic here. now i know a bit more about HVAC
This is not an instructional video, but more a training video for this company's techs.
This is awesome! I've got an old furnace and this is exactly the info I needed to troubleshoot what is going on. Thanks!!
GRACIAS 🙏 for the video!!! god bless you with more Knowledge !!! Thank you for sharing
Cadaver...is your dame really Cadaver? What does that translate to in Español? Because in Ingles, a cadaver is a dead body
Thank you for the great advice will be ordering one and installing it, great company name
Good job, Fox and family great communication skills. You will have a customer for life.
Just as stated in your video, most inducer fans are not serviceable so there's no point wasting my time troubleshooting a dead horse. Saved me a ton of time. In mine I just replaced the fan and all is good. TY
Mine is making noise when I start an engine, but after some time it will stop, is it a sign that I must take it for repair
..very good, prudent in steps!
Fantastic explanation
Great video thank you for sharing your knowledge
My pleasure!
Interesting Video; Thanks a lot from France!
Ecellent video with rapid, concise and understandable explanations! 👍
Your videos are gold!
Thank you & keep uploading more videos, please.
Yes! I frequently find myself informing my customer that this repair "might happen in multiple stages" meaning that I cannot guarantee that there will not be other expenses, until after I install such-&-such part so that I can get the system up & running to evaluate it's over-all performance.
If I have noticed that the customer is religious, I tell them to "pray that the bleeding stops with just the need for that part repair" that I just quoted them.
& yes, there are people out there that tell me that they understand this, but after informing them that new information has come to light, & today's service repair requires additional costs....some people still come unglued.
BUT, that's when I nicely remind them that THAT could be the case after getting the system up & running; that additional costs are needed for a repair that entails multiple stages.
It's not fixed, unless you have resolved ALL issues....& that is what every customer expects from me as a tech. So I remind them of that.
I have yet to have a customer say, "Don't fix all the issues. I don't want it fixed. I'll just pay you to fix one issue."
A customer will be upset, but in the end, they really want a thorough tech that finds & resolves ALL issues, so that they are not paying for several diagnostics.
I also point this out to customer's & explain to them by only paying 1 diagnostic, they are saving potentially hundreds of dollars.
"Which is cheaper?....several diagnostics?.....or just one?"
"I am saving you grief & headache by finding EVERY issue on today's service call."
(You should be thanking me, rather than ranting on me!)
Every tech out there knows what I'm talking about.
Awesome stuff Adam. Yes this is what we face out there. It can be very uncomfortable sometimes for them, but as we say a lot here. It is what is. 🤷
@@foxfamilyheatingandaircond4696 You got a fan in Corpus Christi, Texas. Thanks for the videos, I watch them & they help me as a tech.
Awesome video!!!!!!!
Great video
Gracias my friend already buy inducer motor for my furnace I try to fix by myself
I have a Carrier high efficiency propane furnace. Flames at the burner were orangey and dancing a lot. Tech replaced primary & secondary HEX. Flames *still* orangey and dancing a lot! And now from time to time there is a little water apparently leaking out of the collector box. Tech now says to replace variable speed inducer for about $1K. It seems to spin fine, however. Should I believe him? Can an inducer cause problems EVEN IF it seems to have plenty of power and it doesn't make any weird noises? Most of the utube videos on inducers talk only about obvious problems like not spinning or too noisy or hot to the touch. Could my inducer be causing bad flames or leaking condensate even if it appears to be fine?
I’ve tested with my multimeter and have 120 volts at the harness that plugs into the motor housing, but it’s not running. What would cause my inducer not to come on? When I first turn the furnace power on, I can hear a slight humming, but sounds like the motor isn’t running. This is a Bryant furnace. Also got a status code of 4 fast flashes and 2 slow flashes from the board, when the dip switch was set to status code retrieval, which as far as I can tell points to the inducer.
I replaced my inducer motor and blower wheel because of bearing noise. Got them separately on Amazon. Now I got a lot of orange flame. Flame looks like crap. It was nice and blue before. Also seems like the flames are not being pulled/stretch enough inside the exchanger because the flames are not a narrow as before.
Maybe didn't adjust the fan blade on the motor shaft far enough out?
Maybe the new cheap Amazon blower wheel sucks?
