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is blower surge bad

by Dr. Giuseppe Strosin PhD Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Yes, to my understanding the blower surge is a bad blower motor and or resistor. I've had the same problem for a while now. I've returned it to my local dealer for the problem and they replaced the control head, that didn't solve the issue.

Full Answer

What is blower surge and how can I prevent it?

As the motor leans out, the RPM's increase and richen up the motor, when the motor richens the RPM's decrease and the motor leans out again. This continual cycle is known as "blower surge". With proper tuning, some of this surging should be able to be eliminated.

What are the symptoms of a bad blower motor?

Rust in a blower motor is a symptom of a dirty blower motor. This is why it’s important to change your air filters regularly and make sure that there are no air leaks in your furnace. If you think you have a bad blower motor, you should check a few things first.

What causes blower surge when engine is off?

As the idle speed goes down, the fuel pump, which is driven by the engine, doesn’t send as much fuel to the engine. That means the motor leans out slightly, increasing the RPM. “It’s that constant hunting back and forth between rich and lean that causes the blower surge,” adds Hayes. “Typically, it’s not going to hurt the engine.”

Can a supercharger cause a surge?

Thus, when you have a surging problem (which is not good) you have a lean condition occuring at some point in your induction. This is true whether you are running a blower or normally-aspirated. A supercharger can cause the engine to surge if the boost pressure is varying. High-boost setups are more prone to boost surge.

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How do I stop my blower surge?

One of the first methods used to try and protect the blower is to add a modulating valve downstream of the blower. If the pressure in discharge line is too high the modulating valve will open reducing the header pressure thus relieving the surge condition.

Why do blowers surge?

This is caused by a rich/lean cycle at idle. As the motor leans out the RPM's increase and richen up the motor, when the motor richens the RPM's decrease and the motor leans out again. This continual cycle is known as “blower surge”.

What is centrifugal blower surge?

Surge in a centrifugal blower or exhauster is similar to “pump cavitation” in a liquid pump. There are actually two types of surge, volumetric surge and pressure surge. While they are in most ways similar, their cause in a system can differ.

Will a supercharger damage my engine?

Superchargers use air to increase power, meaning that overboosting the supercharger will blow hot air into the engine and could cause damage.

What is rise to surge?

The HRTS is a measure of the rise in the head (at constant speed) when the operating point moves toward the surge line. Other common terms related to HRTS include pressure rise to surge, and pressure ratio rise to surge.

What are the damages due to compressor surge?

A compressor surge can lead to the unit malfunctioning, including rapid flow reversals and changes in axial thrust, high vibration and damage to rotor seals and bearings, which could necessitate equipment replacement.

What happens when compressor surges?

Surge occurs when there is no forward flow of gas through the compressor and a reversal of flow occurs. The gas that is being compressed gets pushed backward through the centrifugal compressor. When this surge (flow reversal) occurs, which can happen in milliseconds, the rotor is affected.

What is surge count?

One for counting the number of surges during a particular surge event and one for accumulated surge counts over time. The event surge counter resets to zero when the surge alarms are reset. The accumulated surge counter is not reset when the surge alarms are reset and is the total number of detected surges.

How does compressor surge happen?

Surge is a condition that occurs in compressors when the amount of gas they are trying to compress is insufficient for the size of the compressor and the blades lose their ability to transfer energy from the shaft to the fluid, causing a reverse flow of the gas.

What is surge in centrifugal compressor?

Compressor surge is a form of aerodynamic instability in axial compressors or centrifugal compressors. The term describes violent air flow oscillating in the axial direction of a compressor, which indicates the axial component of fluid velocity varies periodically and may even become negative.

Is a blower and a supercharger the same thing?

A blower is just another name for a supercharger, particularly roots-type supercharger, which is probably one of the oldest styles of supercharger. At the heart of the roots-type supercharger are two counter-rotating meshed lobed rotors.

How does a multistage centrifugal blower work?

Therefore, it is explained that multistage blowers use the kinetic energy of the internal impellers to increase the volume of the air or other specialty gas (like methane gas, biogas, etc.), which in turn moves them against the resistance caused by ducts, piping, dampers and other components.

Why does my blower surge?

From my experience, the surge is caused by how tight the blower is set up. Mooneyham, littlefield and certain BDS blowers will do this. Obviously for the street they dont set them up too tight do to the added heat in the blower. When were tuning up a blower motor if you add more idle fuel it will surge more, lean it out and it will smooth out. Most of our customers ask for the surge but if the blower isn't tight enough you wont get it to surge.

How much boost can a street blower get?

You can get 12 lbs. boost from a street blower without Teflon seals on a small block which would be more than most could handle on the street and still be able to run pump gas.

How much under should I go on pump gas?

