1 damper working opposite of others

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lmcavoy
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 7:28 pm

1 damper working opposite of others

Post by lmcavoy »

I have a 2 Zone system hot air system in our recently purchased house. The 1st floor is on zone 1, and the 2nd floor on zone 2. Now that winter is here in the northeast we noticed a problem. Half of our first floor was much colder than the other half. Our upstairs was heating fairly evenly. I looked at the dampers (MA-SMDL) of which there are 2 for each zone and the lights indicated that they were operating properly when the corresponding zone was calling for heat, but then I realized one half of zone 1 was actually open when it indicated closed and closed when the led light said open.

I check the schematic I found online for the controller and damper model and everything appears to be wired correctly. Is there something that was installed wrong mechanically when this was put in and what can I do to remedy this situation?

Thank you,
Larry
Pcyrana

Re: 1 damper working opposite of others

Post by Pcyrana »

Larry,
It is possible that the SMDL motor could have a loose set screw or could be configured backwards.
To tighten the set screw you will need a 1/16 allen key.
I will attach a PDF that shows how to replace an SMDL motor.
If you follow steps 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8, (in that order) that should solve the obvious problems that I have mentioned.
If that does not work we can troubleshoot further from that point.
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lmcavoy
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 7:28 pm

Re: 1 damper working opposite of others

Post by lmcavoy »

Ok, the set screw was not loose but i loosened it and retightened 180deg from where it was previously. In comparing this damper to the other 3 (2 on each side of air handler exhaust) this one is installed backwards. The actual damper linkage is on the opposite side of damper from furnace. The other three have the linkage on the furnace side. Are these intended to be directional relative to the air flow or does that not matter as long as they open and close when they should?

I appreciate the info and it's working much better since I reversed the linkage on the motor.
Pcyrana

Re: 1 damper working opposite of others

Post by Pcyrana »

Those dampers are not directional relative to airflow. They can be installed in any direction.
Glad to hear everything is working better now.
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