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QUESTION:My 7 year old Goodman Furnace had it's 2nd blower motor fail the other
night.
Tech said there may be a cracked heat exchanger and that would cost
around $3K to fix. A new furnace would cost $3.2K. A new Carrier MVP
furnace would cost $5K.
They put a used blower/motor subassembly to get me by, and I have to
decide what to do in the next few days.
Tech recommended the MVP, if the cracked heat exchanger was caused by
poor return volume, the variable speed motor could pick up any slack in
that area. It would also work nicely with my two speed Carrier A/C and
Heat pump that was installed in 1999.
I'm leaning toward the MVP, but was wondering if the $5K is reasonable.
I called another company for a quote, but things are crazy with this
arctic blast in the NorthEast and I haven't heard back.
ANSWER: First You have a 7 year old Goodman furnace with a second failed blower
motor on it in 7 years. There is three things that makes a blower motor go
out. 1) having a Defective motor and or defective capasitor. 2) Having the
wrong Horse power / R.P.M.'s on the motor installed and it over loading. 3)
It is installed wrong, wired wrong, Wrong Motor for the application, Having
a Magni-tech motor on it, or The Tech smells a Sale. Now you stated it was a
goodman but did not state the model number of the furnace. Now a lot of
Goodman furnaces have 10 year all parts warrenty if it is a 90% AFUE model.
The 80% AFUE models have 5 years all parts. Post the model number and i will
tell you if the blower motor or any part is free of charge from goodman on
your furnace. Let me know what the model number is and it will be on the
left or right side insde the burner housing or on any paperwork you have
with it like the warrenty sheet which will state the model number on it. Now
changing out a blower motor with a better motor than Goodman puts on is not
a major operation or a big cost event and can be done in about MAX. 2 hours.
The Tech could not or will not pull out of his truck a universial blower
motor and a Fasco FM-55 motor band Kit and just fix it. This just Trips my
Bull meter.
Second You having a blower motor go out on a goodman furnace and the tech
puts a second hand blower assembly on it and starts to selling you on the
ideal of spending $3K to $5K new furnace and also suggest you MAY have a
cracked heat exchanger , You MAY have a too restrictive duct system, You MAY
have a cracked Heat exchanger causing the blower motor to go out, and It MAY
blow up 1 week from now. With all the MAY'S and he can't tell you exactly
what is wrong with it and not use the word MAY, He wants to just sel you a
new furnace. This is Tripping my bull meter.
Third The Tech MAY want to sell you a new heat exchanger for the goodman
furnace for around $3K and the Heat exchanger is still UNDER WARRENTY from
goodman and he can get it for free if he would ask for one from goodman. The
Labor charges is going to be $3,000.00 for about 3 hours of labor. A
$1,000.00 a hour is a little high for my notion. I can do them in 2 hours
but i did allow 3 for other service people who maybe a little slower. This
is Tripping my Bull Meter.
Forth If you depend on a veriable speed blower motor to fix a too small of
ducting system. First it is going to run the veriable speed motor at 100%
all the time and You don't do that to Veriable speed motors and expect them
to last. You fix the duct work problem and then get veriable if you like to.
This Trips my Bull Meter.
Fifth You have a bad blower motor and now your buying a new furnace to fix
all these MAY Bes or things that MAY Be wrong with it but Nobody knows and
the tech has no ideal as to what the problem is other that he needs to get
the Bonus fee for selling a new furnace. If the Tech had a little piece of a
brain he could pull out his tape measurer and calculate the duct sizes and
tell you in about 20 minutes if the return or the discharge ducts was too
small or too big. With about another 20 minutes he could take time out from
selling you a new furnace to run some test on the heat exchanger and tell
you if it had a hole in it. If the Tech put you a second hand piece of a
junk blower assembley on your furnace and did not check the heat exchanger
for having a hole in it and left. You never leave a gas furnace running with
any dought of it having a hole in the heat exchanger and if so could kill
everybody in the house if it started emitting CO [ if it has a hole in it ]
you was talking to a salesman or a tech that does not care about your well
bing at all. If he can't take about 20 minutes of his time to see if
something is going to kill you or not tonite. You do not want this hand
working on your equipment.
Now with the above said and you do seem to see a problem.
Changing the heat exchanger for $3,000.00 is just too high.
Changing the furnace with a Regular Carrier furnace for $3,000.00 I don't
know.
Changing the Furnace out with a MVP Carrier model for $5,000.00 I don't
know.
I think i would go with the MVP Carrier veriable speed furnace.
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