You should be able to go about 3% under and be fine on pump gas. That I what I am running now. With Carbs you may be able to sneak up a little more than that buy pulling some timing out.

Is surging bad for you?

Surging is not good although it's a lot more harmful to have it happening at higher RPM than at idle.

Can a supercharger cause a boost surge?

This is true whether you are running a blower or normally-aspirated. A supercharger can cause the engine to surge if the boost pressure is varying. High-boost setups are more prone to boost surge. I don't think Tim is using a lot of boost so his problem was probably more related to his fuel injection setup.

What happens if you lean your blower motors out?

If I lean my blower motors out enough to stop the surge, the idle goes up (from being too lean), and then will die when I put them into gear. Different atmosphere conditions will also effect the idle mix and surge, so it is tough to tune out 100% of the time with my setup- even with idle air bleed jets to fine tune the idle mixture.

Do you need a bypass valve for a big cam?

I think with big cam (low vacuum) you need a low vac bypass valve. I'm pretty sure its the bypass valve opening and closing as sufficient vacuum comes and goes.

Does the air condition affect idle?

Atmosphere conditions do effect idle so doze lobe center on cam shaft the wider the lobe center is the better the idle and timing is a factor.But a isolating engine just needs the idle turn up.

Can you tune carbs to get rid of surge?

Tuning a carb takes time, blower motors can be difficult to get rid of surge. The higher the idle the easier it is to get rid of. You can also lock the timing out on a blower motor and that seems to help also. With Bravos it's a little harder if you are trying to set the idle low enough to shift. Once your off the idle circuit the surge usually goes away.

What happens if your HVAC blower motor blows out?

At this point, the motor is no longer working at all. Should you notice this symptom, then you don’t have much choice aside from getting a new blower motor and repairing your furnace.

How to tell if blower motor is bad?

You can tell that your furnace blower motor is bad if there is weakened airflow or if you notice odd noises when it’s on. Furnaces can overheat if the blower motor is bad, and that is an easy way to identify the problem. Energy bills generally increase if there is a problem with the blower motor as well.

What Causes A Furnace Blower To Go Bad?

A furnace blower can go bad for a wide range of reasons including old age, electrical failures, bearings failures, or dirt accumulation. If you want to try to prevent your furnace blower from failing prematurely, just maintain your furnace and the surrounding area well.

How long does a furnace blower motor last?

A furnace blower motor usually lasts about the same amount of time as the furnace. So, you should expect your furnace blower motor to last between 10 to 20 years on average. The more reliable the brand, the more likely it is to reach the 20-year mark without serious problems.

What is a furnace blower motor?

The furnace blower motor is the part of your HVAC system in charge of distributing the hot air throughout your house. This means that most of the symptoms you’ll notice will have to deal with the speed or airflow of warm air through your home. These signs below can indicate that it’s time to fix your blower motor.

How much does it cost to replace a furnace blower motor?

Top of the line, multi-speed furnace blower motor replacements can easily exceed $1,500 or more . Needless to say, this can be a serious financial peril for some families.

What does selective speed airflow mean?

Selective speed airflow means that you can only get the air to run at certain speeds—most often low ones. Your HVAC system is designed to move air at different speeds in order to give your home a balanced temperature. If you notice that you have selective speed airflow, then you probably have a failing furnace blower motor.

What happens when a compressor is surged?

Surging can cause the compressor to overheat to the point at which the maximum allowable temperature of the unit is exceeded. Also, surging can cause damage to the thrust bearing due to the rotor shifting back and forth from the active to the inactive side. This is defined as the surge cycle of the compressor.

What is surge in compressor?

Surge is defined as the operating point at which centrifugal compressor peak head capability and minimum flow limits are reached. Actually, the working principle of a centrifugal compressor is increasing the kinetic energy of the fluid with a rotating impeller. The fluid is then slowed down in a volume called the plenum, where the kinetic energy is converted into potential energy in form of a pressure rise.

What is surge region?

surging can be defined as the unstability of a flow in compressor it can be understand in a easy way let us assume that a certian amount of mass or liquid enters into a compressor the compressor compresses the fluid hence the pressure ratio increases now decresing the mass flow rate the pressure ratio will be higher that previous one as we repeat this there will come a point when the pressure ratio will be maximum from that point if we decrease the mass flow rate the pressure ratio will decrease this even there may be a back flow of fluid this region is are surge region and due to this the com

How does a compressor surge?

When the plenum pressure behind the compressor is higher than the compressor outlet pressure, the fluid tends to reverse or even flow back in the compressor. As a consequence, the plenum pressure will decrease, inlet pressure will increase and the flow reverses again. This phenomenon, called surge, repeats and occurs in cycles with frequencies varying from 1 to 2 Hz. So, the compressor loses the ability to maintain the peak head when surge occurs and the entire system becomes unstable. A collection of surge points during varying compressor speed or varying inlet gas angle is fitted as surge line. In normal conditions, the compressor operates in the right side of the surge line. However, during startup/emergency shutdown, the operating point will move towards the surge line because flow is reduced. If conditions are such that the operating point approaches the surge line, flow recirculation occurs in the impeller and diffuser (Figure 1).

