Newbie - Condenser Fan Motor malfunctioning

[danjmac]

Hello all -
Thank you for reading my question. Towards the end of the summer my AC unit started shooting hot air. When my Father in Law (handyman) visited he opened the unit and diagnosed that the condenser fan was not moving. The Condenser motor model # was K55HXPSS-7300. We WD40'ed the motor and it started moving again and it was put in the unit. I was told by my father in law to purchase a spare one as this was looked like it would go any time. I saw online and found one for ~250, but being the stingy person I am, I decided to wait for the winter; figuring it would be cheaper. Now the only new GE K55HXPSS-7300 I can find is on **** for 999.00.

My questions are:
• Do I need to replace the motor with the same model (I am figuring no?)
• If not, what should I be looking for?
o Can you suggest a motor I can use?
o My electric bill is pretty big in the summer (450 USD/month for 2000 Sq ft corner condo).
o Is there anyway I can get a bigger or smaller / more efficient motor to control the bill?
o Will there be wiring work required if I do not use the same motor
o Would anyone know how the replacement would cost if I get a HVAC professional to replace it?


Thak you in advance for your hlep.

[jimbo]

$250 from a dealer or contractor would not have been out of line, but the $999 is %^#^%#

Grainger is the primo source of replacement motors. If you search their website with your model number, you get this:
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg...headSearch.y=6

The fan motor is not the energy hog in your system. It is the compressor and the blower on the indoor unit. Today's more efficient units DO get into special high efficiency motors inside, but you can't just drop that in. The whole system has to be designed for it.



Double check all the key stats, like voltage, hp, rpm, direction of rotation, etc. It is probably a very close match, which is why the grainger.com search found it.\

By all means, spring another $15 for the specified capacitor. Never put in a new motor and leave the old capacitor. A/C units often have a dual capacitor, with one side being compressor run and the other for the fan. Simply look at the microfarad and voltage numbers on the actual capacitor in your unit. It might be something like 35/5 . It might be 370 VAC rating, but getting a 440 VAC rating would be better just because.

WD40 will not bring an old motor back to life. I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did!

An HVAC company will have to get $400 to $600. They will spend at least an hour, because a responsible tech can't just drop in a motor because you said so. He will need to run some tests on the system and that takes time, expertise, and specialized equipment. Also, he may very will use an OEM motor, and that will be $250 to you.

If your outdoor unit is older than about 6 years, it may be 10 SEER. A new 13 SEER unit would save a lot of money, but would cost a few grand to put in.

[DonL]

Take it to a motor shop and have them replace the bearings. And make sure that the cap is good.

Not much to go bad.

[jimbo]

I don't know what it would cost to repair a condenser fan motor....but I would be surprised if a small motor like that is worth the cost of rebuilding......

[ballvalve]

You can do it yourself in a half hour. But for the new motor lets support the Mexicans, which get some components from here and keep more from jumping the fence:

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/AO-...&cm_vc=IDPRRZ1

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/GEN...&cm_vc=IDPRRZ1

Let the chinese eat cake.

[danjmac]

Thats guys...