I have a 4 ton heatpump. Single phase, 220v. I'm going to straight duct it into a main living area. Unrestricted return and supply, save for a filter and a few bends in some flex from the unit.
Should I expect that the ECM motor (GE brand) will burn up without any restriction to air flow on the supply side? Wouldn't it simply adjust to it's designed air flow based on how hard it's working?
This question comes from having bought a used unit and when powered and the call for the fan in any mode was made, the inside fan just blew at hurricane force speeds all the time. I was new to this unit and this kind of HP unit in general. I thought this to be normal. After about a week of use and maybe 5 to 6 hours of logged use (via one of those really neat thermostats) and normal run times in heat mode of about 20 to 30 minutes, the inside fan just quit. It was hard to turn and no longer worked.
The fan motor was replaced under warranty with the advisement that because I wasn't running any restrictions to the air flow, the motor would burn itself up to supply the designed level of "WORK" or air flow. I got the fan motor installed and powered the unit up. It's not working like anything the old motor did so far. It's varying it's speed based on the mode the unit is in. For example, if just the fan is called for, it's a gentle breeze and slower speeds. If the unit's heat or cool is called for, the fan ramps up it's speed considerably compared to just the fan mode. It's characteristics are much different than the one that quite working.
I wondered if perhaps the motor before it actually had an issue and burnt itself up because it wasn't throttling itself down. I want to run this unit as cheaply (in terms of ducting) as possible. I also won't be getting another chance at another motor if this one stops too.
Any ideas, advisement's, comments? Thanks.
S.
Should I expect that the ECM motor (GE brand) will burn up without any restriction to air flow on the supply side? Wouldn't it simply adjust to it's designed air flow based on how hard it's working?
This question comes from having bought a used unit and when powered and the call for the fan in any mode was made, the inside fan just blew at hurricane force speeds all the time. I was new to this unit and this kind of HP unit in general. I thought this to be normal. After about a week of use and maybe 5 to 6 hours of logged use (via one of those really neat thermostats) and normal run times in heat mode of about 20 to 30 minutes, the inside fan just quit. It was hard to turn and no longer worked.
The fan motor was replaced under warranty with the advisement that because I wasn't running any restrictions to the air flow, the motor would burn itself up to supply the designed level of "WORK" or air flow. I got the fan motor installed and powered the unit up. It's not working like anything the old motor did so far. It's varying it's speed based on the mode the unit is in. For example, if just the fan is called for, it's a gentle breeze and slower speeds. If the unit's heat or cool is called for, the fan ramps up it's speed considerably compared to just the fan mode. It's characteristics are much different than the one that quite working.
I wondered if perhaps the motor before it actually had an issue and burnt itself up because it wasn't throttling itself down. I want to run this unit as cheaply (in terms of ducting) as possible. I also won't be getting another chance at another motor if this one stops too.
Any ideas, advisement's, comments? Thanks.
S.
