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Electronics Repair (sci.electronics.repair) Discussion of repairing electronic equipment. Topics include requests for assistance, where to obtain servicing information and parts, techniques for diagnosis and repair, and annecdotes about success, failures and problems. |
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#1
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OT - electric motor issue
Our air compressor at work is powered by a 5hp, single phase, 230 volt
motor. Often when the compressor tries to start again (triggered by falling tank pressure) the breaker trips. By rotating the motor by hand prior to resetting the breaker, the motor will then start. Since this happens between two and five times per day, we're getting tired of it. The nameplate says the motor draws 24 full load amps, so I had the electrician (who was there for another job) pull the motor off the 20 amp breaker and put it on a 30 amp. (wire gauge sufficiency verified.) Still trips, and not knowing what else to do, I replaced the motor starting capacitors. That didn't fix it. So, before taking this to a motor repair shop, or replacing it, is there anything else an idiot could look at and possibly fix? TIA. |
#2
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OT - electric motor issue
"Smitty Two" wrote in message news Our air compressor at work is powered by a 5hp, single phase, 230 volt motor. Often when the compressor tries to start again (triggered by falling tank pressure) the breaker trips. By rotating the motor by hand prior to resetting the breaker, the motor will then start. Since this happens between two and five times per day, we're getting tired of it. The nameplate says the motor draws 24 full load amps, so I had the electrician (who was there for another job) pull the motor off the 20 amp breaker and put it on a 30 amp. (wire gauge sufficiency verified.) Still trips, and not knowing what else to do, I replaced the motor starting capacitors. That didn't fix it. So, before taking this to a motor repair shop, or replacing it, is there anything else an idiot could look at and possibly fix? TIA. The starting amps are much higher than the full load amps, for a 5HP motor you're probably looking at around 100A for a split second as it starts up. I suspect the wire run is long, or you have some resistance somewhere which is delaying the motor getting up to speed long enough for the breaker to trip. One option is to run the circuit with heavier wire, though a likely better option is to install an unloader valve on the compressor which will greatly reduce inrush. These release the pressure on the line between the compressor and the valve so that the motor isn't working against the tank pressure when it starts up. Also if you haven't changed the oil in the compressor recently that wouldn't hurt. |
#3
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OT - electric motor issue
In article wf4Oj.7$kt1.0@trndny06,
"James Sweet" wrote: "Smitty Two" wrote in message news Our air compressor at work is powered by a 5hp, single phase, 230 volt motor. Often when the compressor tries to start again (triggered by falling tank pressure) the breaker trips. By rotating the motor by hand prior to resetting the breaker, the motor will then start. Since this happens between two and five times per day, we're getting tired of it. The nameplate says the motor draws 24 full load amps, so I had the electrician (who was there for another job) pull the motor off the 20 amp breaker and put it on a 30 amp. (wire gauge sufficiency verified.) Still trips, and not knowing what else to do, I replaced the motor starting capacitors. That didn't fix it. So, before taking this to a motor repair shop, or replacing it, is there anything else an idiot could look at and possibly fix? TIA. The starting amps are much higher than the full load amps, for a 5HP motor you're probably looking at around 100A for a split second as it starts up. I suspect the wire run is long, or you have some resistance somewhere which is delaying the motor getting up to speed long enough for the breaker to trip. One option is to run the circuit with heavier wire, though a likely better option is to install an unloader valve on the compressor which will greatly reduce inrush. These release the pressure on the line between the compressor and the valve so that the motor isn't working against the tank pressure when it starts up. Also if you haven't changed the oil in the compressor recently that wouldn't hurt. That all makes sense, but the reason I think it's an internal motor issue is that the motor seems to have one or more spots that create hard shorts. Rotating the motor by hand, even through 20 degrees or so, enables restart without tripping the breaker. We've observed this repeatedly: Once the motor stops in a given position and trips the breaker on attempted restart, the breaker will trip repeatedly until the motor is rotated, and then it will always start without tripping the breaker. Is my logic faulty? |
#4
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OT - electric motor issue
