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My attic fan motor appears to be on the fritz (makes a buzzing sound and the fan tries to turn but won't make it more than 1-2 revolutions without sticking).

I'm trying to figure out what type of motor I need. Here are potentially relevant bits of info about the fan/motor...

  • 14-inch blade/housing
  • 120V
  • 2.1A
  • 60Hz
  • 1/5HP

I'm having trouble finding a motor that meets all of those numbers and wasn't sure which of those numbers actually mattered.

FWIW, I have a ~2500 sq/ft attic space.

Here are potentially relevant photos (sorry for the poor quality, obviously bad lighting)...

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  • Is it a direct drive (fan blade mounted directly on the motor shaft) or a pulley drive? Have you checked to make sure that there are no other factors interfering with the rotation, such as a misaligned pulley, a damaged belt, a bent housing? Is there a lubrication port on the motor?
    – bib
    Jul 25, 2012 at 13:06
  • @bib: Just added a few photos that maybe clarify some of those points/questions.
    – Shpigford
    Jul 25, 2012 at 13:09

1 Answer 1

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My dad had to replace one of these at his house a while back and it wasn't much cheaper to buy the motor separately than it was to just replace the whole whole unit with one from a big box store. If you can get a deal on the motor it may be cheaper though.

If you do find a motor, the thermal protection is important. If you have a heating and air conditioning place nearby, you may see if they have some similar ones in stock.

If you type the model number into google (dow motor model d-xin-psc-6p1), you can find several of the exact same motor with different amps. I'm not sure how important the amps are, but it seems like the higher amp units have bigger blades.

Lowes has a replacement that has higher amps but is obviously made for a similar fan.

A lot of these seem to be made by 'Air Vent Inc.', Amazon has some too.

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  • My main hesitation with replacing the whole unit is that it means getting up on the roof and moving shingles around...which seems like a big hassle. So saving $20-30 to not have to get out on my roof in the middle of summer seems like a good trade off. :)
    – Shpigford
    Jul 25, 2012 at 16:10
  • Good point. :) If you can't find a stand alone motor, maybe buy a whole unit and swap the motor that way.
    – Zach
    Jul 25, 2012 at 16:37
  • @Shpigford, have you verified that you can remove the motor from inside the house? You may find that it's screwed from the outside or requires removing the top of the vent.
    – BMitch
    Jul 25, 2012 at 21:24

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