I got a nanometer, but haven't checked the vacuum on the inducer yet. Not sure if the manual has a spec or not.
Why does my HVAC burners shutdown during high winds from a certain direction? I think the winds are increasing the pressure in the vent pipe causing an error that is 6 short flashes then 1 long flash on the heartbeat light. If I shut the system off and then back on after a few seconds it will run fine, till the next high ends again.
How to know if their is no power getting to the furnace!! Great videos.
You would need a voltage meter to be able to tell. Thanks!
@@foxfamilyheatingandaircond4696 I will give it a try
I have an old 1980ish Rudd furnace hat doesn't have a circuit board.
It only has relays. One 24V transformer for the thermostat circuit, one 110 volt relay for the Inducer motor and one relay for the blower motor.
My inducer motor has quit getting 110 V from the relay.
My blower comes on immediately the instant that the thermostat is set to call for heat.
It does shut off once the thermostat is satisfied but will run indefinitely if the inducer motor has shut the gas off to the furnace before the thermostat is satisfied.
My inducer motor is making a vibrating noise upon startup. When I press firmly on the motor then the noise goes away. Is there a quick fix for that? Maybe some love taps on the motor?!
Will the inducer motor run if the pressure switch is bad?
What if it works and drops out mid operation? You didn't even busy out the manometer yet?
If my inducer motor capacitor is rated at 3 micro farads but is reading 2.6, could it stop inducer motor from running?
Replaced the inducer motor 2 day ago it went out again. Is it a bad factory motor or something else is causing it to go out?
Hi, power surge while furnace was running at peak in January in Alberta so...cold!!! ( Comfortmaker Model G9MAE1002122A) caused inducer motor fault. I reset at fuse box and rebooted with panel switch 5 or 6 times and inducer kicked in and ran as normal (no unusual sounds) Furnace ran great. Skip to roughly April (warming up, still cool) I was away from home for a week came home and clocks were flashing, so another power surge! Furnace is shut off...inducer motor fault again, have tried the reset routine....well a lot more than 5 or 6 times! and no luck, any ideas? Thank you in advance!!!
I seem to be having an issue with a loose connection on my has valve ,if i push in and up on the plug the gas valve will open all day ,everyday .Can the plug connection be replaced on the gas valve .All the furnace techs that have come out want to sell me a new furnace.Our furnace is a Lennox brand and came new with our new house which is 15yrs old now .
Thank you for this information! My American standard Gold (two stage) furnace (installed 5 years ago)has a Inducer motor making loud noises. The
Repair (installer) has notified me the inducer motor is back ordered and unavailable for only god knows when. He will notify me when the item ships and will schedule the repair when he has the item. So far it’s taken a few months (so far). Waiting patiently but this is winter in New Hampshire and it has been very cold. Hoping the motor lasts through the rest of the winter! Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks
Oh man. that's rough. You guys have had some cold temps this summer. What about Trane? Have you tried them for the part?
Please do a video explaining about the orifice that fits on the inducer motor assembly where the inducer motor goes to the condensate plate. On my furnace, there were no other symptoms except the darn limit switch kept tripping. When I go to replace the inducer motor, the new one came with two different size orifices that you are to clip in the opening upon installation. Well, I looked at the old inducer motor and there was NOTHING there. So I just assumed that these orifaces weren't needed. I finished installing the inducer motor without putting one of the extra orifices in it. Limit switch still tripping! I'm too frustrated to mess with it so I just have a space heater by the thermostat to keep the furnace from tripping. Im a very busy mom with three kids 9, 5, and 2. So getting back to the furnace took a few days. Tonight I went and looked to see what BTUH my furnace is and sure enough, it's a 60,000 BTUH and the smaller opening orifice is the one that I should have installed. So I take it off and put the correct size orifice in and put it back together. Praying it works, and it did! Now, someone tell me what happened to the old orifice??? There was no trace of it! It disappeared and I had no experience to know any better. I just thought it should look the same way the old one looked. Now I know! And hopefully I won't have anymore limit switch tripping for a while!!!
I would really recommend just changing the limit switch as well. I'm a technician and I know they just get weaker and weaker when they trip.
nice video. for me it's the black wheel that often makes a scratching noise when the furnace comes on for the first 3 minutes and it wont' scratch the entire 3 minutes, just intermittently. after that, there's no noise.
