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All ECM motors made by GE?

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DarthBane

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
A furnace guy came to my house last night and we had a discussion about multi-stage and modulating furnaces. He said that ALL the ECM motors on the high end furnaces from Carrier, Trane, York etc are all made by GE and are exactly the same. Is this true?
 
#2 ·
I've only seen ones made by GE. I've never seen any other manufacturer. I've been told by the different manufacturers that they are specially made for that company and there are slight nuances. Whether that is true or not, I do not know. I've never talked to anybody from GE about it.
 
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#4 ·
GE sold the division. They licensed their name to the new owners, Regal Beloit, for a specified number of years. GE themselves no longer manufactures the ECM motors.
 
#7 ·
Regal-Beloit calls their motors Genteq (not to be confused with Roboteq) now days.

Nordyne G7 gas furnaces use Broad Ocean ECMs. Possible that their Mod might have a Panasonic motor too from what I Read.
 
#9 ·
Good question. The motor can be fixed speed like an X13 or full variable speed depending upon which board is in the furnace. No, the tech data sheets says ECM. Brushless DC motor.
 
#13 ·
Most motor manufactures make a variable speed motor of some sort. In furnaces/air handlers/oil furnaces you'll see GE motors. I've never ran into anything else on the residential side of HVAC, which doesnt mean it doesnt exist.

These motors are VERY expensive to replace. Luckily if installed properly they RARELY go bad. The GE 3.0 that you'll find in high end Lennox, Carrier, Etc. Will even shut itself off vs trying to move more air then its capable of moving.

Good air filtration is nice too. And no, not a home depot 3m filter, an actual air cleaner. It will minimize motor failure due to dirt/debris and also keep everything operating efficiently.

To go one step further, a lot of manufactures will share all sorts of parts. Motors, contactors, compressors, capacitors, etc. Only on the fancier stuff will you start finding parts design for that particular piece of equipment.

And if you are basing a purchase decision off equipment and the parts they use then dont. Base the decision off the company thats going to be installing said piece of equipment.
 
#15 ·
Well that makes sense. Is the module able to be repaired or is it replace only type of thing? I know in the field you really don't have time to trouble shoot what part is bad and find a replacement, I know that some things are put in epoxy so the parts can not be replaced is this the case?
 
#16 ·
Phasewolf said:
Well that makes sense. Is the module able to be repaired or is it replace only type of thing? I know in the field you really don't have time to trouble shoot what part is bad and find a replacement, I know that some things are put in epoxy so the parts can not be replaced is this the case?
Click to expand...
Anything is possible, if it was built then someone with the right expertise can rebuild it. However paying the labor rate for a person with this sort of expertise will probably outweigh just having the part replaced.

I've soldered burned connections on control boards in a pinch. I've even solder the molex connector onto a variable speed controller that the solder joints just broke loose. However I only do this when I absolutely have too, Friday night, supply houses closed for the weekend, 5 degrees outside, super friendly family with kids and elderly people. That sort of thing. So even if you found someone that COULD do it, its a crap shoot whether they would or not.

I found, from Lennox at least. I can get the module OR I can get the motor AND module. Not just the motor for some reason. I've only found one bad motor before though, its usually the module and sometimes the controller. And these failures have always been related to high static (trying to move more air then you should be/oversized)
 
#17 ·
All manufacturers should be able to sell you the motor or the control module separately. Troubleshooting guides are available online at http://www.thedealertoolbox.com

We do not recommend that anyone repair the control modules, but rather buy a new unit.

Note that the control module should be purchased from the manufacturer as each manufacturer has their own custom settings. So for example, a 2.3 module from Rheem cannot be used on a 2.3 motor for a Trane system.

Regal Beloit purchased the GE HVAC motors division and were given the rights to use the GE name for a period of time. Last year, we introduced the Genteq brand to replace the GE name. So Genteq produces ECM motors for the majority of the OEM's using the following products:
Genteq ECM 3.0 - communicating motor
Genteq ECM 2.3 - thermostat controlled
Genteq X13 - constant torque
Genteq Evergreen IM & AH- aftermarket replacement ECM motor
Genteq 142R - constant speed outdoor condenser

Older ECM product lines:
GE ECM 142
GE ECM 2.5
GE ECM 2.0
GE ECM 1.0

In the Commercial Refrigeration market, we also offer the following ECM motors through our Morrill Motors company:
Morrill Arktic SSC
Morrill Arktic/ICE 59
Morrill Arktic/ICE 142
 
#18 ·
Genteq,

I have a Luxaire modulating furnace installed in 2007 with, presumably, a GE ECM. One of the things I don't understand about these motors is the way they start up. It is common for mine to rumble like thunder, sometimes quite loud and long (maybe 10 seconds), during startup. I have been told and have read that "they all do that", and they are just trying to decide which direction to run. I just find it hard to believe that with all the really good engineering of products out there, that this condition is apparently so prevalent.

If what I have heard/read is right, is there a fix for it yet? If not, when?

Thanks,
Dave
 
#19 ·
Dave66 said:
... One of the things I don't understand about these motors is the way they start up. It is common for mine to rumble like thunder, sometimes quite loud and long (maybe 10 seconds), during startup. I have been told and have read that "they all do that", and they are just trying to decide which direction to run. I just find it hard to believe that with all the really good engineering of products out there, that this condition is apparently so prevalent.

...
Click to expand...
Have a York DFHP installed in 7/2009 that took longer than that to decide which way to go. Had the HP control board replaced and it pretty much stopped that during the heating season although I did notice it did a bit of a dance recently. I too find it hard to believe that a software controlled device can't make a more positive decision on how to rotate a fan.
 
#20 ·
Dave66 said:
Genteq,

I have a Luxaire modulating furnace installed in 2007 with, presumably, a GE ECM. One of the things I don't understand about these motors is the way they start up. It is common for mine to rumble like thunder, sometimes quite loud and long (maybe 10 seconds), during startup. I have been told and have read that "they all do that", and they are just trying to decide which direction to run. I just find it hard to believe that with all the really good engineering of products out there, that this condition is apparently so prevalent.

If what I have heard/read is right, is there a fix for it yet? If not, when?

Thanks,
Dave
Click to expand...
Dave, what motor is instlaled into that Luxaire unit? Is that a Genteq ECM 2.3 or the X13?
 
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