ECM motor retrofit in PSC 80% single stage single zone?

[ls3c6]

Apparently Genteq and maybe others now make ECM motor replacements for furnaces using existing PSC type blower motors, does any know anything about cost or wattage consumption when both motors are running at speed?

My PSC consumes about 500w while heating.

[garya505]

http://www.nailor.com/pdf/ecm_1.pdf

[ls3c6]

So a savings of 66% with the same amount of CFM? nice! where can i find a compatible blower motor to replace mine?

[garya505]

http://www.pwaengineering.com/pages/...esentation.pdf

[commerce48]

So a savings of 66% with the same amount of CFM? nice! where can i find a compatible blower motor to replace mine?

It could be even higher. However, it will probably be hard to justify the upfront cost versus electrical savings unless you run the blower all the time (which often helps to balance room temperatures). How much of the time does your heat run during the day (actual heating time)?

[ls3c6]

It could be even higher. However, it will probably be hard to justify the upfront cost versus electrical savings unless you run the blower all the time (which often helps to balance room temperatures). How much of the time does your heat run during the day (actual heating time)?

I've figured the savings around $5/mo, but currently I don't run the fan 24/7 and might benefit from the increased comfort?

Currently I heat 2000sqft with a 75000 input and on a demanding day it runs ~4.0-4.5hrs/day

[big sky hvac]

Apparently Genteq and maybe others now make ECM motor replacements for furnaces using existing PSC type blower motors, does any know anything about cost or wattage consumption when both motors are running at speed?

My PSC consumes about 500w while heating.

Yes, they will save you some money on your electric bill. How old is your furnace? If it's between 15 - 20 years old, your best investment would be to replace the furnace and have a new furnace installed with an ecm motor. Life expectancy of a furnace is 15 -20 years, so if yours is in that age group, your money would be better spent on a new furnace, IMO.

[garya505]

I agree. There are probably single-stage furnaces out there that would probably not cost much more than the cost of replacing that motor.

[ls3c6]

Yes, they will save you some money on your electric bill. How old is your furnace? If it's between 15 - 20 years old, your best investment would be to replace the furnace and have a new furnace installed with an ecm motor. Life expectancy of a furnace is 15 -20 years, so if yours is in that age group, your money would be better spent on a new furnace, IMO.

Furnace is 10yrs old and i'm satisfied with the consumption and operation, so replacing the whole unit would be unneccesary at this time.

I've considered a 95+% efficient model that was properly sized for my dwelling, but given the current heating costs and simplisity of the existing unit... it's hard to justify replacement.

[garya505]

Furnace is 10yrs old and i'm satisfied with the consumption and operation, so replacing the whole unit would be unneccesary at this time.

I've considered a 95+% efficient model that was properly sized for my dwelling, but given the current heating costs and simplisity of the existing unit... it's hard to justify replacement.

I just replaced an 8-year-old, oversized, 80%, PSC furnace with a properly-sized 80% ECM furnace. It was unneccesary, but I don't regret it.

[big sky hvac]

Furnace is 10yrs old and i'm satisfied with the consumption and operation, so replacing the whole unit would be unneccesary at this time.

I've considered a 95+% efficient model that was properly sized for my dwelling, but given the current heating costs and simplisity of the existing unit... it's hard to justify replacement.

I guess it depends on what part of the country you live in. If you're in a northern climate as I am, I'd want the most efficient furnace I could get. If your heating season is anywhere from 5 -6 months, you'd most likely benefit from a 90%+ furnace. If you see yourself staying in your home for a minimum of 5 years, you'd get your money back out of the furnace which would pay for the upgrade. It would be hard for me to justify spending 1/4 the cost of a new furnace that has half of it's life gone on a new blower motor. Just because gas prices are ok now doesn't mean they aren't going to go up. Your best bet to find the motor that'll work for you would be to call your hvac tech and have him install it for you.

[ls3c6]

I guess it depends on what part of the country you live in. If you're in a northern climate as I am, I'd want the most efficient furnace I could get. If your heating season is anywhere from 5 -6 months, you'd most likely benefit from a 90%+ furnace. If you see yourself staying in your home for a minimum of 5 years, you'd get your money back out of the furnace which would pay for the upgrade. It would be hard for me to justify spending 1/4 the cost of a new furnace that has half of it's life gone on a new blower motor. Just because gas prices are ok now doesn't mean they aren't going to go up. Your best bet to find the motor that'll work for you would be to call your hvac tech and have him install it for you.

I'm paying ~$100/mo to heat on natural gas and about $7 of electricity on the coldest month, i'd get a return on a new unit about never

[big sky hvac]

I'm paying ~$100/mo to heat on natural gas and about $7 of electricity on the coldest month, i'd get a return on a new unit about never

You'd get a return back from a new furnace sooner than you would from a new blower motor. If you only pay $7 a month on electricity, for the furnace, why are you even considering putting in a new blower motor? How long do think it's going to take to pay off that new motor? You evidentally don't know how much those aftermarket ecm retrofit motors are. It's probably going to cost you half as much to put that motor in as your new furnace did 10 years ago. Is that really a good investment? At least with a new 90% furance w/ecm motor, you'd be saving on both your electricity and gas consumption. You could save $200 or more a year on both heating and cooling. In 5 years or sooner you could break even and the next 15 years be making money.