Were a throw away society....
That needs to change...
Easy to tell when they go bad, pressure switches are easy to troubleshoot. Volt meter seeing 24v power travel through the switch and a manometer to verfiy its getting enough vacuum to close. Easy to test contacts and the diaphragm.
Basic knowledge of sequence of operation is a must. I always include a new pressure switch with any ventor motor replacment. Been burned only doing a ventor motor and then find the ps is bad or going bad.
This guy looks like a young Gene Hackman.
Getting no voltage to inducer motor. Occaisioal liw voltage will turn it
Hello Fox! My lennox furnace is inconsistently and sparatically not kicking on. I get pressure sensor errors which make me assume its the inducer because i already changed the sensor and the issue persists. I hear a little rattling type noises coming from what seems like the inducer.. but what is odd is sometimes it can run fine for days and then out of no where trigger over and over.. any advice? Thanks
Check the back of the control board. If any of the solder connections are cracked (behind the plastic plug in to the board)trace those two wires to the inducer and check the solder connection on the back. My point is if those little Volcanos are cracked then the connections are intermittently not send the signal to the board. Not saying that's it, but good to check first. Make sure you unplug the furnace 😅
My furnace always have the blower motor on first then the inducer motor + ignitor.
Wrong right out of the gate. The main board will check that the pressure switch is in the correct position before engaging the inducer motor. Then it will check for the proper change in the switch position after to prove that both the inducer and switch are functioning together. Some boards will check the switch after one cycle and then lockout if it thinks it's stuck or by-passed. This prevents a by-pass or tampering being left in a permanent state.
A lot of people fail to mention the self check of the pressure switch circuit as a step in the sequence. Also they fail to recognize that the heat safety circuit, limits, is under constant supervision. Lastly he mentions that the vent motor be checked for the correct voltage but neglects to mention that a good neutral is also essential.
these inducre motors are any easy fix and 60-175 ..for the motor only.with labor,ITS A ROBBERY..EASY DIY JOB!
So if the inducer motor is never kicking on, it could still be an issue with the pressure switch right? My manual indictes an issue with the pressure switch or venter. Hoping the pressure switch is bad or has some clogging nearby, but got a little confused since the inducer motor won't kick on at all. 25+ year old well-maintained Goodman.
Should the inducer motor continue running when the main blower comes on, or should it stop at that point?
Stay on
Mine was whining but stopped?
Oh no , my furnace quit !! It’s -15C
What to do as this modern unit I have no idea.
I see the videos.
I make some basic checks. It hums but no fan turning.
Maybe it’s stuck ?
I assist the fan motor and it spins after lightly breaking free of something holding it ?
I power the unit and it turns on inducer motor and I hear it rubbing the housing . I only grabbed the housing with light pressure and the u it became as quiet as a mouse again . Why did this happen to the unit ? It’s 5 years old . How did gravity make that housing rub ? It’s inside the furnace housing covered and very little dust after 5 years.
Any way it’s all working fine again thank goodness. I gave myself a lesson on modern systems , bonus. Before my home reno the original heating system was from 1948. Gravity with an added blower system that worked fine until this new high efficient system put in
With 3 flashes to help me start off troubleshooting lol
I changed the control board and the inducer motor now runs counter clockwise.
I was trying to order the base plate to which the inducer motor housing is secured. Since I couldn't figure out the name or part number of the product I was unable to order. It is the part from which the pressure switch orifice protrudes. Any help is appreciated.
I think you mean the flue box cover if it’s a package unit.
$600.00 to replace a Gas Value? Value Cost depending on the unit between $60 and $200 what’s your labor rate per hour?
I have a carrier furnace with inducer with an AO Smith motor. The inducer makes a whining noise for about 2-3 seconds when the furnace starts up and after that there are no abnormal sounds coming from it. Any thoughts on my problem. Thanks for the video information.
Same here, what did you find out?
@@jeffbudzisz160 it turned out to be a bad bearing in the fan motor which I found out after replacing the inducer. So I got both new.
Bingo!!!! You hit mine fight on the nose.
My brand new furnace makes a horrible whine noise..I have troubleshoot this to the inducer motor...I have contacted the installer..so who knows...
