Furnace part
Inducer motor
The inducer is the small blower that starts before ignition to pull combustion air through the burner and heat exchanger and push flue gas out the vent. When it fails or slows, the pressure switch cannot close and the furnace will not light.
The inducer runs every heating cycle and lives in the hottest, wettest part of a condensing furnace, which makes its bearings and wheel common wear items after many years. Two-stage furnaces use a two-speed inducer matched to the firing stage.
Because the pressure switch depends on the draft the inducer creates, inducer problems usually surface as pressure-switch codes before the motor fails outright.
Signs this part is involved
- Grinding, squealing or scraping at start-up or shut-down
- Pressure-switch codes, especially on high fire where the inducer runs fastest
- Inducer does not start at all (silence where a hum is expected)
- Water in the inducer housing from a blocked condensate path
Related fault codes
- Carrier 59TP6C status code 31: high-heat pressure switch (HPS) open or slow to close
- Carrier 59TP6C status code 32.2: open main pressure switch (LPS)
- Carrier 59SC6A status code 32.1: open main pressure switch (LPS)
Codes are documented per controller; check the model number on your rating plate before comparing. Not sure which control you have?
Related
Questions people ask
Can an inducer be repaired instead of replaced?
It is usually replaced as an assembly; some models allow the motor to be swapped separately. The technician confirms the part for the exact model number.
Why does the inducer fill with water?
A blocked condensate trap or drain backs water into the collector box and the inducer housing. That is why condensate problems are fixed promptly, not left for spring.
Not sure whether the inducer motor is your problem?
BC Wide diagnoses by testing, not by part swapping. Tell us the model number from the rating plate and what the furnace is doing.