"Smitty Two" wrote in message news In article wf4Oj.7$kt1.0@trndny06, "James Sweet" wrote: "Smitty Two" wrote in message news Our air compressor at work is powered by a 5hp, single phase, 230 volt motor. Often when the compressor tries to start again (triggered by falling tank pressure) the breaker trips. By rotating the motor by hand prior to resetting the breaker, the motor will then start. Since this happens between two and five times per day, we're getting tired of it. The nameplate says the motor draws 24 full load amps, so I had the electrician (who was there for another job) pull the motor off the 20 amp breaker and put it on a 30 amp. (wire gauge sufficiency verified.) Still trips, and not knowing what else to do, I replaced the motor starting capacitors. That didn't fix it. So, before taking this to a motor repair shop, or replacing it, is there anything else an idiot could look at and possibly fix? TIA. The starting amps are much higher than the full load amps, for a 5HP motor you're probably looking at around 100A for a split second as it starts up. I suspect the wire run is long, or you have some resistance somewhere which is delaying the motor getting up to speed long enough for the breaker to trip. One option is to run the circuit with heavier wire, though a likely better option is to install an unloader valve on the compressor which will greatly reduce inrush. These release the pressure on the line between the compressor and the valve so that the motor isn't working against the tank pressure when it starts up. Also if you haven't changed the oil in the compressor recently that wouldn't hurt. That all makes sense, but the reason I think it's an internal motor issue is that the motor seems to have one or more spots that create hard shorts. Rotating the motor by hand, even through 20 degrees or so, enables restart without tripping the breaker. We've observed this repeatedly: Once the motor stops in a given position and trips the breaker on attempted restart, the breaker will trip repeatedly until the motor is rotated, and then it will always start without tripping the breaker. Is my logic faulty? That's interesting, I've never seen a fault like that in an induction motor. It really does sound like a problem with the motor itself. If a specific position causes the breaker to trip I would suspect the rotor is damaged, there's not much to these but I suppose it's possible. |
#5
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OT - electric motor issue
"James Sweet" wrote in message news:EP4Oj.13$wO1.1@trndny04... "Smitty Two" wrote in message news In article wf4Oj.7$kt1.0@trndny06, "James Sweet" wrote: "Smitty Two" wrote in message news Our air compressor at work is powered by a 5hp, single phase, 230 volt motor. Often when the compressor tries to start again (triggered by falling tank pressure) the breaker trips. By rotating the motor by hand prior to resetting the breaker, the motor will then start. Since this happens between two and five times per day, we're getting tired of it. The nameplate says the motor draws 24 full load amps, so I had the electrician (who was there for another job) pull the motor off the 20 amp breaker and put it on a 30 amp. (wire gauge sufficiency verified.) Still trips, and not knowing what else to do, I replaced the motor starting capacitors. That didn't fix it. So, before taking this to a motor repair shop, or replacing it, is there anything else an idiot could look at and possibly fix? TIA. The starting amps are much higher than the full load amps, for a 5HP motor you're probably looking at around 100A for a split second as it starts up. I suspect the wire run is long, or you have some resistance somewhere which is delaying the motor getting up to speed long enough for the breaker to trip. One option is to run the circuit with heavier wire, though a likely better option is to install an unloader valve on the compressor which will greatly reduce inrush. These release the pressure on the line between the compressor and the valve so that the motor isn't working against the tank pressure when it starts up. Also if you haven't changed the oil in the compressor recently that wouldn't hurt. That all makes sense, but the reason I think it's an internal motor issue is that the motor seems to have one or more spots that create hard shorts. Rotating the motor by hand, even through 20 degrees or so, enables restart without tripping the breaker. We've observed this repeatedly: Once the motor stops in a given position and trips the breaker on attempted restart, the breaker will trip repeatedly until the motor is rotated, and then it will always start without tripping the breaker. Is my logic faulty? That's interesting, I've never seen a fault like that in an induction motor. It really does sound like a problem with the motor itself. If a specific position causes the breaker to trip I would suspect the rotor is damaged, there's not much to these but I suppose it's possible. The rotor of an induction motor is filled with shorted turns. This is what makes it an induction motor. If some of those turns become open, the fault you observe will be the result. David |
#6
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OT - electric motor issue
On Fri, 18 Apr 2008 08:28:08 -0700, Smitty Two
