The constant air turn over at a lower set point keeps the house comfortable. A description of how to change motor speeds with a multiple speed fan motor on an IFC controlled furnace.This video is part of the heating and cooling series of training videos made to accompany my websites: www.graycoolingman.com and www.grayfurnaceman.com to pass on what I have learned in many years of service and repair. Test your knowledge with our 1,000 question workbook along with the answer key! One of these wires will be coming from the thermostat and the other will go to the outside unit. Does that have any impact on the efficiency of the unit? Most of these are on the bottom left of the control board. If the Delta T continues to rise, this is due to low indoor airflow. A dirty air filter can cause your HVAC system to go into overdrive and result in costly energy bills. As a side note, lowering furnace (heating) blower speed should apparently only be done if it doesn't reduce the "heat rise" (difference in temperature between the intake and supply air, if I understand it, also known as the "delta T") past the manufacturer recommended value for that furnace. I understand that the higher speed is probably for cooling (for which we have a separate duct system and handler), but is it the case that the speed can be switched to a higher fan speed? Select Climate from the blue menu on the left side of the page. In fact, there's no need to worry about the fan wearing out or breaking down because it's designed to run continuously, and there's an array of benefits connected to this. Luci is a contributing writer for DoItYourself.com. In support of this: I found the mfr owner's manual for my furnace and in it, it states, "if you have an air-conditioning coil installed, you should switch the furnace blower speed to high to accommodate the decreased air-flow caused by the cooling coil in the plenum.". In this HVAC training article, we will be discussing how to adjust the fan speeds on an indoor ECM variable speed blower motor and an ECM constant torque/multi-speed blower motor. Craig is a licensed Teacher of HVACR, Sheet Metal, and Building Maintenance in the State of New Jersey of the USA. In the example of an ECM 3.0 with a 4 pin connector, the wires are not switched or moved to adjust the airflow settings. The noise of forced air is annoying. This X-13 model shown above designates the speeds taps as numbers, not as colors, to denote each speed. This is done so that the maximum amount of heat is gained in the building from the refrigerant. You have to switch the wires to the blower motor. bean. I'm also a little concerned that this furnace might be a little undersized for our house (if I understand correctly, its a 100 BTU unit). - The "Continuous Fan" refers to when the G terminal is powered for the fan only to run. He farmed commercial garden produce for several years. Does lowering the blower speed of a forced-air furnace lower its efficiency? There is no humidistat. in this thread in this sub-forum in the entire site. 81K views 2 years ago In this video, we are changing the blower speed on a Trane XR 95 furnace so that the forced air furnace circulates more air on heat mode. Fortunately, theres a simple fix if you look at your furnaces Integrated Furnace Control (IFC) board. 01 - Trane Furnace Control Board. (Trust me, the worst thing that happens to me on the job is having inconclusive results due to insufficient data collection during an expensive and time-intensive study.) There are two types of fan motors found in furnaces: 1.) Allow the filter to completely dry before returning it to the device. It allows three constant fan speeds as well as an automatic fan speed and a variable burn rate and compressor and fan speed. The installation guide clearly describes how to set airflow for heating mode and cooling mode. To start, ECM stands for Electronically Commutated Motor which means that the motor is capable of electronically controlling it's own speed, and therefore CFM, according to the desired output. These blower motor speeds are programmed at the manufacturer's factory for the specific equipment model number unit it is installed in. The product data guide, and label on the inside panel indicate the air . In order for the filter to work properly, the right size is crucial. It is important to know that you cant go by a normal color code to determine the speeds. A MERV 16 filters particles at a level near that or a HEPA. When the system calls for heat and the inducer fan begins to run, check each pressure switch terminal. Comfort R should be off if you are using . No problem with the boiler. Its time to clear the air. The boiler is feeding a DHW sidearm and furnace plenum HX. Why do many companies reject expired SSL certificates as bugs in bug bounties? He has several years experience as a professional cabinet builder, and he is an accomplished