I have noticed that our TRANE XV90 inducer fan runs for a while after the furnace reaches the temperature that is on the thermostat. Sometimes for 15 minutes or more.
When I shutdown the furnace; either by the master switch or the thermostat and then turn it back on, the inducer fan is quiet.
This is not the main air flow fan directed into the house, but the smaller fan connected internally to the furnace - the inducer fan.
This fan & its smaller squirrel cage appears to draw combustion air from the furnace and exhaust it out of the house via the PVC pipe installed. This fan is a PSC unit as it does not have a square variable speed unit - it is simply a cylindrical motor mounted to this small squirrel cage - I think it is a two-speed unit though.
Any thoughts as to why this inducer motor would run on for so long after the furnace reaches the temperature set on the thermostat? Thanks in advance!
15 minutes is a long time. If that is true though something could be sticking on the board. Is it the same amount of time every time?
@@foxfamilyheatingandaircond4696 Thanks for getting back to me. I am not sure as I usually turn it off via the thermostat and then back on. When I do this it does not come back on.
If there is something "sticking on the board" as you list, I am concerned. Both operationally and financially.
When the thermostat calls for heat, my unit works just fine. But when running a/c the induction fan just keeps cycling on and off, (but spinning slower than when running heat). Gas never turn on during the cycling and the igniter never glows. What do I need to check first? Thermostat voltage?
Failed control board? I have lost one each with two Hi-E furnaces. I want my old fashioned furnace back but they took it away and I let them do it; stupid me!
Can I just buy the motor instead of the whole assembly?
I have a jakel 119394-00 or icp1172823 inducer assembly and need just the motor
I see several motors on the internet but don't know just the motor number. Thank You
Yes hoping you are able to find that motor online. Sometimes it can be difficult
Ok...fire burns...got it!
my funace quit altogether. the LED is showing no faults. i put 120 to inducer and it runs fine. get 24 volts from the thermostat. when i turn up the thermostat I can hear a 'click', what i assume is a relay for the inducer motor, but nothing happens. Furnace is one year old. Bad relay you think?
If you're reading 120 leaving the board then bad motor, if not leaving the board from the inducer terminals then bad board. Check with an amp clamp too. Like you said when you jump it, it works so I'm thinking something upstream of the motor. If there are any safeties tripped. Ie pressure switch stuck open, open high limit, etc that could prevent voltage getting to inducer as well. Good luck! 😊
Will the furnace kick on and work if the inducer motor is not operating?
No it shouldn't. The inducer is a safety feature that gets rid of the spent gasses of the furnace. No inducer, no pressure switch activates, no gas valve etc.
@@foxfamilyheatingandaircond4696 I didn't think so. We just moved into this house not long ago and our old house you could hear the motor. In this house I had to look in there to make sure it is working...It is spinning, but quiet compared to our last home. Thanks for the reply.
I just had a furnace guy out here to clean/service my furnace. My furnace gas had a rattle sound, and he said it is the inducer. The inducer was hot and when he turned it, it sounded like a skateboard wheel. He said that since my furnace is 16yrs old, he told me to start thinking about another furnace rather than replacing the inducer. Is that the only sensible choice?
Typically, heat exchanger(s) are the most expensive component to replace on a gas furnace. Blower or inducer motors are servicable parts and pretty economical in comparison to a new system. Replace the inducer motor now and start planning for a new system in future. Get minimum three quotes and try compare similar systems.
Could be inducer motor bearings or blower wheel going bad. Typically not servicable and require inducer motor replacement. Does not mean need new gas furnace and requires total gas furnace replacement.
No do not replace furnace.
We also need to communicate to the customer that they need to head out to Home Depot and purchase several space heaters since it will take a week to complete the repair, and if you don't, your pipes will burst and you might freeze to death.
