A simple guide to replace a swamp cooler blower yourself.

There are homeowners who would rather get in and get their hands dirty than call us for help. In this article we want to help you with instructions on how to replace your bad swamp cooler blower.

First thing always is safety! Please be aware that electricity is dangerous and working with power around water is even worse! Be careful! Disconnect and tag all breakers and power before starting work.

We are assuming you have been able to troubleshoot and are convinced the blower is actually bad. Normally the blower is accessed by removing the panels and filter pads.  The blower is a very simple mechanical unit that is a motor with a pulley and belt system to drive a squirrel cage blower. The electrical motor drives the belt and turns the blower.

Make sure the belt is OK and on correctly. Also make sure that the belt is tensioned correctly as a loose belt can simply spin around the blower assembly. (You would probably see lots of black dust from the belt!) Sometimes the blot on the pulley for the motor or the blower will be spinning on the shaft due to a loose or broken bolt.

All good?  Check the motor for any damage. Burnt wiring? Water damage? You can replace a bad motor and have the exact same problem if there is something externally wrong.

If you are sure it is the motor that is the problem, there is a tag on the motor providing the amperage rating and any other information you need. You might have to swap out the pulley to the new motor.

Removal of the motor should be fairly straightforward. Take off the pulley and set it aside for reinstallation on the new motor. It might be a good idea to go ahead and replace the belt. Armed with the old belt, motor and plate information it is off to the store for a new motor.
Reinstallation of the new motor is the reverse of the removal. The most important part is to make sure the pulley is aligned correctly.

Align the motor pulley to the blower pulley with a straightedge. Slide the motor pulley until it is perfectly aligned or your belt will jump off! Lock the pulley down with the bolt.

Place the new belt over the pulleys and adjust the tension fairly tight (about ½ inch deflection) but not so tight that it wears the bearings on the blower or the motor.

Wire the motor following the instructions. Usually there will be a hot, neutral and ground wire.  Check that everything is out of the way and start the unit. Watch for any problems. You should be good to go and are now an expert in how to replace a swamp cooler blower. Of course if you have any issues in any of this simply call us!