Cost to Replace a Furnace Draft Inducer Motor

If your furnace is relatively modern, it will most likely be outfitted with a furnace inducer motor. This is definitely one of those parts that you don’t consider until something is wrong with it. As the furnace inducer motor is one of the most common pieces to fail on a furnace, it’s important that it is properly understood.

It costs an average of $617 to replace a furnace inducer motor with professional help. You can spend between $85 and $1,150 depending on how old your furnace is and how long it takes to replace the furnace inducer motor. However, you can replace your furnace inducer motor for as little as $175 if you buy the parts and do it yourself.

In this guide, we’ve provided all the necessary information pertaining to your furnace inducer motor repair. We’ve outlined everything from what exactly an inducer motor’s purpose is, how to tell when its gone bad and what you can expect during the repair process.

If you’ve never heard of a furnace inducer motor, you may be surprised to find out that it has a very important purpose. It is basically a motor-operated fan whose job it is to divert any harmful gases such as carbon monoxide out of your home by way of furnace vents or through the chimney.

The motor is a part of a complete assembly that involves a fan, motor mount vent cap, capacitor, clamp, wiring and the connection itself. It is essentially contained in a metal housing with an electrical box for power connections. A properly functioning furnace inducer motor will transfer air through the furnace and heating vent channels removing any poisonous gases from the last heating cycle.

The movement of the motor also prevents the furnace burners from getting clogged with dirt or other debris. Essentially, a furnace inducer motor that is up to standards means clean air in your home and a more efficient, safer furnace.

Pay close attention the noises that are coming from your furnace as a bad inducer motor will likely be indicated by the sound it makes. After a heating cycle starts, a furnace inducer motor that is not functioning properly will create a very distinct noise. The sound will typically be a whirring, tapping or humming noise.

If the furnace unit itself will turn on but the blower motor will not, there are some troubleshooting methods you can do to assess if the inducer motor has gone bad.

As previously mentioned, the motor is included in the entire assembly and almost always sold together. Purchasing and installing the complete assembly will actually save you on labor costs. Disassembling the entire assembly to replace just the motor can be costly and time-consuming.

Although the range can be anywhere from $85 to $1,150, the average cost of replacing a furnace inducer motor is typically between $245 and $465. When the damaged or broken part is under warranty and all you’re paying for is labor to have it installed you can expect to pay around $245. Whereas, if the warranty is expired and you’re paying for the full cost of the furnace inducer motor, you’ll pay around $465.

However, if instead of hiring a professional you’ve opted to do the install yourself, this can drop the costs down to around $175. There are a lot of different factors that will influence the cost of a furnace inducer motor replacement. We’ll explore these in the next section.

A furnace inducer motor is essential to proper functionality of your entire furnace. If your inducer motor has broken, this means that there will be no movement of combustion air, no furnace ignition and no release of harmful gases.

A lot of factors need to be considered and understood when assessing how much you’ll pay for a furnace inducer motor replacement. If you’ve determined that your motor does in fact require a replacement, depending on costs of labor, parts and whether your warranty is still active, you could pay anywhere between $85 and $1,150.