wrote: Our air compressor at work is powered by a 5hp, single phase, 230 volt motor. Often when the compressor tries to start again (triggered by falling tank pressure) the breaker trips. By rotating the motor by hand prior to resetting the breaker, the motor will then start. Since this happens between two and five times per day, we're getting tired of it. The nameplate says the motor draws 24 full load amps, so I had the electrician (who was there for another job) pull the motor off the 20 amp breaker and put it on a 30 amp. (wire gauge sufficiency verified.) Still trips, and not knowing what else to do, I replaced the motor starting capacitors. That didn't fix it. So, before taking this to a motor repair shop, or replacing it, is there anything else an idiot could look at and possibly fix? TIA. Check your unloader valve. |
#7
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OT - electric motor issue
In article ,
"David" wrote: The rotor of an induction motor is filled with shorted turns. This is what makes it an induction motor. If some of those turns become open, the fault you observe will be the result. David Is that a problem that you would characterize as economically repairable on a 5 hp motor? |
#8
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OT - electric motor issue
"Smitty Two" wrote in message news In article , "David" wrote: The rotor of an induction motor is filled with shorted turns. This is what makes it an induction motor. If some of those turns become open, the fault you observe will be the result. David Is that a problem that you would characterize as economically repairable on a 5 hp motor? I would assume it to require a new rotor, in which case probably not, but a motor repair shop probably has some good used motors available. Depending on the nature of the fault, it might be possible to fix it, I'd at least take it in for an evaluation if you don't feel like opening it up yourself. |
#9
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OT - electric motor issue
"James Sweet" writes:
"Smitty Two" wrote in message news In article wf4Oj.7$kt1.0@trndny06, "James Sweet" wrote: "Smitty Two" wrote in message news Our air compressor at work is powered by a 5hp, single phase, 230 volt motor. Often when the compressor tries to start again (triggered by falling tank pressure) the breaker trips. By rotating the motor by hand prior to resetting the breaker, the motor will then start. Since this happens between two and five times per day, we're getting tired of it. The nameplate says the motor draws 24 full load amps, so I had the electrician (who was there for another job) pull the motor off the 20 amp breaker and put it on a 30 amp. (wire gauge sufficiency verified.) Still trips, and not knowing what else to do, I replaced the motor starting capacitors. That didn't fix it. So, before taking this to a motor repair shop, or replacing it, is there anything else an idiot could look at and possibly fix? TIA. The starting amps are much higher than the full load amps, for a 5HP motor you're probably looking at around 100A for a split second as it starts up. I suspect the wire run is long, or you have some resistance somewhere which is delaying the motor getting up to speed long enough for the breaker to trip. One option is to run the circuit with heavier wire, though a likely better option is to install an unloader valve on the compressor which will greatly reduce inrush. These release the pressure on the line between the compressor and the valve so that the motor isn't working against the tank pressure when it starts up. Also if you haven't changed the oil in the compressor recently that wouldn't hurt. That all makes sense, but the reason I think it's an internal motor issue is that the motor seems to have one or more spots that create hard shorts. Rotating the motor by hand, even through 20 degrees or so, enables restart without tripping the breaker. We've observed this repeatedly: Once the motor stops in a given position and trips the breaker on attempted restart, the breaker will trip repeatedly until the motor is rotated, and then it will always start without tripping the breaker. Is my logic faulty? That's interesting, I've never seen a fault like that in an induction motor. It really does sound like a problem with the motor itself. If a specific position causes the breaker to trip I would suspect the rotor is damaged, there's not much to these but I suppose it's possible. I'd go with that. Although very unusual for a motor like this. The rotor is just a pile of steel plates with the bars of the squirrel cage embedded in them and welded at the ends. Is it always the same orientation of the rotor? Another possibility is that the centrifugal or other starting switch is somehow not closing so the starting winding is not being energized. I don't know how rotating the shaft a few degrees could cure this though. --- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/ Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/ +Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm | Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs. |
#10
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OT - electric motor issue
