KGAPC0101ECM Lower Amp Kit and New 2 Speed 926TC Bryant and PG96VTAM Payne Furnaces
Most 90% furnaces that have a 1HP blower motor or 5ton drive require a 20 amp over current protection and 12 GA wire. This can be a problem in aftermarket furnace replacement, as many older furnaces were installed with 15Amp overcurrent protection and 14GA wire.
Back in 2017 Bryant introduced the KGAPC0101ECM Lower Amp Kit. This allowed the reduction of motor amperage on select 1HP 5-ton drive 926TA and 926TB model furnaces. This reduction in motor amperage allowed these select furnace sizes to be installed without upgrading the wire to 12 GA or over current protection to 20 amp. When installed with the 926TB60080V21 or 928TB66100V21, the over current protection required would drop from 20AMP to 15AMP. The existing 14GA wire could be reused. These were both 21” wide cabinets.
The new 926TC Bryant and PG96VTAM Payne with the PWM 25 Speed blower motor have been released and we now have both in stock. The KGAPC0101ECM Lower Amp Kit only works with the new 926TC66120V24 and PG96VTAB33120D. These furnaces have the 24” wide cabinet and are the only models the KGAPC0101ECM will work with. Do not install the kit on any other model furnace.
So, what happens if we install a 21” wide 926TC with 1HP 5 ton drive on with 14GA wire and 15AMP breaker? This will work in many cases. The 15AMP breaker or fuse will adequately protect the 14GA wire. These ECM blower motors don’t have inrush current so in many cases we will see no operational problems. Do not increase the overcurrent protection to 20 amp without also increasing the wire size to 12GA.
Contact the B-Y customer assurance team with any questions.