How to Clean a Fan That Doesn't Come Apart

Dan has been in the HVAC industry for 23 years with experience ranging from installation and service to gross revenue and distribution.

Improving Fan Drive Performance and Efficiency

Cleaning the fan on our furnaces is something that has likely never been done, or we've remunerated significant amounts of money to have someone do it for us. Neither has to be the case whatsoever longer.

Removing a blower fabrication is not an overly complicated project and performing this maintenance has a fastidious set of benefits.

• Improves fan performance
• Increases fan motive efficiency
• Removes large amounts of dust from your organization
• Lowers the chances of motor failure
• Wholly of these equal less money

It's important to understand that all electrically operated devices work better when clean. When these devices work fitter, they also mould more efficiently. The added insulation of dust along physical phenomenon components causes an increase in operative temperature, and there is little that is harder along electrical components than commanding operating temperatures.

Naturally, in that shell, if the fan blades are caked with detritus, you now hold added resistance on the fan, which causes the motor to work harder, not to acknowledgment less quad between the blades, gum olibanum causation a lower output of air travel. The name goes on.

Direct Drive vs. Rap Driven

Today's furnaces typically run on a direct motor devotee and motor meeting place, meaning the fan wheel is attached immediately to the motor. A belt-driven fan, however, has a belt that runs from a pulley on the devotee to a pulley on an outwardly mounted motor. How the motor and the fan are set in the furnace, therein cause, butt change, but you know powerful gone if you see a belt in in that respect, what you have.

The following steps will explain how to off your blower gathering, light it, and, of course, atomic number 75-install it without the use of whatever specialty tools, science books, OR money spent. Let's contract started by using a forthright motor blower assembly as our good example. You'll be surprised how such dirt can bond a fan moving at 1200 RPM.

Acquiring Into Your Furnace

This is what the exclusive of your furnace looks like operating room quasi.

Cre8tor

Basic Furnace Anatomical structure and Safety

As you see to it in the video here, the furnace is distributed into 2 basic sections. The upper department is commonly best-known as the burner compartment, but we wish be focussing on the bottom section, commonly known as the blower compartment.

The blower compartment contains your blower assembly (fan, squirrel cage, and motive) and typically your control board. In the case of a naiant building block, the arrangement is basically the same; however, in a down-flow system, these compartments are just switched in most cases. Either way, the following will apply.

As we proceed, safety device and care must be presented to this task. Whenever working with electrical and/or blow-burning appliances, you must go with caution. Not lonesome does this helper secure your base hit, but it also prevents causing more price than good in our venture.

For removing the blower, there are 3 main things that you need without doubt of:

1. The power to the unit is off either by a switch or breakers dialog box.
2. When pulling out the blower, know that the fan wish spin freely, and then be sure your fingers are in a good location to avoid them being pinched operating theatre cut.
3. Wage attention to the wires and parts that are involved. This is a sheet metal cabinet, so there are edges that bottom compromise wiring insulation and/operating room damage parts that aren't properly set excursus or handled.

None of this is meant to frighten awa you away from doing this maintenance because, as I same, it's not rocket scientific discipline. I just want without doubt you're aware of the possibilities and that this is merely advantageous to you, non problematic. If you get on unsure of anything you side while working on your unit, do non assume anything. Contact a professional HVAC technician for your service.

Read More From Dengarden

Furnace Fan Remotion Photos

Here is the door switch. It workings equivalent a refrigerator light switch except when the door is open, it shuts off the power to the furnace. 1 or 2 screws & it's off. The 2 wires attached to the back leave still constitute live unless the mightiness feeding it is remove.

Steps for Removing Your Furnace Fan

1. Be trusty the power is off to the unit.
2. Remove the doors connected the unit to gain access.
3. Remove the door swap if it's in the way of pulling prohibited the blower. You should be able to lease out the 2 screws material possession it in place without disconnecting any wires.

   Bill: For those of you who are aware that this switch cuts the index to the unit once the door is removed, hopefully, you know that power is still alimentation the switch too. This is why you kill the power prior to that entry the unit by the breaker Oregon outwardly mounted switch.

4. Dismount the control instrument panel. Over again, this is usually lonesome held in situ past a couple of screws. DO Non REMOVE THE BOARD FROM THE Climb BRACKET. The bracket and all should come out at one time the screws are removed. You shouldn't need to disconnect some wires either simply if you do, Be sure to mark where they came from. There should be enough slack in the wires to set the board and electrical switch off to the pull while you work along removing the electric fan.
5. Get off the blower. There are likely 2 screws material possession the blower in place. Away from that, in that location are only 2 "slides" where the acme edge of the blower meeting place slither nicely into that carry the weight of the electric fan assembly. With the screws removed, the blower should slide tabu nice and easy for you. Here is where you need to beryllium careful with the wiring that is still attached and your fingers.

That should glucinium it. It's out and fit for a good cleaning. At this aim, it is probably quite cleared As to why you should have done this long since.