What is compressor blower fan?

As you know compressor, blower & fan are devices which pump/pressurises gases instead of liquid. They are classified on the basis of pressure rise done by them:-

Why does a manifold start suplying air to the blower?

At a particular pressure ratio manifold start suplying air to the blower because of blower pressure is less than manifold pressure. So because of this air comes from maniflod expands in the blower with a huge sound that is called turbocharger surging

What causes a blower to choke?

Too low an air-mass flow at a given speed, or pressure ratio, will cause the blower to surge, while too high a mass flow causes the blower to choke, resulting in loss of pressure ratio and efficiency at a given speed. The blower impeller, as it rotates, accelerates the air flow through the impeller, and the air leaves the blower with a velocity tha

What happens if a blower motor goes bad?

If the blower motor is completely bad, then you’ll have no airflow at all. Strange sounds coming from blower. Blower motors can make all kinds of sounds, depending on what the issue is. Vibrations, grinding, and high pitched-noises are some of the sounds a blower can make if it’s going bad.

What are the symptoms of a bad blower motor?

If you’re trying to figure out if you have a bad blower motor, it’s important to know what to look for.

What to do if blower belt is snapped?

If the belt is snapped, then the blower won’t work. Replacing the belt is a fairly simple fix. Another thing to check is the capacitor. The capacitor is used to start the fan so it’s worth checking if your blower motor won’t start up.

Why does my furnace blower motor go bad?

Another reason why a blower motor might go bad is due to rust in the motor’s internal components. Rust in a blower motor is a symptom of a dirty blower motor. This is why it’s important to change your air filters regularly and make sure that there are no air leaks in your furnace.

How to check if a furnace blower is working?

Turn off the power to your furnace and remove the cover from the blower compartment. Inspect the blower motor and look for any damage. Give the blower fan a spin with your hand to see if there is any scraping or wobbles.

How to tell if a blower motor is bad?

Here are 4 common symptoms of a bad blower motor: 1 Low/no airflow from vents. The classic sign of a bad blower motor is restricted airflow coming from your air vents. If the blower motor is completely bad, then you’ll have no airflow at all. 2 Strange sounds coming from blower. Blower motors can make all kinds of sounds, depending on what the issue is. Vibrations, grinding, and high pitched-noises are some of the sounds a blower can make if it’s going bad. 3 Circuit breaker keeps tripping. A blower motor that’s seized up is bound to trip a circuit breaker. (A bad capacitor will trip the circuit breaker too, so be sure to check that first.) 4 Hot/burning smell coming from air vents. A bad blower motor will sometimes overheat, causing a “hot” smell to come out of your air vents. In the worst scenarios, your blower motor may actually start to burn. Yikes!

Why does my blower motor overheat?

Lots of times, airflow restriction from a dirty filter will cause a blower motor to overheat. The excess heat in the motor will cause its performance to degrade, and the motor may fail altogether. If your blower has a fan belt, take a loot at it. If the belt is snapped, then the blower won’t work.

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6 hours ago  · When you have an over-rich condition, the RPM drops. Thus, when you have a surging problem (which is not good) you have a lean condition occuring at some point in your induction. This is true whether you are running a blower or normally-aspirated. A supercharger can cause the engine to surge if the boost pressure is varying.

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26 hours ago  · Solo. Registered. Joined Jan 24, 2005. 880 Posts. #9 · May 16, 2008. A proper Carb Tuneage will help that problem. Dockage can be a bad thing with a surgeing engine. Try a crash box trans with blown motors, whoo- hoo. some seroius dock rash follows. :dead:

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25 hours ago  · 17,843. Tuning a carb takes time, blower motors can be difficult to get rid of surge. The higher the idle the easier it is to get rid of. You can also lock the timing out on a blower motor and that seems to help also. With Bravos it's a little harder if you are trying to set the idle low enough to shift.

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36 hours ago Surge is a complete breakdown of steady flow through the compressor. It is defined as the lower limit of stable operation of the compressor. The course of the surge is decreasing mass flow rate and increases a rotational speed of the impeller. It imposes stress on a bearing of compressor and motor and may damage it. Stalling:

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1 hours ago  · The classic sign of a bad blower motor is restricted airflow coming from your air vents. If the blower motor is completely bad, then you’ll have no airflow at all. Strange sounds coming from blower. Blower motors can make all kinds of sounds, depending on what the issue is. Vibrations, grinding, and high pitched-noises are some of the sounds a blower can make if …

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