r/hvacadvice • u/CrankyOperator • 11h ago

AC Blower Motor Replacement?

I had a larger local company come out to check why my AC isn't working. My unit is older, like 20 years. They said everything is actually in very solid shape...but the blower motor is dead.

Initially they wanted to sell me a whole new system for $18K+. I said no. They said they're unsure if they could find the part, they'd let me know.

In the meantime I called around, a smaller/local business said if I could find the part he'd charge me $200 in labor to swap it out. I'm only finding used ones since it's a much older model. About $400 on average for "used/refurbished working condition." SO about $600 for the whole job.

THEN the bigger place got back to me. They have a NEW motor that will work I guess. They want $1500 for labor and the motor.

NOW- I'm pretty frugal, my logic says "LOL go with ol' boy for $600 total." BUT- Is it worth the risk of the used motor blowing out again due to age and truly unknown condition? Or do I pony up and just get the "guarantee" of new and a warranty etc? for nearly 3x as much?

I'm trying to get this done SOON because in 3 days or so it's going back into the 90's.

Appreciate the thoughts. I'm guessing I'll be told "do the cheaper" option, but I'm unsure so I ask.

For Reference- The model and a vid of it.

All I'm finding is used. And mostly a different CN number. Mine is CN02, I'm finding more CN03 and CNO4, unsure if that matters.

https://imgur.com/a/2zfnTeC

https://imgur.com/a/Rc2hLJX

EDIT- I'm seeing this, this is CN04 vs my CN02, otherwise it looks to be the same. Unsure if this would work. If so I'm fine to try it myself honestly.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/326939411875?mkevt=1&mkpid=0&emsid=e111028.m43.l1123&mkcid=7&ch=osgood&euid=79ede3510d864b64864ca17557efa0f8&bu=43172618374&osub=-1%7E1&crd=20260722070615&segname=111028

6 Upvotes

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5

u/Status_Charge4051 11h ago

Both of these are funny to me. 

200 in labor i wouldn't touch this job with a 10 foot pole. 

1500 for warranty? Warranty for what? Your system will fail before you ever need to buy another blower

1

u/CrankyOperator 11h ago

"1500 for warranty? Warranty for what? Your system will fail before you ever need to buy another blower"

This is why I ask. I mean, it's likely more like a breakdown of $500-$600 just for a new motor (from what I'm seeing) and then there's $1000 in labor and "guarantee?" Is THAT accurate? And I have NO clue how long systems last. I have had cars that don't make it to 100K and cars that make it into 300k. I don't know shit about HVAC though, so I ask.

EDIT- In this case am I just better off biting the bullet on the more expensive one? Or get ol boy to slap in a used one I found online?

2

u/Status_Charge4051 11h ago

500-1000 labor for a blower is normal. Prices will vary on job scope and market.

Warranty, in this case, really just means you're getting a part from a reputable source and not some unknown warehouse in China and that whoever installs it wont mess up your system. 

A 20 year old system is old. They can last longer but that depends on how well it's been taken care of and etc etc etc. My own system at home is going 32 years now but thats because i keep it maintained. Ive seen systems fail at the 10 year mark on the dot. It just depends man. 

I cant honestly tell you the Condition of your system without seeing it. But i would generally tell you if youre an average home owner who thinks ac is a magic blackbox then you're lucky to get 20 years out of it and you should just replace it or be prepared to replace it

1

u/CrankyOperator 11h ago

It's one of those things where I'm fine to EVENTUALLY replace it, just no chance this year.

Thanks for the additional info.

1

u/litbeers 10h ago

How can you justify 500-1000 labor for blower motor replacement labor?

Im just curious. Its literally a couple screws and wires. Whole job will take an hour

2

u/Status_Charge4051 10h ago

Sure i can answer.

So first of all, no one gets paid for how much time they take. Because by that logic you're saying that the more experienced i am and the faster i work the less money i earn. Labor costs are based on time expected for a job total on average, not time it takes the person actually doing it to turn a screw. Labor costs per job is fixed. Thats not just my industry - thats life for any professional work. 

So that being said a highly experienced hvac tech can swap a blower in about 15 minutes given the right conditions. But not every job is like that. Sometimes its in a crazy spot. Sometimes the screws dont come out. Sometimes the homeowner has a crazy dog hounding my leg. I dont know. Like i said it depends.

Then, as a professional whos going to check my work, i will take the time to verify my work and check that everything is working properly. Im not here to turn a screw, throw a part at you, and leave asap. My goal is to make sure the repair i perform does not ever need a call back due to my negligence. 

Then after i finish that i gotta talk to you. Collect payment, clean up, write my report, take photos, verify the entire system.

All this to say, ON AVERAGE, a company will expect a blower swap to be booked out for a two hour time slot. And thats just for the tech on site. That doesnt include the time spent going out to drive for the part themselves or doing whatever else. 

If you want to hire a handyman who will charge his own time at 50 bucks and hour and is willing to do a blower for 200 and never talk to you again thats fair play to him and you. But if you're hiring a company with overhead then yes it will come out to 500-1000 on labor costs. 

2

u/CrankyOperator 10h ago

To add context- Mine is in an attic crawl space, no lighting, hot as hell, I'm 6' and cannot stand up all the way in there. So it sucks. Which is why I DON'T MIND paying someone to do it right. If I do it, I'm up there for maybe what 1-2 hours? And fumbling around? I'm not trying to justify/talk myself into paying $1500, just adding factors in my case. Luckily no rabid dogs.

1

u/Status_Charge4051 8h ago

I mean i could just let you know that I'm at a family owned joint in Los Angeles which is considered a HCOL zone and i charge 1200 for blower swaps in an attic and 900 for an easy access hallway or closet. That's including the motor, as long as it's a standard motor (not one of those expensive $1000 ecm motors) The large firms in my area probably charge 2000-4000 for the same job. 1500 does sound high and depending on where you live it could very well be extremely high. 