Sam Goldwasser wrote: I'd go with that. Although very unusual for a motor like this. The rotor is just a pile of steel plates with the bars of the squirrel cage embedded in them and welded at the ends. Is it always the same orientation of the rotor? Another possibility is that the centrifugal or other starting switch is somehow not closing so the starting winding is not being energized. I don't know how rotating the shaft a few degrees could cure this though. Some endplay in the armarture? I've seen it a couple times where the switch is worn, and the axial movment was enough to trip the switch. -- http://improve-usenet.org/index.html Use any search engine other than Google till they stop polluting USENET with porn and junk commercial SPAM If you have broadband, your ISP may have a NNTP news server included in your account: http://www.usenettools.net/ISP.htm |
#11
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OT - electric motor issue
In article ,
Sam Goldwasser wrote: "James Sweet" writes: "Smitty Two" wrote in message news In article wf4Oj.7$kt1.0@trndny06, "James Sweet" wrote: "Smitty Two" wrote in message news Our air compressor at work is powered by a 5hp, single phase, 230 volt motor. Often when the compressor tries to start again (triggered by falling tank pressure) the breaker trips. By rotating the motor by hand prior to resetting the breaker, the motor will then start. Since this happens between two and five times per day, we're getting tired of it. The nameplate says the motor draws 24 full load amps, so I had the electrician (who was there for another job) pull the motor off the 20 amp breaker and put it on a 30 amp. (wire gauge sufficiency verified.) Still trips, and not knowing what else to do, I replaced the motor starting capacitors. That didn't fix it. So, before taking this to a motor repair shop, or replacing it, is there anything else an idiot could look at and possibly fix? TIA. The starting amps are much higher than the full load amps, for a 5HP motor you're probably looking at around 100A for a split second as it starts up. I suspect the wire run is long, or you have some resistance somewhere which is delaying the motor getting up to speed long enough for the breaker to trip. One option is to run the circuit with heavier wire, though a likely better option is to install an unloader valve on the compressor which will greatly reduce inrush. These release the pressure on the line between the compressor and the valve so that the motor isn't working against the tank pressure when it starts up. Also if you haven't changed the oil in the compressor recently that wouldn't hurt. That all makes sense, but the reason I think it's an internal motor issue is that the motor seems to have one or more spots that create hard shorts. Rotating the motor by hand, even through 20 degrees or so, enables restart without tripping the breaker. We've observed this repeatedly: Once the motor stops in a given position and trips the breaker on attempted restart, the breaker will trip repeatedly until the motor is rotated, and then it will always start without tripping the breaker. Is my logic faulty? That's interesting, I've never seen a fault like that in an induction motor. It really does sound like a problem with the motor itself. If a specific position causes the breaker to trip I would suspect the rotor is damaged, there's not much to these but I suppose it's possible. I'd go with that. Although very unusual for a motor like this. The rotor is just a pile of steel plates with the bars of the squirrel cage embedded in them and welded at the ends. Is it always the same orientation of the rotor? I don't know that. Another possibility is that the centrifugal or other starting switch is somehow not closing so the starting winding is not being energized. I don't know how rotating the shaft a few degrees could cure this though. If I monitor an analog voltmeter on the starting caps while I cycle the power switch until it fails to start and the breaker trips, would that tell me whether it could be the centrifugal switch? --- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/ Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/ +Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm | Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs. |
#12
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OT - electric motor issue
Smitty Two wrote: If I monitor an analog voltmeter on the starting caps while I cycle the power switch until it fails to start and the breaker trips, would that tell me whether it could be the centrifugal switch? Why not connect the meter across the switch? If it's closed, it will have zero volts. If it's open, it will have a high AC voltage. Likely higher than the AC line. With the power off, you can check the contact resistance. if it closes when you turn the shaft, find out why. -- http://improve-usenet.org/index.html Use any search engine other than Google till they stop polluting USENET with porn and junk commercial SPAM If you have broadband, your ISP may have a NNTP news server included in your account: http://www.usenettools.net/ISP.htm |
#13
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OT - electric motor issue
