Did you know there are is an estimated 2.25 billion small to medium electric motors worldwide? With that many motors around the globe, there's a lot of motors needing repair or replacement.
Motor repair is a big question because of the cost of the motor. It often is much cheaper than motor replacement unless you are constantly repairing a motor or it's running inefficiently.
Repairing a motor often, long before its service life requires a part replacement, is throwing your money away. Instead of a Band-Aid, have a technician give you recommendations for a permanent solution.
Some damage can also go on for a long time unnoticed and need replacement when things finally go bad, rather than repair.
So how do you know what to do? We'll cover that and more.
What Are the Signs of Damage?
There are four major sings of something not going quite right with your electric motor. The four warning signs of a bad motor are:
Decreased Performance
Excessive Vibrations
Overheating
Sudden Shut-offs
Decreased performance and efficiency not only eat into your electric bill, but it is a sign of a degrading motor. If you can only get peak performance from time to time or not at all, it's a major sign a repair is on your horizon. The motor might be failing altogether.
Vibrations can be caused by a failing bearing or mounting bolts that have come loose. This is a dangerous situation in either case. If the bearing seizes you can be in for a major repair or replacement if it was bad enough.
Overheating is a sign of a possible overload or short-circuit, or airflow restriction. Deep cleaning could be in order or rewinding. Vibrations can also cause overheating, along with frequent stop-start operation.
Of course, your electric motor not turning on at all, or a sudden shut-off during operation, is the most major sign of all. A sudden shut-off could be a combination of problems or ignoring a smaller problem for a long time.
Electric Motor Repair or Replacement?
You might be able to diagnose the above problems by yourself. But what if you miss something a professional would otherwise find?
You replace or tighten your mounting bolts only to find that damage to the bearing is already there. Along with an overheating problem caused by the initial vibration, your motor could be heading for disaster.
Winding Down
The question of electric motor repair vs replacement is a serious one. Dumping money into reconditioning or rewinding a motor every few months isn't going to solve the underlying problem. Frequency of repair, efficiency, and safety are only three concerns.
Choose to be safe and smart by hiring a great technician to come by and evaluate your needs. DTR Services are COR certified and recognized for the quality of our work in Lethbridge, Alberta.
DTR Services invites you to call us any time, day or night, for a professional opinion on your specific questions and needs!