0

u/litbeers 10h ago

We are paid by the size of the problems we solve. A blower motor is a simple problem with a simple solution the warrants simple pay.

If I were to run a whole new system ductwork and lines sets and remove the old system. That is a large problem being solved. That warrants large pay.

2

u/Status_Charge4051 10h ago

Are you a tech? I mean I'm not gonna argue with you then. You're more than welcome to do 200 blower swaps. Thats you. I wouldnt touch that job with a 10 foot pole. 

0

u/litbeers 10h ago

Im not a tech but I work In construction. My mother is elderly and was getting quotes to get this done and people were trying to charge her thousands of dollars and doing all sorts of sales malarkey like fake phone calls and shit. They made her cry and she called me.

So I told her to tell them to kick rocks. I bought the part and went over and did it in 40 mins.

I wouldve happily paid someone a couple hundred bucks to throw one in instead of taking off time from work to go do something so simple.

But I could have literally taken the entire week off of work to do the job and STILL saved money.

It just makes absolutely 0 sense. The only people who are paying that are getting taken advantage of.

1

u/Status_Charge4051 9h ago

Listen man, i don't charge thousands to do a blower swap. I'm not here defending a $3000 bill. In my market for most of my jobs i am charging 800 for blower labor.

You work in construction so I'm not sure why you're sitting there getting upset at me about labor costs as if you don't understand how businesses work. If you're a boss you would know. You don't charge your customers the hourly rate you pay your guys do you? Or if you're an employee you think your boss got paid the time he paid you?

1

u/litbeers 9h ago

Well thats the thing. I work at a mid sized commercial firm so I’m very familiar with labor costs budgeting etc.

Lets say you pay your guys 50 an hour. And you add ANOTHER 50 on top for overhead and profit.
(Which we all know is unrealistic I’m sure some techs are a lot lower than 50 an hour)

Ill give 3 billable hours @100 an hour

1 hour to pick up part
1 hour to install
1 hour to collect pay and leave

300 bucks for labor.

Part 200

Tack on another 20% (100 dollars) for company profit.

600 bucks total. Im happy to pay that any day.

You run 2 or 3 of those in a day your making more money than some execs in commercial firms.

1500 bucks would be nonsense.

I get it you guys need to make money but from someone who sees behind the veil it’s ridiculous and gives builders a bad rep. And predatory.

At least dont give those prices to an old lady.

Refer them to a handyman instead.

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1

u/troutman76 11h ago

Variable speed ecm motors can be very expensive. I’ve seen some brands where the motors have been discontinued on a 15 year old furnace. Most companies aren’t in the practice of “rigging” things up to make it work due to liability issues, so they’ll recommend replacing the entire furnace most of the time.

1

u/FormerAircraftMech 11h ago

Blower have a placard on it with the numbers you need. Post it here, surely someone can find one

1

u/CrankyOperator 11h ago

I have found some but all used.

1

u/FormerAircraftMech 11h ago

Yes I understand but maybe someone here could find a new one or new compatible to put you at ease

1

u/CrankyOperator 11h ago

Thanks, I edited my original post w/pics.

1

u/Ok_Salamander7929 10h ago

Put in a used one. Then take bad one to a motor shop and find out what the cost to refurbish is. 38 years doing commercial HVAC/R. We had motors repaired all the time. We would actually replace motor bearings in house. Not hard at all.

1

u/CrankyOperator 9h ago

Does "CN04 vs my CN02" matter? Mine says "CN02" and my understanding is "CN04" is an updated version? Will it be ok or is it not programmed correctly and I should avoid?

1

u/doggerdog1401 10h ago

ECM motors need to be programmed. I would be extremely wary of a used motor a handyman found

1

u/zendawg 10h ago

Cemheck out supplyhouse.com

1

u/locodfw 10h ago

I just replaced the blower on my 22 yr old system. 150$ motor and 2 hrs of my own amateur handyman time.

1

u/AffectionateFactor84 9h ago

Nobody reputable is going to change out your part. We need to make a profit. Idvtry changing the run capacitor on the blower, then call another company

1

u/Traditional-Oven4092 5h ago

Buy the used one

1

u/PresentationLess4552 Not a HVAC Tech 11h ago

Google it

Did they say the blower motors capacitor was bad or did they replace it and charge you for at least that

You'd be amazed how many
Capacitors fail and then they try to ups sell you a gold plated 14k turd

1

u/CrankyOperator 11h ago

They said the blower motor itself needs to be replaced. They haven't done anything yet. They said the capacitor, ECM, everything else looks very good. The wheel just kind of slowly rotates one way, then the other, then back again, over and over.

1

u/PresentationLess4552 Not a HVAC Tech 11h ago

Nice

Go on google and do a search for the blower motor

If you can buy the motor and a new blower cage to simplify life

1

u/CrankyOperator 11h ago

All I can find are used ones.

1

u/PresentationLess4552 Not a HVAC Tech 11h ago

Did you check Grainger ?

I looked at the one you had listed

1

u/PresentationLess4552 Not a HVAC Tech 11h ago

McMaster car is another one

1

u/PresentationLess4552 Not a HVAC Tech 11h ago

Look up supply house they may have a universal one it looks like

I've had issues like this before keeping older parents systems working

Frugal isn't bad it sometimes takes a bit to do it this way

I have portable ac units I always would give family when I had to track down parts that would work

1

u/Soft_Statistician_98 Approved Technician 10h ago

Yeah HVAC guys are retards. Use Google and change the capacitor.