"PeterD" wrote in message ... On Fri, 18 Apr 2008 08:28:08 -0700, Smitty Two wrote: Our air compressor at work is powered by a 5hp, single phase, 230 volt motor. Often when the compressor tries to start again (triggered by falling tank pressure) the breaker trips. By rotating the motor by hand prior to resetting the breaker, the motor will then start. Since this happens between two and five times per day, we're getting tired of it. The nameplate says the motor draws 24 full load amps, so I had the electrician (who was there for another job) pull the motor off the 20 amp breaker and put it on a 30 amp. (wire gauge sufficiency verified.) Still trips, and not knowing what else to do, I replaced the motor starting capacitors. That didn't fix it. So, before taking this to a motor repair shop, or replacing it, is there anything else an idiot could look at and possibly fix? TIA. Check your unloader valve. Yeah, if you dont hear a 'hiss' when it shuts down it's very likely the unloader valve needs attention. -- Cheers ............. Rheilly |
#14
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OT - electric motor issue
Smitty Two wrote:
In article , "David" wrote: The rotor of an induction motor is filled with shorted turns. This is what makes it an induction motor. If some of those turns become open, the fault you observe will be the result. David Is that a problem that you would characterize as economically repairable on a 5 hp motor? I have had experience with a motor with a bad squirrel cage ! It ran a little rough and was way down in torque. It also got a lot hotter than it normally did. I tried to solder the copper bars, two of them, where they had cracked at the end. A waste of time ! A new rotor cured the problem, curtesy of Brook Motors. -- Best Regards: Baron. |
#15
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OT - electric motor issue
In article
, Smitty Two wrote: Our air compressor at work is powered by a 5hp, single phase, 230 volt motor. Often when the compressor tries to start again (triggered by falling tank pressure) the breaker trips. By rotating the motor by hand prior to resetting the breaker, the motor will then start. Since this happens between two and five times per day, we're getting tired of it. The nameplate says the motor draws 24 full load amps, so I had the electrician (who was there for another job) pull the motor off the 20 amp breaker and put it on a 30 amp. (wire gauge sufficiency verified.) Still trips, and not knowing what else to do, I replaced the motor starting capacitors. That didn't fix it. So, before taking this to a motor repair shop, or replacing it, is there anything else an idiot could look at and possibly fix? TIA. Status report: I've traced this to a malfunctioning centrifugal switch, as suggested, but still cannot account for why a small manual turn of the motor would "fix" that, particularly 100% of the time. The mechanical portion of the switch seems fine, so I have to suspect corroded contacts. Unfortunately, they're buried inside a metal shell and all but completely inaccessible. But, one half of one of the two contact pairs definitely shows erosion, in profile view. I put a call into the manufacturer today to see whether parts are still available, even though the motor is obsolete. They have to do some research and get back to me. Failing that it looks like we'll be out $500 or so for a new motor. That'd be a shame, given the otherwise perfect condition of it. |
#16
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OT - electric motor issue
"Smitty Two" wrote in message news In article , Smitty Two wrote: Our air compressor at work is powered by a 5hp, single phase, 230 volt motor. Often when the compressor tries to start again (triggered by falling tank pressure) the breaker trips. By rotating the motor by hand prior to resetting the breaker, the motor will then start. Since this happens between two and five times per day, we're getting tired of it. The nameplate says the motor draws 24 full load amps, so I had the electrician (who was there for another job) pull the motor off the 20 amp breaker and put it on a 30 amp. (wire gauge sufficiency verified.) Still trips, and not knowing what else to do, I replaced the motor starting capacitors. That didn't fix it. So, before taking this to a motor repair shop, or replacing it, is there anything else an idiot could look at and possibly fix? TIA. Status report: I've traced this to a malfunctioning centrifugal switch, as suggested, but still cannot account for why a small manual turn of the motor would "fix" that, particularly 100% of the time. The mechanical portion of the switch seems fine, so I have to suspect corroded contacts. Unfortunately, they're buried inside a metal shell and all but completely inaccessible. But, one half of one of the two contact pairs definitely shows erosion, in profile view. I put a call into the manufacturer today to see whether parts are still available, even though the motor is obsolete. They have to do some research and get back to me. Failing that it looks like we'll be out $500 or so for a new motor. That'd be a shame, given the otherwise perfect condition of it. Would this work? http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.as...tname=electric They have a 1750 RPM model for about $100 more, not sure which your compressor uses. The motor you have is probably better built, if you can figure out a fix for the start switch. |
#17
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OT - electric motor issue
