Air Conditioning - Air flow direction for external coil/compressor unit?

Hi,

I know this is very simple question but I just can't seem to find an answer.
I've got a Trane XE 1100 and the blower motor in the external coil/compressor unit went bad. I had it replaced but I just can't remember which way the fan is supposed to blow... should it suck up air through the sides and shoot it up or should it be the other way around? Does it really matter?

Thanks in advance for any input and sorry for the silly question.

Nick

Warm air should discharge from the fan, not out through the coils.

It for sure matters how it blowes. The air has to blow up and out . If it blowes down Id hate to see what the head pressure is on that unit at that time. The RPM, also make sure its the same as the old motor was.

ED ;)

THANKS for the replies!

I was asking because I thought that it used to work that way, even after the service tech. replaced the fan motor. Later today I noticed that the fan was blowing in the other direction (!?). I restarted it a few times (letting it rest for a few minutes in bewteen), but the results were the same.
Just now, for the heck of it, I restarted the A/C again and this time the fan is blowing air upwards. Could this be because of a bad starter capacitor (its cap looks a bit swollen)?

Oh, the new motor has the same RPM spec as the old one (825). It's a different brand, though.

Thanks again,

Nick

P.S.: I'm in Phoenix, AZ, it's about 9PM and it's still over 100F outside, the A/C doesn't work quite well so I'm crankier than usual and I can't think clearly. Thanks for any help/advice/input.

If the capacitor is swollen replace it. Why didn't the technician replace it with the new fan motor??

Make sure you get the right one for the current motor.

Air should be blowing upward away from compressor.
What this does is remove the heat. It should not be blowing down
on the compressor. This would cause compressor to overheat and therefore shut down. Also, feel the air blowing out it should feel warm this is indication
the compressor is running and cooling.
FG.

This is an old thread but on my new outside unit, in WINTER the fan runs in the opposite direction which blows air DOWN on the compressor which intentionally picks up some heat from it and blows it across the coils to transfer it. What a great idea, otherwise in winter the heat generated by the compressor running would never pass over the coils and just be wasted. Beer 4U2

This is an old thread but on my new outside unit, in WINTER the fan runs in the opposite direction which blows air DOWN on the compressor which intentionally picks up some heat from it and blows it across the coils to transfer it. What a great idea, otherwise in winter the heat generated by the compressor running would never pass over the coils and just be wasted. Beer 4U2

Actually, that probably isn't a good thing. What your HP will end up doing is sucking everything into the inside of the coil. This could be snow/rain/sleet causing the system to freeze up and defrost excessively. Most likely, it would suck in dirt, debris, leaves, grass, etc. and clog up the coil fins from the inside making it very difficult to clean.

True it is easier to clean the coils from outside the FCU. This particular HP is protected from rain/sleet/snow and leaves by being under an extended overhang to keep it clean.

It also has a 24" square preheat air plenum chamber running up into the attic overhang where warm air is heated by the roof. The makeup air comes in the gable end vent.