How to (Almost) Replace the Draft Inducer Motor on a Coleman Furnace

Just a few minutes ago, Miriam was throwing one of her signature fits about a school writing assignment because she said she could understand what the request was. ("If you understand it, then YOU write it!", she screamed at Susan.)

And I thought, "I am excellent at writing about things I know nothing about!" I will now do that.

Just after midnight the other night, Susan and I were awakened by a very loud noise in the furnace. It sounded like a rat was shooting something in the basement with a mini Gatling gun. Yikes.

I thought it was the blower motor, but the next morning I could the problem was in a motor  that rests in the little compartment above the blower motor and where some of the furnace parts are and where many of the components are accessible.


I learned that this part is called a "Draft Inducer Motor", which, as the name suggests, is a fan that is meant to gently coax out the bad furnace fumes and send them up the flu. I learned that it is very important and that it should not sound like a rat's Gatling gun. Having successfully wielded a screw driver in the past, I figured I could replace the part.

I then wondered if it had been replaced by a service company in the recent past. I discovered a technician's writing on the access door that said it had been replaced in December of 2017, so the part was less than a year and a half old. I decided I should call them, as the part might be under warranty.

The gal I talked to on the phone thought it should be warrantied for five years, but said the paperwork left some confusion on what was actually replaced but a technician would come out and inspect it. That sounded great.

I had stayed home from work but left to pick up somebody or something in the afternoon, and when I got back the technicians were there admiring the damage to the aforementioned Draft Inducer Motor: 

Your very untrained eye can probably see the hole in the Draft Inducer Motor thanks to my handy red arrow.

The motor had a hole in the casing around the fan. This is bad, and quite unexpected. The technician informed me that the part only had a year warranty and would cost over $900. He said he could replace it but wondered if we should get something more appropriately sized and warrantied for our home, which I know will need in the near future, so we spent some time chatting about it. I even set up a time for someone to come out and size up our needs for a new system.

But $900? A fellow should be able to buy a mini Gatling gun for that.

So, I went online and found one for just under $200 and one just over $200. And I bought one. I will now explain how to almost install it, professionally.

#1: Take a picture of what they put back:

#2: Make sure the parts match exactly.

#3: Start attaching washers and gasket thingies doodads and doo-hicks and what-nots together.

#4: Wonder why the fan turns on but the furnace doesn't.

Secret in #4 are those secret parts listed below, one I didn't see and one I forgot about. I even watched a Youtube video and forgot about the two parts:

The bottom drain hose attaches at the bottom left of the motor, and is simply pushed on. The light grey tube on the left attaches to the small nobby with a hole in it to the upper left of the motor. Duh. 

The install guys purposely didn't attach those two hoses when they put things back in because they wanted the AC to work but didn't us to die of carbon monoxide poisoning or something if we happened to turn the heat back on. 

Because the weather got cold, I really wanted the furnace to work. Susan called the HVAC guy back and he quickly put them on and left. 

Voila:

How embarrassing.