auto repairman, having operated an auto repair business for many years. Black: High; Yellow: Medium-high ; Blue or brown: Medium-low; Red: Low; Many gas-fired, high-efficiency furnaces also save on the electricity required to power the blower motor, though this savings is not factored into the AFUE rating. Roughly 400 CFM is needed for every 1 ton (12,000 BTU/HR) of Heat Removal Capacity in Air Conditioning Systems. This is a follow-up to our other article on "Adjusting the Furnace/AC Airflow Speed on a 120v PSC Blower Motor". rev2023.3.3.43278. Does Nest utilize all the benefits of a communicating furnace, Low speed furnace fan blower motor will not shut off, How to calculate efficiency of old Westinghouse furnace VS new variable speed Furnace. On the motor, only one of the 5 numbered taps has 24v power at a time based on the speed desired at the control board. Anyone? Each is associated with a different blower speed. Here's the sequence: Furnace gets call for heat. So How Do We Adjust Fan Speed? The MERV scale rates filters from 1 to 16. Using a filter that's too small or too large will allow debris particles to pass into the HVAC unit, potentially damaging or blocking the system. One of these wires will be coming from the thermostat and the other will go to the outside unit. He built every permanent building on his current homestead and did all the plumbing and electrical work. Heating, Cooling, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and T-Stat Controls, 3-Speed, 4-Wire Ceiling Fan Switch Wiring. Only 3 of the 5 colored wires may be used at a time. I've already had a few HVAC vendors give me some specious arguments about moisture buildup, another even told me he'd "lose his license" if he touched the job. I'll edit my answer and include the exact parameters I'd record every day for a thorough study. However, a higher MERV rating may not be best for your system. You will also see the red E icon under Emergency . Since hot air is much lighter . When you open the panel, it kills the power to the furnace. That said the contractor has no real incentive to get it right. That is incorrect. Connect the ohm meter to the pressure switch. Connect the common wire to the neutral terminal of the furnace's control board. The question is would the trade-off be in favor of less blower energy consumption and more loss through exhaust, or more blower energy consumption and less loss through exhaust. This BTU/HR capacity should be used to set the CFM for the indoor blower motor. Electric Furnace Sequencer Replacement Instructions for Home Repair Blower fan will not run: A failing sequencer may have a burnt contact and is unable to switch the fan and heating coils ON. Bundle Packs are a great way to save and get faster shipping! 3.5 x 400 = 1400 CFM. Trane is a top rated US company of HVAC systems that offer quality and reliability. The house has a 3 ton trane xl20i and an xv80 (4 ton max). Make sure power is off when doing any adjustment. Divide the rated Btu input by 10,000. Employment/Education Highlights Especially with a high efficiency furnace, however, it may be that the decreased electric bill saves enough to offset the "loss up the flue" not sure. We recommend our users to update the browser. If the ohm meter comes back with an open line reading, the switch is bad and needs replaced. I'm in the process of re-wiring my blower to run on high with the furnace. To ensure our content is always up-to-date with current information, best practices, and professional advice, articles are routinely reviewed by industry experts with years of hands-on experience. Here are common Trane AC repairs not listed in the guide and their repair cost for parts and labor: Leaking coil and refrigerant: $1,150-$1,750 Thermostatic expansion valve (TXV): $275-$450 Compressor and refrigerant (after ten years, typically): $1,150-$1,600 Failed solder connection on refrigerant lines and refrigerant: $875-$1,220 Remember that CFM stands for Cubic Feet Per Minute. To clean a reusable filter, remove the filter from the air cleaning device. Cross country truck driver -- over dimensional freight At night with an even lower set point I switch the fan speed to automatic. How to Convert a Furnace Blower Fan Into a Stand Alone Fan, What to Do When a Furnace Blower Fan Won't Start, How to Replace the Resistor on Air Conditioner Blower Fans. ECM blower motors do not require an external capacitor to operate. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. ECM Multi-Speed Blower Motor (Broad Ocean Type), For an ECM blower motor with wires exiting the module (shown above), the speed is changed at the control board by moving the colored wire terminals. No need for direct trane replacment motor. (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=2ba02a33-c319-4410-bba7-f8321a13bed3&cid=877050e7-52c9-4c33-a20b-d8301a08f96d'; cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: "2ba02a33-c319-4410-bba7-f8321a13bed3" }).render("00499ba9282e4d1b985fa8af14d29c2b"); }); On my furnace IFC, the black (high speed) wire is connected to the air conditioning (cool) terminal, and yellow (medium-high speed) is connected to the (heat) terminal. Trane XR80 Troubleshooting After examining the flashing system you should check the green light speed. If it goes out of spec then on "very cold days" (when the furnace runs a lot) it could trigger an automatic shut off when the exchanger doesn't end up getting cooled enough, FWIW. It was working a week ago but just recently when it runs it blows out cold air. They do this by coupling a sophisticated, programmable thermostat to a variable-speed motor. During the awake hours I Hold the fan speed at either low or medium. In order to measure air flow you could use a flow capture hood, a rotating vane anemometer, or a hot wire anemometer. - Answered by a verified HVAC Technician . Can you increase the speed of an ECM AC blower? I suppose I probably won't do so it, but out of curiosity what kind of downside might one run into? The automatic feature rarely kicks in once at set point. The company offers a variety of furnaces to suits the needs of every home. This will increase the number of air changes per hour (ACH) in the house and also help compensate for a more restrictive whole home air filter like a MERV 16 being installed. If the blower motor is burned out, replace it. Remember that a heat pump in heating mode will need to run with roughly the same airflow speed as during AC mode even though it may not be comfortable for the building occupant. Sometimes you have to add more ducts to achieve the proper pressure and velocity. Connect the black wire to the manometer. Design Engineer/Project Manager for injection molded plastic company I got the sv96 100k btu 2stage furnace with variable fan and the xl18 4ton ac unit. Copyright Variable Speed Blower Motor (Genteq ECM 3.0, 4 pin connector). Warmup.com mentions that it was the original design of radiant floor heat systems by the Romans. This is NOT a user servicable item. 1 to 1.5 hours | Install the new motor, adjust it (multispeed and variable speed blowers only), run and test the furnace Installing a blower wheel with the motor shouldn't affect installation time, since the old wheel typically has to be removed to replace the motor. Connect with our Customer Care team about your products, warranties, and dealer concerns. . (Variable & Multi-Speed Types), In this HVAC training article, we will be discussing how to adjust the fan speeds on an indoor, In order to measure air flow you could use a flow capture hood, a rotating vane anemometer, or a, I hope this helps you understand how to adjust the airflow speed on ECM Blower Motors! You need to follow the wiring diagram inside the HVAC unit. Tied from R to BK in air handler. I have another question about my new Trane XV95 Furnace. In other units, it may be 2, 3, and 4 that are programmed. Use dish soap and a soft-bristle brush or sponge to remove stuck-on debris. problems contact webmaster@doityourself.com. Typical setups include these wire colors with associated blower speeds. But you will have a tough time measuring either on your basement Trane. If the instructions are not with the furnace, you can look up the model number of the unit and search for the installation manual via a google search. These connected to (park) terminals, which are not used and simply hold those two additional wire speeds. For instance, here's the procedure to change a furnace's fan speed with a PSC blower motor: Use a multimeter to measure the resistances of each speed wire. I could imagine possibly fewer "warm up cycles" (which also include having to power on the fan) might save something (as well as lower fan speed=less electricity)but as others have noted, while its running (esp. If the terminals are present at the motor module (ECM X-13) you can switch speeds at the blower motor location. Locate your thermostat on the page and click System Mode. Then switch the jumper to your desired speed. When the R-G circuit is made, the blower motor operates on heating speed. The furnace operates for two minutes or so before it shuts down. These blower motor versions can be found in furnaces, air handlers, and packaged units. My first thought was that the unit was oversized, but I figured out how to check the DIP switch settings. If you are having problems, find your fans users manual and use it as a guide. -The "Blower-on and Blower-off delay" time period can be selected. On this motor module, the speed wires are red, orange, blue, yellow, and black. I have a Trane XV90 propane furnace with a variable speed blower. The constant air turn over at a lower set point keeps the house comfortable. At night with an . Heat exchange takes time. I assume you are speaking about dip switch