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Residential · Austin area, TX

Blower Wheel Deep Cleaning in a Two-Story Home

The blower wheel in this home’s air handler had built up a heavy layer of dust on its fan blades. We removed the blower assembly, cleaned the wheel and housing outside the house and put it back in the system.
Property type
Residential
Service
Blower Motor Cleaning
Property
Two-story home
Blower assembly removed from the air handler and taken outside for cleaning
The request

What the homeowner needed

Dust packed onto the curved blades of a blower wheel reduces how much air it can move and makes the motor work harder. The homeowner wanted the blower cleaned properly, not just wiped where it could be reached.

Work performed

  1. 01Remove the blower. Shut the system off, disconnect the blower assembly and carry it out of the house, protecting the floors and stairs on the way.
  2. 02Clean it outside. Clean the fan blades, the wheel and the inside of the housing outdoors, so the dust does not end up back in the home.
  3. 03Reinstall and test. Put the clean blower back in the air handler, reconnect it and run the system to check that it operates normally.
Before and after

The same spot, before and after

Dust caked on the blades of an HVAC blower wheel before cleaning
Before
HVAC blower wheel with clean blades after cleaning
After
Project details

A closer look at the job

What we found

The photos show the blower wheel with dust built up along its curved fan blades and around the hub, and a layer of dust on the inside of the blower housing. Dust on a blower sits exactly where the air is pushed through the system, so it is one of the first places build-up affects airflow.

How we approached it

A blower cannot be cleaned properly in place: the blades are packed tightly together and the housing hides most of them. We took the whole assembly out of the air handler and carried it outdoors, so the dust stayed outside the house. There, the wheel and housing were cleaned blade by blade. The clean blower then went back into the unit and the system was run to check that it started and ran normally.

Working outdoors also meant the floors and stairs inside the home were only crossed with the clean or wrapped part.

Signs to watch for

  • Weaker airflow from the vents than you remember
  • A louder or rougher sound when the system starts
  • Dust that comes back quickly after cleaning around the vents
  • A dusty smell when the system first runs
  • The system has never had the blower cleaned

Why it matters

The blower is what moves air through your ducts. When dust coats the blades, each turn moves less air, the motor works harder and rooms at the end of long duct runs get less airflow. Clean blades restore the shape the wheel was designed with, and dust that is removed from the blower is dust that is not pushed into the ducts.

Outcome

How it finished

The blower wheel went back in with clean blades and a clean housing, and the system was run to confirm it was working before we left.

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Questions

About this kind of job

Straight answers to the questions we hear most about this kind of work.

Can a blower wheel be cleaned without removing it?

Only partly. The front edges of the blades can be reached in place, but most of the dust sits between the blades and inside the housing. Taking the blower out is the way to clean it fully.

Is blower cleaning part of air duct cleaning?

They are related but not the same. Duct cleaning deals with the ductwork; the blower is part of the HVAC unit. If the blower is dirty, cleaning the ducts alone leaves a source of dust in the system, so we often look at both.

How often should the blower be cleaned?

There is no fixed schedule. It depends on filter changes, pets, renovation dust and how much the system runs. A look at the blades during routine maintenance tells you whether it is time.

Will the system be off during the work?

Yes, the system is shut off while the blower is out. It is run again at the end to confirm it is working before we leave.

Our work

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Get in touch

Have a similar property?

Share a few details about the property and we’ll contact you to discuss your request. It does not confirm an appointment.

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(512) 354-2780
Email
info@austinductcleaning.us
Hours
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We’ll contact you to discuss your request.