[drtom]

My old exhaust blower is very noisy at times. I have a new placement to install. Seems pretty straight forward. Any tips? Is the condenser uncharged when I remove the old oneif main power is shut off?

[ma0641]

Condenser is not uncharged, it stores electricity. The condenser is usually grounded to the motor case. Take a rubber handle insulated screwdriver and short the condenser terminals to the case. You will probably hear a snap when the spark discharges. After that it's usually 2-3 screws to take the cage out, If it is an integral motor, remove it and swap out. If separate motor, unbolt and replace. The condenser will automatically recharge when hooked back up again.

[macx351]

You are correct, they are fairly easy to install. It likely is pretty much mounted "out front". Should be just 3 or 4 mounting bolts, the exhaust pipe connection, and a couple wires.

On mine, a couple of the bolts were large lag bolts that just screwed through some heavy gauge sheet metal. If yours is like that, just be careful when you reinstall the bolts not to tighten them too tight or you could strip the holes.

Also there will likely be a gasket between the blower and what it mounts to. When you remove the existing one, pull gently when you first pull it away from the mounting and watch for the gasket, you may have to use some type of flat blade to gently get the gasket unstuck from either the blower or the furnace. If you do tear it, a little common hi temp silicone will fix that when you put it back together, available in small tubes at all auto parts places.

I coached my wife over the phone when she replaced ours and she is not mechanically inclined, so go for it and good luck!