settings. I want to increase volume flow if possible. It helps to have over 50 years of farming and ranching experience. Shay Tilander is a senior editor at Family Handyman. -The "AC/HP CFM Adjust" is the airflow volume to be set for system, efficiency, comfort. Various advertisements for variable speed high efficiency furnaces call them "more energy efficiency" (note also the difference between a variable speed blower and a high efficiency furnace, they're separate, for instance you can have a variable speed blower on a low efficiency furnace). The wires are several different colors. Because the slower air velocity over the heat element is transferring fewer BTU units into the circulated air and they simply go up the exhaust pipe. Third-stage auxiliary heating for heat pumps and multi-stage furnaces. The arrow should face the direction the air is flowing. The blower is set for 400 cfm for a 4 ton outdoor unit, and comfort-R is not enabled (all factory). He is also an HVACR Contracting Business owner of 16 years and holds an NJ HVACR Master License. In the pictured example above, if the #5 speed tap is programmed for 1600 CFM and #4 is programmed for 1200 CFM and #5 is presently connected to the "Cool" terminal on the control board via the black wire, we know that the unit is running at around 1600 CFM as long as the TESP across the unit is not too high. There is no mechanism to change this. Cookie Notice Step 3. Change the speed. Once you cut the power, you can remove the cover of your furnace to get access to the control board. You may freely link Changing your HVAC and furnace air filter is a vital part of home maintenance. I needed to go the opposite direction and increase fan speed. Note also that there is always just "one blower" but that blower may or may not be variable speed, etc. Stage 2 Aux Heating. During "Fan On", the fan runs at 50% of whatever the maximum speed of the fan is. If a clear distinction between the blower speeds isn't obvious in the data, then you're probably not going to save much money either way, so go with what's most comfortable for you. Click System Options. On my furnace the schematic showed there were three speed settings. homininet 8 mo. Stage 3 Aux Heating. But I guess my question is, can the air flow problem really be a simple as upping the blower speed? How to change the fan motor speed on a gas furnace grayfurnaceman 148K subscribers Subscribe 190K views 10 years ago Furnace blowers A description of how to change motor speeds with a. I want it for the same reason as cliff--the top floor of my house is colder than the main floor and I'd like to even things out by moving more air around. It had been set on the higher speed, but that was too harsh, so I lowered it to the slower speed. If you really wanted to be scientific, you could perform an experiment and post the results here. Mutually exclusive execution using std::atomic? allows the furnace's circulator blower to operate at a slightly lower speed (85% of desired speed) during a combined thermostat call for cooling and dehumidistat call for dehumidification. Air Filter - Be sure to check the air filter and replace if necessary. Where To Find R-22 & R410A Leaks on AC Units! The main difference is that the fan ON setting means that the fan is set to run as long as the furnace is switched ON. If you want to learn about refrigerants and how they work in a system, check out our Refrigerant Charging and Service Procedures for Air Conditioning book . DoItYourself.com, founded in 1995, is the leading independent Click On under Emergency Heat. If you have suggestions or comments they are welcome. Step 3: Adjust the Pulley on the Blower Drive Motor The video will also explain other safety measures, as well as some for a demonstration which I will show. I Tried a Hands-Free Dog Leash, and I No Longer Dread Walking My Dog, This Simple Trick Can Refresh Your Entire Home, 30 Spring Cleaning Tasks to Add to Your Checklist, Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Remove both of these wires and wire nut them together. But I'm reasonably sure it uses less to run on high vs low then it uses to run on low vs OFF. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer). Helm is an accomplished DIY craftsman. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? These three are connected to the "Cool", "Heat", and "Fan" terminals on the control board. It is a Trane S8X1 single stage furnace and air handler, paired with an XR16 3 ton AC unit. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. We also have quick reference cards for use out in the field! Another key difference is that the circulate . This will help prevent injury and. 10 Reasons a Blower Fan Won't Start in a Furnace, AC or Heat Pump. Then, carefully switch it to the setting of your choice and push it back into the control board. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Solution: Install a new sequencer AND a new fan relay, just to be safe. 3 of the wires will likely terminate with just a twist on cap. I have a Trane Variable Speed Air Handler (TWE049E13FB2). The line voltage and 24v common are connected at the top and are labeled as C, L, G, N. The 24v common is C and the ground wire is G. For a 120v unit, the L is the 120v hot and the N is the 120v neutral. You could also use the Temp Rise Formula which you can learn about in our "HVAC Temp Rise Formula used to Measure Airflow CFM" video. I'd go with logging temperature differential (inside temp - outside temp) vs. energy consumption every day for a month with the blower on high and then for a month with the blower on low. By Pressing submit, I consent that my information be shared with Trane approved affiliates and third party partners, including connecting me with a local Trane dealer to be contacted about products and services. I'll just run the heat pump through the leaky ductwork and heat the crawl space. See our Privacy Policy for more information. HVAC filters help remove dust, dander, and harmful particles from the air inside your home. Related: a two stage furnace works by actually shooting less gas out, which might improve its efficiency. American Standard air handler troubleshooting When changing the AC or furnace filter, the arrow should face the furnace and point away from the return duct. Why is my furnace blower running at low speed? I just had a Trane system installed last week and I've been very happy with it! However, during the time period while the compressor is not engaged I need to circulate more air on the second floor or it becomes stale. The variable speed furnace delivers the proper amount of airflow based on the heating and cooling needs of your home. PSC - The Permanent Split Capacitor Motor is still the most commonly used. Usually there will be three "speeds" ranging from 40 to 100% of airflow. Thanks for all your continued support! Cut the wire's terminal connector off with wire cutters. Thanks for the reply. We welcome your comments and Recently I did a blower speed adjustment on the 2nd floor air. Id check that out first. To recap: The service technician might be able to increase (or decrease) the blower speed, but that would probably lower the AC's cooling efficiency. To begin, turn off the power to your furnace. Remove the air handler. The noise is there in heat or AC. How does a furnace work? Your new AC unit is not collecting water (yet) because the anticondensation coating hasn't been compromised (yet); and that's a good thing. Craig creates educational HVACR articles and videos which are posted at https://www.acservicetech.com & https://www.youtube.com/acservicetechchannel & https://www.facebook.com/acservicetech/. The arrow should face the direction the air is flowing. Access the control board. It offers three settings: 525 RPM for saving energy, 900 RPM for heating, or 1100 RPM for air conditioning. Air Filters remove dust, lint, pet dander, and other pollutants so you can breathe easier knowing your indoor air quality is better with Trane. Blower on delay settings, which evidently have an impact on the duration and speed of the blower fan. However, if your HVAC blower motor isn't too badly damaged, the technician may be able to clean and repair it so you won't have to incur the cost of a replacement. When the humidity is high for what its set at. Thus, my blower can't be using that much electricity on high. What actually happened was that it caused the furnace to short cycle, running for about 4.5 minutes then shutting off and immediately turning on again over and over until it reached the set point. A properly fitted filter can also trap unwanted, and oftentimes unseen, pollutants from the air in your home, including: Start with the return vent. I'm also going to go through and make sure there are no visible leaks or damage to them. All information is provided "AS IS." When the summer air conditioning season transitions to the fall heating season, increase the blower speed by switching the wires on the cool and heat terminals. -The "System Type" is the CFM per ton to be adjusted between low, normal and high. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Batch split images vertically in half, sequentially numbering the output files, Using indicator constraint with two variables. Thanks for contributing an answer to Home Improvement Stack Exchange! and our You need to find the wires that determine blower speed inside your furnace. How can I check before my flight that the cloud separation requirements in VFR flight rules are met? He currently has a home shop where he sharpens and rebuilds saws, repairs lawn mowers, mobility scooters, hydraulic jacks, and anything else that comes along. I have been reading that the br wire can be used to let the thermostat control the fan speed, or the furnace itself can be programmed to ramp up the fan speed. HVAC system for small church has twin Trane XR90 units installed in 2009 to replace a unit with a much larger single blower. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. Move the high-speed wire to low. By pressing "submit", I understand that I am providing express consent for Trane Residential to contact me about this request or similar topics. STEP-BY-STEP REPLACEMENT GUIDE Turn off air conditioning / heat from the thermostat. H.R. By clicking '. He owned and operated a manufacturing business building Compact Utility Vehicles for homeowner use. Check out our free Quizzes to test your knowledge here! According to the company, the slower circulation speed reduces energy consumption by 75%. There are often five wire colors coming from your blower to your IFC. Privacy Policy. Can airtags be tracked from an iMac desktop, with no iPhone? Here are some of them: Better circulation of heated and cooled air. When he's not enjoying family time with his wife and three boys, he loves tinkering with projects and geeking out on electronics. Press Apply to save and exit. Example: Rated Btu Input = 60,000 / 10,000 = 6 x 150 = 900 cfm of required furnace airflow. Most require that you open a box (2 screws?) There are often five wire colors coming from your blower to your IFC. Narrowing that hysteresis loop will: Leading to a smaller Hysteresis loop, increasing motor efficiency by reducing iron eddy current losses. The arrow should point toward the unit. Air filters are typically found behind the return vent door, often located in the ceiling or wall in the central portion of your home. Yes you can change it, how to do it is in the manual, yes there can be downsides, no it probably won't fix your air balancing issues. If you know what you are doing, it is very simple to adjust the speed of your furnace fan. To understand how this works, lets look at the wiring on your furnaces blower. The ignitor glows. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. The NET difference of the above two figures is your savings or cost. Meanwhile, the Circulate setting is a hybrid and auto that keeps the fan running throughout heating cycles and then again for a few minutes every hour even when the furnace is off. In humid climates, 350 CFM per ton can be selected in order to remove more moisture from the air. With heating oil at $4.50/gal I can assure you without measuring anything that running my blower on low is NOT more efficient from a $$ perspective. (Heat transfer wasn't one of my favorite classes in college - I focused more on dynamic systems, sorry.). Filters help protect the many parts of your heating and cooling unit from debris and buildup that can shorten the working life of the system. Top 10 Spots! Here's hoping for some good answers. This video is to show how you can figure out the blower speed setup in your HVAC system, and what you can do do adjust said speeds. The remaining colored wires will be default speeds. I think that when it is in enhanced mode the fan only runs at 50%, you can try changing your dip switches to see. Cockroaches and waterbugs coming in through the vents was my big clue there. Is it suspicious or odd to stand by the gate of a GA airport watching the planes? This furnace features the common White-Rodgers Intell-Ignition circuit board. Dave. I know I need to replace a dying blower motor in a 1992 Trane . DoItYourself.com, founded in 1995, is the leading independent home improvement and repair website. Certified Welder Put the air handler back. But the 'real' one will be the one connected with a twist on cap to the fan motor. How to tell which packages are held back due to phased updates, Linear Algebra - Linear transformation question. The system also accounts for blocked vents and dirty furnace filters, and adjusts fan speed as needed to compensate. If power is getting to the blower motor, but the motor does not run, the motor may be burned out. I would think adjusting the heating element would save more energy than reducing the blower's electric consumption, but I didn't do a study on it myself. The heat exchanger can be overheated and burned out if the blower does not remove enough heat. You may freely link to this site, and use it for non-commercial use subject to our terms of use. home improvement and repair website. When one of the taps is powered with 24v, the motor will turn on and run at the selected speed. Air Conditioner + Furnace Matched Systems, Air Conditioner + Air Handler Matched Systems, Does Your Air Conditioner Smell? This trick only works on gas furnace systems with a multi-speed blower. I recently had have a trane xl 90 want to adjust speed of blower fan blower motor has 4 wires white going to neutral black unhooked blue to high speed yellow to I have a Trane Indoor Air Handler Model No. Once you have located the panel, remove it.