How Can I Extend the Life of My Motor?

Good maintenance for the motor can prolong the life of the motor. Motor maintenance mainly involves checking the bearings, checking the incoming terminals, checking to see if the fan blades are deformed and changing the oil or oiling the bearings. (ZCL Group offers a wide range of motors for you to choose from.)

Common motor faults.

1. Overheating

Overheating is the biggest culprit of motor failure. In fact, the other four causes listed in this article are on the list in part because of the heat they generate. Theoretically, for every 10°C increase in heat, the life of the winding insulation is halved. So, ensuring that a motor is run at the right temperature is the best way to extend its life.

2. Dust and pollution

Suspended particles of all kinds in the air can get inside the motor and create all sorts of hazards. Corrosive particles can wear out components and conductive particles can interfere with component currents. In turn, particles can accelerate overheating once they have blocked the cooling channels. Obviously, choosing the correct IP protection class can go some way to alleviating this problem.

3. Power supply problems

Harmonic currents caused by high frequency switching and pulse width modulation can lead to voltage and current distortion, overload and overheating. This shortens the life of motors and components and increases long-term equipment costs. In addition, the surges themselves can cause excessive high and low voltages. To solve this problem, the power supply must be constantly monitored and checked.

4. Humidity

Humidity itself can erode motor components. When moisture mixes with particulate contaminants in the air, it is even more deadly to the motor, further shortening the life of the pump machine.

5. Improper lubrication

Lubrication is a matter of degree. Excessive lubrication or insufficient lubrication can be harmful. It is also important to pay attention to the issue of contamination in the lubricant and whether the lubricant used is suitable for the task at hand.

How should I maintain my motor?

1. Clean and wipe the motor to remove dust and sludge from the outside of the motor base in a timely manner. If the use environment is dusty, it is best to clean it once a day.

2. Check and clean the motor terminals. Check whether the terminal box wiring screws are loose and burned.

3. Check the screws of each fixed part, including the foot screws, end cover screws, bearing cover screws, etc. Tighten any loose nuts.

4. Check the transmission device, check the pulley or coupling for prana and damage, and whether the installation is firm; whether the belt and its coupling buckle are intact.

5. motor starting equipment, also to timely clear the external dust, you enough, wipe the contacts, check whether the wiring parts have burn marks, grounding wire is good.

6. Inspection and maintenance of bearings. Bearings should be cleaned and replaced with grease or lubricant after a period of use. The time for cleaning and oil change should be determined by the working condition of the motor, working environment, cleanliness and type of lubricant. Half of them should be cleaned and re-greased once every 3-6 months of work. When the oil temperature is high, or poor environmental conditions, more dusty motor should be cleaned and oil change frequently.

7. Inspection of insulation. The insulating ability of the insulation material varies according to the degree of dryness, so it is very important to check the dryness of the motor winding. The presence of factors such as dampness in the motor's working environment and corrosive gases between jobs can damage the electrical insulation.