The blower motor is a fan motor that moves the air around your home when your HVAC system is running. Typically this process starts at your filter and ends at wherever your supply air comes out. Blower motors can vary greatly is design, application, operation, and cost. I will explain the different types of blower motors and what to expect to pay when one fails.
Lets start with the different commonly found types of blower motors in residential systems first. We have primarily 3 motors that are found in residential systems and they are the permanently split capacitor (PSC), electronically commutated motor (ECM), and the variable speed/communicating. I grouped 2 motors together in that last category and you will see why later in the blog.
The PSC is typically the cheapest to replace and comes in a variety of horsepower for a multitude of operating parameters. This motor was recently phased out for new equipment production but we still see it in equipment and can easily be replaced as there are many available aftermarket and factory replacements. These motors require a capacitor to operate hence the name and typically run between $300 up to $1000. That wide range is due to the large range of operation that these motors encompass. At the time they were in production, there was no other option really, so they were installed in thousands of different systems from high efficiency to bare basic types.
The ECM is the most common motor we see in the field now especially since it dominates the government minimum efficiency equipment produced as of the day this article was written. The ECM is a constant torque 3 phase motor controlled by an algorithm predesigned in a control module. That mouthful basically means that it has a small computer if you will attached to tell it what to do and how to run. As you can imagine, the complexity of this design makes it more expensive than a PSC motor. These motors range from $300 to $1600. Just like the PSC history, the ECM is now the status quo and also suites a multitude of designs and application so the price range varies greatly. I will say the average installed price of these motors is between $800 and $1400. These are readily available both factory and aftermarket just like the PSC.
The variable speed and communication motors are much more complexed than the other two we have talked about and less common in terms of installed systems especially since the systems they come in are much more expensive than minimum standard systems. Variable speed and communicating motors have adaptable features and smart integrated controls built in to facilitate a wide range of operation, energy savings, and advanced comfort control. You can imagine that these unique features as well as the low demand make them more expensive the the past two motors. Variable speed and communicating typically start at $1400 installed and I've seen them as expensive as $2600. Brand, availability, and application play a major role in the cost of these motors.
Hopefully this article helps with the understanding of the different types of blower motors on the market and what to expect to pay when having one replaced.
Kenneth Casebier
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