Smitty Two wrote: Status report: I've traced this to a malfunctioning centrifugal switch, as suggested, but still cannot account for why a small manual turn of the motor would "fix" that, particularly 100% of the time. The mechanical portion of the switch seems fine, so I have to suspect corroded contacts. Unfortunately, they're buried inside a metal shell and all but completely inaccessible. But, one half of one of the two contact pairs definitely shows erosion, in profile view. I put a call into the manufacturer today to see whether parts are still available, even though the motor is obsolete. They have to do some research and get back to me. Failing that it looks like we'll be out $500 or so for a new motor. That'd be a shame, given the otherwise perfect condition of it. Some of the problems I've had were that the switch was worn. They used a piece of fiberboard to activate the switch, and it would wear, after years of use. Some can be rebuild. if you want to remove the rivets and machine a new insulator out of the same material. Also, a lot of manufacturers use the same switches, so sometimes you can find one at a decent motor rewinding shop. -- http://improve-usenet.org/index.html Use any search engine other than Google till they stop polluting USENET with porn and junk commercial SPAM If you have broadband, your ISP may have a NNTP news server included in your account: http://www.usenettools.net/ISP.htm |
#18
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OT - electric motor issue
On Apr 24, 1:55*pm, "Michael A. Terrell"
wrote: Smitty Two wrote: Status report: I've traced this to a malfunctioning centrifugal switch, as suggested, but still cannot account for why a small manual turn of the motor would "fix" that, particularly 100% of the time. The mechanical portion of the switch seems fine, so I have to suspect corroded contacts. Unfortunately, they're buried inside a metal shell and all but completely inaccessible. But, one half of one of the two contact pairs definitely shows erosion, in profile view. I put a call into the manufacturer today to see whether parts are still available, even though the motor is obsolete. They have to do some research and get back to me. Failing that it looks like we'll be out $500 or so for a new motor. That'd be a shame, given the otherwise perfect condition of it. * *Some of the problems I've had were that the switch was worn. *They used a piece of fiberboard to activate the switch, and it would wear, after years of use. *Some can be rebuild. if you want to remove the rivets and machine a new insulator out of the same material. Also, a lot of manufacturers use the same switches, so sometimes you can find one at a decent motor rewinding shop. --http://improve-usenet.org/index.html Use any search engine other than Google till they stop polluting USENET with porn and junk commercial SPAM If you have broadband, your ISP may have a NNTP news server included in your account:http://www.usenettools.net/ISP.htm- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - A further note on open circuit bars on a squirrel cage motor - if you can measure the to current to the motor preferably with an analog ammeter (with a pointer) it shall oscillate at the difference between shaft speed and synchronous speed. That is at the slip speed. Not to be confused with any fluctuations at the compressor shaft speed. |
#19
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OT - electric motor issue
In article
, Smitty Two wrote: In article , Smitty Two wrote: Our air compressor at work is powered by a 5hp, single phase, 230 volt motor. Often when the compressor tries to start again (triggered by falling tank pressure) the breaker trips. By rotating the motor by hand prior to resetting the breaker, the motor will then start. Since this happens between two and five times per day, we're getting tired of it. The nameplate says the motor draws 24 full load amps, so I had the electrician (who was there for another job) pull the motor off the 20 amp breaker and put it on a 30 amp. (wire gauge sufficiency verified.) Still trips, and not knowing what else to do, I replaced the motor starting capacitors. That didn't fix it. So, before taking this to a motor repair shop, or replacing it, is there anything else an idiot could look at and possibly fix? TIA. Status report: I've traced this to a malfunctioning centrifugal switch, as suggested, but still cannot account for why a small manual turn of the motor would "fix" that, particularly 100% of the time. The mechanical portion of the switch seems fine, so I have to suspect corroded contacts. Unfortunately, they're buried inside a metal shell and all but completely inaccessible. But, one half of one of the two contact pairs definitely shows erosion, in profile view. I put a call into the manufacturer today to see whether parts are still available, even though the motor is obsolete. They have to do some research and get back to me. Failing that it looks like we'll be out $500 or so for a new motor. That'd be a shame, given the otherwise perfect condition of it. Thanks again to all respondents. Tracking down a replacement centrifugal switch was a bureaucratic nightmare of epic proportion. Cost about $42 plus shipping, so not counting time and frustration, about 1/10 the price of a new motor of same specifications. Compressor has been up and running fine for about a week now. |
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