More info like this, while I wont pretend to be a repair man, at least with this info a person can troubleshoot some before calling a tech, and then know what they are talking about when they explain issues
I agree. Thanks and I'm glad you like it
Zero trouble shooting in this video
Waiting 5 to 7 days to supply a new draft inducer will not work here in the north. It must be installed quickly or the plumbing will burst when the water freezes when the outside temp is 10 below. It's not IF but WHEN a draft inducer fails. A homeowner in the northern US should keep one on hand. Ebay has mine for about half the price that the furnace people charged me. I wish that I had never had a High-E furnace installed . We are on our second one; the first lasted only 10 years and the draft inducer on both funaces failed. The old-fashioned furnace lasted for 30 years and was still working when it was replaced. We have likely spent as much or more money for High-E furnace installation, parts and repairs than I would have spent for extra gas for the old furnace.
Why did you replace it ?
@@jesuscastillo1083 Bearings got noisy; did not want to wait until failure. This has happened twice now.
You'r a professional and your going to tell customer 5 to 7 days for a part meanwhile they have no heat. ? Truly a BS video
@@jesuscastillo1083 Heat exchanger on the first Hi-E furnace burned/corroded to make a large hole.
Can't believe you had to explain how to provide quote to a customer:)
Start winding on inducer motor (;
"4 most common problems": The worst problem is these sealed "lubed for life" ball bearings in these motors like the Amana ones. Would it kill them to just add an oil port so that some oil can be added once in a while? The planned obsolescence is just blatant on these designs. They don't even try to disguise it anymore.
Very good point
Do I need to lubricate the wheel barerrings, it was not making noise the first 9 months a new one installed,
Not its a lil noisy,
Lubricate will make it non noisy? Thanks for reading
Man im cold as hek and my furnace is😮😮 not working i already tried a few tips. Nothing seems to work but again im not a professional so i dont do more than i should. And im broke right now Fml.
Guess I’lljust have to deal w it.
I replaced it 12 months ago,
A new one, and wheel already making noise again
Ugggh. That's frustrating 🤔
REPLACE INDUCER MOTOR 2 YR AGO STILL TURNS SMOOTH NO NOISE. NO POWER GETTING TO MOTOR
Did you figure this out? Check power source, check the connection, check control board solder joints.
Does the inducer motor stay on while the heater is running
Yes it does. In order to keep drawing those gasses out of the heat exchanger
@@foxfamilyheatingandaircond4696 ok tks went to start my heater and it took a min to start spinning, heater fired up, checked on it after a few mins and it was not turning, heater was starting to melt the wire for the igniter
@@foxfamilyheatingandaircond4696 tks for the fast answer it's cold and no heat lol
Good videos, but all you have to do to work on it is turn it off on the circuit box. Definitely not that dangerous. Plus 50 bucks for a new motor is way better than 50 bucks for a new motor plus 150 bucks for somebody to come replace it.
He has to cite what he did for legal reasons some people are not careful.
$50? I'd like to know where. Around $335 for an inducer motor, part and gasket only. You can get them from distributors selling on Amazon if need be.
@@madcowusa4277 it’s a hypothetical price. My point is it’s cheaper to do it yourself
Or there's a bird in the motor
I must be a professional then because I can fix that except for that stupid computer but give me some more diagnostic tools and I'll figure it out I got a wire running to my bedroom right now to fool that pancake switch into thinking it's getting vaccine until I get it fixed properly, I know electronics I know physics and I know electricity and I know relays capacitors limit switches thermal switches if you just got to know which ones do what when
too much mug shots
Charges $600 dollars to replace a 50 dollar gas control valve? No thanks I'll just watch RUclips and learn how to replace it myself. You guys are crooks.
The guys that made and gave you the video content that allowed you to save $600 are crooks?
@@hatethetube46 OK, but I guess you can charge whatever you want when the heat shuts down and it's really cold outside. I had one guy come out and charge me $250 and all he did was clean my flame sensor so the furnace would work again. So that why I want to learn what to do and fix it myself. The ignitor wouldn't be hard to replace if that goes bad either.
@@crand20033 Hey I fully agree. I just taught myself how my furnace works on RUclips and fixed it for free, saving unknown hundreds of dollars.
I’d like to extend a huge than you to Greg Fox and company for this video and the “diagnosing furnace pressure switch” video. Both helped me through my project.
@@hatethetube46 Yes and you might have to replace your Inducer Motor too if that starts making noise. It's fairly easy to do.
My inducer motor isn't coming on until the flame lights, and both immediately shut down because of open pressure switch. I've replaced the board, pressure, inducer motor and flame sensor. Any idea?