If you need HVAC or plumbing services in Canton, Massachusetts, don’t hesitate to call. In any weather, any season, day or night—Green Energy Mechanical Inc. is here for you.
During the winter, you may find yourself relying on your furnace, so it can be frustrating to find that those default settings aren’t quite enough to get to the level of comfort you envisioned. Knowing how to change blower speed on furnaces might come in handy, but is it as easy as it sounds?
The team at Green Energy Mechanical Inc. has a few ideas below. You can also contact these HVAC contractors in Canton, MA, for furnace repairs and maintenance as needed.
What Does a Blower Motor Do?
Its name provides a clue because the blower motor’s design literally “blows” air. The main unit controls the total amount of airflow in your system, which is why it plays such a vital role in your home comfort.
In that sense, the motor is what pushes the hot air your furnace creates through ducts and into the various zones where you need it to go.
Why Change Furnace Blower Speed?
The main reason for modifying blower speed on your furnace would be to increase or reduce total airflow. For example, if your home feels too hot, you might want to reduce airflow for less heat to circulate.
Homeowners also change the furnace blower speed to quieten the appliance a little. The default setting of your furnace might not be as efficient as customizing furnace blower RPM, so if you’re energy-conscious, this would be another reason to look at the unit’s blower speed.
What Is the Best Speed for My Blower Motor?
In the interests of efficiency, your blower motor should be moving at least 400 cubic feet of air per minute for every ton of your furnace.
For example, the blower motor on a two-ton furnace should work at around 800 cubic feet of air. However, the ideal blower motor speed will also change due to several factors, such as:
- Room layout
- House configuration
- Duct system orientation.
A more open house design may need a faster blower setting. You can also adjust speed up and down to increase your space’s comfort or optimize the unit’s performance. Don’t stray too far from the baseline above, though.
Steps to Change Furnace Blower Speed
It is fairly easy to perform DIY blower speed adjustment for furnaces. The professionals follow these steps on how to change blower speed on furnaces and may check your manual as well:
- Disconnect all electrical connections.
- Turn off any gas lines.
- When it’s safe, open the main furnace panel. The blower motor sits near the base and next to the main air filter.
- For a pulley blower motor, adjust the length of the pulley to increase or decrease the speed.
- For other models, consult your furnace manufacturer’s manual.
- Double-check the motor pulley alignment. Is it exactly perpendicular to the main motor shaft? A misaligned blower motor won’t work.
- Replace the furnace panel.
- Reconnect the power to the unit.
Don’t forget to test your furnace to see if the airflow setting is at your desired level.
Does Changing Your Blower Motor Speed Have Negative Effects?
While optimizing furnace airflow with blower speed changes can streamline things, it can also put unnecessary strain on your system and risk a breakdown. Higher airflow can also push more dust into your house if you do not change your furnace filter to compensate for the higher rate.
Additionally, adjusting furnace blower speed only works up to a certain point. For example, if your furnace isn’t large enough to heat your home, increasing the blower motor airflow won’t fix the problem.
Multi-Speed Blower
While knowing how to change the blower motor’s speed is convenient at times, you may not relish the idea of having to manually change the settings whenever you want to change the unit’s performance. Why not invest in a furnace unit with a multi-speed blower, which can change speed according to a current temperature reading?
This nifty design feature makes multi-speed blowers much more efficient than single-speed blowers. It can speed up when the furnace first turns on to maximize airflow and then automatically slow down when your house reaches the toasty temperature you’ve set the system to. It has up to five different speeds, too.
Call For Furnace Repair and Replacement Services
What’s the solution to better furnace performance? It isn’t leaving your blower on all the time but learning how to change blower speed on furnaces—and now you know!
Contact Green Energy Mechanical Inc. online or call (877) 565-4621 to learn more!