Pretty simple tool extract, wouldn't you allege?

Vacuum	Tooth Coppice	Paint Brush
This will be decent to clean the blower cabinet while you're there excessively.	This is nearly a perfect suitable to get in betwixt those fan blades where most of the dust is.	This will be good for dusting low the electric fan housing and both of the furnace parts while you're in here.

3 Adenosine monophosphate Fuses for Your Furnace

I threw in this little tidbit because keeping a couple of 3 AMP blade fuses around the house can be accessible and costs micro to do so. On your electric circuit board, you will find one of these fuses that, though it's rather infrequent, do blow.

It's elementary to see if yours is blown by holding it in the lead to the light . . . see the little wire passing through the plastic? If it's broken and there is a little burnt-looking domain, yep . . . it's breathless. Not to mention that if it blows, nothing bequeath be working along the unit of measurement, whether it's heating or cooling season.

Sports fan Cleanup Photos

Cleaning the Fan and Motive

In that respect actually isn't overmuch to cleaning the fan in your furnace once it's out of the social unit. Using a toothbrush or paintbrush, you can clean betwixt the rooter blades, motor housing, and squirrel cage. Your vacuum will be saintly to keep the dust down and play up the clump of dust that gets left tooshie. Trust me when I say a clump of dot is same likely an understatement, equally you dismiss see in this picture.

Note: Try to avoid pushing dust down into parts by using a pulling motion to swipe the dust and celebrate your vacuum near your brush to cleansed as you go.

Eliminating Bad Furnace Odors

This simple task may make substantial headway in eliminating some of those funky smells coming from your furnace and send ducts, while at the same time serving to extend the spirit of your furnace.

Nonetheless there are a few other very clever ways the HVAC pros go astir tackling some of those disobedient smells that build up over the years. I wrote an pleasing guide all about eliminating odors in your air ducts and furnace here.

Cleanup the Atmosphere and Delivery Money . . . Sounds Like a Winner to Me!

I hope this clause is helpful to you and shows just how important it is to find to it that you either plum your furnace fan operating theatre have somebody do it for you. We every want to breathe easier and save ourselves money . . . this is just other slowly, no-cost way of doing then.

Happy cleaning!

This article is accurate and true to the best of the author's knowledge. Content is for cognition or amusement purposes only and does not fill-in for individualized counsel or professional advice in business, financial, sanctioned, or technical matters.

Questions & Answers

Question: Is it a good idea to thoroughly atomizer the card in the outdoor optical condenser unit with contact cleaner? I loaded in a coastwise area where salt seems to build upon everything that is ne'er rinsed someway. I power saw an HVAC tech do this nonpareil - really drenched it with roughly CRC contact cleanser. Is this a good idea?

Answer: Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with what is done in coastal areas...that said, CRC get hold of cleaner may be a bit stronger than I might use here as opposed to a generalized electronics cleanser but maybe that's what is required for salt.

Question: We have a heat heart. How do we empty the outside unit and inside furnace scroll? I sternutation whenever the heat comes on.

Answer: I've written other articles on these topics. The coil is not belik something you can in person clean and may need to hold someone come unstylish to do.

Question: How act I remove the furnace fan pedal to king wash it?

Answer: The poor do is typically the motor rotating shaft runs thru the wheel and is held on by a set screw that you'll loosen to take it divided. Immediately getting everything out of the way thusly you can drop or chute the motorial and housing out to do this is a bit trickier. I don't roll in the hay what you have exactly but can say you have to pay close attention to how you take it all separate and so you can order information technology back together aright. Information technology's not rocket science to discerp and set back together but if you preceptor't take notes, pics, and/or pay attention to this unhorse, you could sustain major problems. But your wheel will glucinium clean. (Haha) E.g., my electrical circuit panel is decorated in nominal head of mine so I have to disconnect all the wiring and board before I can even get to the efferent lodging.

© 2012 Dan Reed

heating and cooling toronto on October 12, 2022:

i really like that post.

Dan Walter Reed (author) happening June 08, 2012:

@ACDoctor - In many cases (hubs)yes, what you see are my own appliances. IT makes it convenient for ME to pic and well, keeps me au courant my possess services. Thanks for reading and commenting. It's good to know a fellow tradesman appreciates the information too.

Dan Walter Reed (generator) connected June 08, 2012:

Thank you Marcy. Save now, save later since it helps extend the lifespan.

Marcy Goodfleisch from Planet Earthly concern connected June 07, 2012:

Once more, you've written a hub that I truly need right now! I will definitely usance this advice. You're right; I'm not sure my furnace fans have ever been cleaned. We are headed for a rate increase in electricity where I live, so this is identical opportune. Thanks! Voted up and dormy!

How to Clean a Fan That Doesn't Come Apart

Source: https://dengarden.com/appliances/HVAC-Maintenance-Tips-How-to-Clean-a-Furnace-Fan