Came home to a cold house the other day

Daox · 04-18-19, 11:45 AM

This past weekend, we got home from church and the house was 66F. I checked the thermostat, and it was set to 70F like it should be. So, I knew something was amiss. I went downstairs and looked at the furnace to see what was going on. I started by opening it up and resetting the power to it. It cycled on and started doing its startup procedure. I heard the inducer fan start buzzing, but it wouldn't spin up. So, I smacked it with my hand. It started spinning up, but I could hear a rubbing / scraping noise from it. I let it finish the heating cycle to get the house up to temperature, and then I started taking it apart.

This is what I started with. My furnace was installed in the early 90s. I'm quite happy its still kicking.

Next up, I removed the inducer fan. No problems yet, no bits of fan loose in the housing (I've seen that before). I did notice that as I move the fan around, it would scrape, then stop scraping depending on the orientation of the fan.

So, I took apart the fan housing. I found scrape marks, and some discoloration in the plastic where it had gotten quite warm. But, nothing seemed broken.

Here is the other half of the housing. Same thing here, but the discoloration is much more noticeable.

So, I removed the fan from the motor shaft and looked at it. The back side of the fan was completely fine. Nothing on the fan was broken at all. Besides the scrape marks, it was good. So, I put it back on the motor shaft. I pushed it all the way on and noticed it went on a decent amount farther than where it was when I took it apart... Taa daa, found the problem.

I guess after 25-30 years, the fan blade just slowly worked its way down the motor shaft.

I reassembled the whole thing and fired it up. No noises or scraping, yay! I love simple fixes.

NiHaoMike · 04-18-19, 06:51 PM

Add a drop of threadlock glue to stop it from coming out again.

Daox · 04-19-19, 01:13 PM

Good idea. If it starts rubbing again that'll be my go to.

pinballlooking · 04-19-19, 01:47 PM

It is nice to get a quick fix. It does not happen enough.
Glad it was something to was a cheap fix.

WyrTwister · 05-17-19, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NiHaoMike

Add a drop of threadlock glue to stop it from coming out again.

Exactly what I was thinking . Or JB Weld .

Wyr
God bless

rvCharlie · 05-18-19, 12:14 AM

Just a heads up, some threadlockers don't play nice with some plastics (plexiglass, for sure, possibly others)

04-18-19, 11:45 AM	#1
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Came home to a cold house the other day This past weekend, we got home from church and the house was 66F. I checked the thermostat, and it was set to 70F like it should be. So, I knew something was amiss. I went downstairs and looked at the furnace to see what was going on. I started by opening it up and resetting the power to it. It cycled on and started doing its startup procedure. I heard the inducer fan start buzzing, but it wouldn't spin up. So, I smacked it with my hand. It started spinning up, but I could hear a rubbing / scraping noise from it. I let it finish the heating cycle to get the house up to temperature, and then I started taking it apart. This is what I started with. My furnace was installed in the early 90s. I'm quite happy its still kicking. Next up, I removed the inducer fan. No problems yet, no bits of fan loose in the housing (I've seen that before). I did notice that as I move the fan around, it would scrape, then stop scraping depending on the orientation of the fan. So, I took apart the fan housing. I found scrape marks, and some discoloration in the plastic where it had gotten quite warm. But, nothing seemed broken. Here is the other half of the housing. Same thing here, but the discoloration is much more noticeable. So, I removed the fan from the motor shaft and looked at it. The back side of the fan was completely fine. Nothing on the fan was broken at all. Besides the scrape marks, it was good. So, I put it back on the motor shaft. I pushed it all the way on and noticed it went on a decent amount farther than where it was when I took it apart... Taa daa, found the problem. I guess after 25-30 years, the fan blade just slowly worked its way down the motor shaft. I reassembled the whole thing and fired it up. No noises or scraping, yay! I love simple fixes. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

04-18-19, 06:51 PM	#2
NiHaoMike Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 1,154 Thanks: 14 Thanked 257 Times in 241 Posts	Add a drop of threadlock glue to stop it from coming out again. __________________ To my surprise, shortly after Naomi Wu gave me a bit of fame for making good use of solar power, Allie Moore got really jealous of her...

04-19-19, 01:13 PM	#3
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Good idea. If it starts rubbing again that'll be my go to. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

04-19-19, 01:47 PM	#4
pinballlooking Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SC Posts: 2,923 Thanks: 172 Thanked 564 Times in 463 Posts	It is nice to get a quick fix. It does not happen enough. Glad it was something to was a cheap fix. __________________ Current project Aquaponics system , Passive Solar Greenhouse build To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Solar Install 12.5 Kwh- To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Mini Split installs - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. EV Chevy Volt - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

05-18-19, 12:14 AM	#6
rvCharlie Lurking Renovator Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: central MS Posts: 23 Thanks: 2 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Just a heads up, some threadlockers don't play nice with some plastics (plexiglass, for sure, possibly others)