How to Lubricate Your Air Conditioner Fan Motor the Right Way
Do you know what an air conditioner fan motor does for your unit? It makes it possible to move cold air throughout your home, a vital function if you want to stay cool. But the fans sometimes break, whether through a lack of maintenance, bad parts, or just old age.
What’s the solution? Knowing how to lubricate air conditioner fan motors is a good start. This basic maintenance task ensures proper lubrication, preventing rattling sounds and other performance issues.
On The Double Heating & Cooling is Lubbock’s expert AC maintenance service. Below, we explain how to look after your air conditioner’s fan motor for the best results.
Turn Off Your Air Conditioning Unit
How do air conditioner fans operate? They’re similar to regular household fans, as they use powerful blades to distribute air. So, before beginning any motor lubrication project, take the time to power down your air conditioner correctly.
Never work with a live air conditioner; instead, locate your home’s circuit breaker and switch off your unit. If you don’t have a circuit breaker, find an alternative power source or contact an air conditioning service for assistance.
Open Your Air Conditioner
Once you’ve turned off your central air conditioning unit, you’ll want to access the inside area of the unit. Outdoor units have a top cover that uses eight or ten screws to stay put. Remove each of these screws with a screwdriver or a nut driver to access your air conditioner’s fan motor.
Typically, fan motors rest right underneath this cover. However, it’s not uncommon for units to place fans next to the fan cage. If that’s the case, you’ll need to decouple the fan cage from the unit cover by removing additional screws.
Check the Fan Motor
Are you afraid of your unit overheating? Trust your fan. It’s what distributes air from the unit throughout your home to give you cool air, but it also protects your unit from short cycling.
Checking your fan’s motor is simple. Place it so the blades face upwards, and swirl them around to see if the motor shaft works well. Are there any cracked or damaged blades?
Inspect the central blade assembly located near the motor’s center, as well. Are there side-to-side blade movements or strange noises? If you notice any of these issues, you may need to replace your motor.
But in the event that everything seems fine, you can proceed to the next step and check the oil ports.
Access the Oil Ports
A crucial skill in learning how to lubricate air conditioner fan motors is accessing your oil ports. A fan motor’s oil ports usually rest on the top side, but some models will place them on the bottom, so you’ll need to get to know your unit.
Move the cage assembly around to locate these oil ports. They should have plugs covering each of the oil ports, which you can remove. You might need a screwdriver or another tool, but oftentimes you can remove these components with your bare hands easily enough.
It’s also best to place your plugs in a specific location as you take them off. That way, you can put them back after the lubrication process.
Lubricate the Oil Ports
Once you have located and unplugged each of the fan motor’s oil ports, grab your trusty oil container. It doesn’t matter if it has a spray nozzle, hose, or dropper: just squirt some oil into each plug. If the plug overflows, use a cloth or rag to soak it up.
While this step might seem simple, there are some precautions. For example, you should be extra careful not to flood your motor with oil or damage your motor blades with the cloth.
Put the Unit Back Together
The final step is to replace a plug on top of each port. Then, try moving the fan blades to spread the lubrication throughout the system. Be gentle to avoid damaging the blades.
Finally, replace your unit’s top cover and put every screw back in its place. After all, what’s the point of knowing how to lubricate components if you can’t put things back together?
Professional Air Conditioning Services in Lubbock, TX
Voila: now you can lubricate an air conditioner fan motor.
If you need high-quality AC installation and repair services, On the Double Heating & Cooling are Lubbock’s experts of choice. Our customer service and professionalism guarantee only the best possible results.
So, if you want to know how to lubricate air conditioner fan motors or address your HVAC concerns, call On The Double Heating & Cooling at 806-203-6528 today!
