Furnace Motor Took A Dump

[Southern]

My 20+ year old furnace motor decided to take a dump in the sub-zero Chicago temperatures. I was able to revive it by squirting oil into the "sealed" bearings. I decided to take the plunge and ordered a new motor & capacitor through an e-bay store, apparently the local HVAC supply stores don't sell motors to people off the street. Over the next year or two I need to consider replacing my furnace and air conditioner.

At least my Astro is running fine in the Chicago sub-zero weather.

[CaptSquid]

You coulda asked Peter to make a house-call.

[Southern]

You coulda asked Peter to make a house-call.

Peter would have been board with a simple furnace motor job. It would be like calling a mechanic over to change your spark plugs. Had Peter offered to make a house call I would have bought him a new dress for his time.

[dunedog]

Now by furnace motor ,you mean the squirrel cage motor ?

And a plumbing supply house wouldn't sell you one ? That's just BS

[Southern]

Yes the electric motor that drives the blower wheel. (1/4HP, 115V, 1075RPM, 3 speed)

Apparently local business don't want any liability selling something that is considered not replaceable by a homeowner.
Most supply houses also require an account with them which means that unless my employer has an account with them I can't buy it.

However I can buy parts for my chainsaw locally or go over to Sears appliance and buy a motor for a washing machine. About 10 years ago I purchased a water heater locally and installed it myself but I don't know if I can still do that now.
Thank goodness for mail-order companies.

[GEJ]

Lowes now can sell all the things Granger carrys.If it is available local,it is sent directly to your house within two days.Surely I would think Granger sells a motor.

[mdmead]

Wow, now that is a handy tip! Granger's prices aren't the best, but the selection is pretty darn good!

[GEJ]

Here is a link for a furance motors that you can get from Grainger ordering it from Lowes and still not needing to be a business to buy Grainger products.

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/pr ... L1=Furnace

[peter]

Here in Montreal, an end-user could't buy stuff directly from the wholesaler. Matter of fact, Lennox here in Quebec was supposed to be sued here because they refused to sell a homeowner a part for his furnace. I dunno if they settled but if memory serves me correctly, the homeowner dropped the case.

Most of the time, an end-user can buy parts but only at full list price (suggested retail). And to be honest, I don't blame 'em. If the homewner installs the motor improperly or doesn't realize that the original failure was due to another issue such a fused multi-speed relay etc.., the he shows up at the wholesaler demanding another motor after toasting the 1st replacement. Mr end-user doesn't usually have an ammeter to properly check the operation of the new component he's just installed. After he's burnt two or three motors, he realizes that there may be a reason these motors are toasting.

Yeah, sure, he's wasted a lot of his time going back and forth to the wholesaler. But what about the wholesaler? Warranty claims are not the breeze they used to be yrs ago. Wholesalers never bothered sending back warranty-claimed defective parts. Didn't have to. But manufacturers now have become so strict, it's crazy. They actually send warranty-claim representatives to wholesalers and inspect the parts being submitted for return under warranty. If the claim is refused due to apparent non-defect failures, the wholesaler has to shell out the $$ for that part.

So wholesalers have to be more severe, because they're the ones who get stiffed if a warranty claim is refused. And good luck getting Mr end-user to come on down to the store to pay for the 2nd & 3rd motor because the manufacturer refused the claim.

Two sides to every story, buds

[peter]

You coulda asked Peter to make a house-call.

Peter would have been board with a simple furnace motor job. It would be like calling a mechanic over to change your spark plugs. Had Peter offered to make a house call I would have bought him a new dress for his time.

Pay my airfare down and you won't even have to buy me the dress.....

[dunedog]

Thanks Peter,...the previous post does make since. I never thought of it in those terms.

[peter]

You're welcome! Don't forget, I'm not just another pretty face!

[dunedog]

Gravity ain't pretty !

[peter]

You're nasty. Sure hope your furnace don't crap out on you....

[Kabey's Van]

Hey Peter,
Well it's 6am and it would seem I have already learned my daily lesson.
Myself being in the earth moving business thought that you were in the hydrovac industry, as out here we call a hydrovac truck an HVAC. I didn't realize that, not only do you make us feel all warm and fuzzy but that 's your job too.
Peter