How to find the right motor There are two ways to determine a suitable motor replacement: Cross Referencing the Motor Manufacturer's part number The most accurate method to find a replacement motor is to cross-reference the manufacturer's part number or model number from the motor itself. ELECTRIC MOTOR RUN DIRECTION at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice. It is 300 ft deep, I pulled it up and found that it is oil filled, but when power is applied, it tries to start one direction, and can't, then tries the other direction, and can't. In many applications the equipment driven by the electric motor will not work properly unless the motor drive shaft spins in a pre-determined direction: clockwise or counter-clockwise. The drive end is is the side of the fan housing through which the fan or motor shaft protrudes. ( They put in a whole new well). I picked up a double shafted blower from a guy I know, and it has no nameplate, no specs, no info at all, however it did have a piece of sticky paper slapped on it and read 115v 3 phase (don't know who wrote it) Is there such a thing as 115v 3 phase? So what I'm trying to figure out is what is this motor? I do own a non-contact tachometer for RPM measuring as well as several variac's, Can any of those methods be used if the motor is 3 phase and only have access to single phase? The motor will start rotating, showing which way it will turn. 4-77 1977 [Lots of sketches of older-type service panels.]. This must have been a heavy-usage blower (or motor converted to power that blower) in a location where only 120VAC was available. Purple to purple = rotate clockwise, For an example of electric motor wiring that includes wiring to select electric motor speed options as well as direction of rotation see. What is the standard direction of rotation of an electric motor. Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. [Click to enlarge any image]. "What the heck?" I replaced the capacitor If the shaft is pointing at you and rotates to the right, your motor is clockwise shaft end, or CWSE. Click to Show or Hide Citations & References, ARTICLE INDEX to ELECTRICAL INSPECTION & TESTING, HOME INSPECTION EDUCATION COURESES (Canada), HOME INSPECTION EDUCATION: HOME STUDY COURSES, Purple to yellow = rotate counter-clockwise, A failed electric motor starting capacitor, A single speed single-phase motor leads are reversed on the motor's start widing connections, A single-speed 3-phase electric motor has two of its supply leads reversed, Belt driven air handler motors attached to a blower fan in a multiple-blower HVAC system can be turned backwards with the motor OFF and the squirrel cage fan rotating backwards because of air currents created by other fans that are on in the same system, (For 2-speed electric motors you'll need to contact your motor supplier), the oil burner combustion air blower fan assembly, and. We have seen cases where the fans removed from the motor were incorrectly installed. is it 120vac? The multimeter should be set in the X1 range. Engine rotation is viewed from the flywheel of the engine, clockwise would be Right Hand, and counter-clockwise would be Left Hand. (BLOWER FAN OPERATION & TESTING). The blower motor blows and circulates the warm air from the fins of the heater core or cools the air as it passes from the fins of the evaporator. That's exactly when I tell myself I I can tear the whole thing down to bits as I've got nothing to lose, and I might see something interesting inside. Continue reading at CAPACITORS for HARD STARTING MOTORS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX. Compressor will be 3-5x this at least, maybe more even if 220v. Fan motor likely 1/3 to 1/2 HP, or 3 to 5 amps at 110V. By swapping wire connections on some electric motors it is possible to change or reverse the motor direction. [DF NOTE: I do NOT recommend this obsolete publication, though it was cited in the original. Wheel Rotation: as with Single Inlet Blower Wheels, excluding universal type *, You must specify the direction of rotation the wheel will be operating or spinning at, either Clockwise (CW) or Counter Clockwise (CCW) rotation. Changer left from or to right motor industrial rotation ! Given any three items you can solve for the fourth. It's best to read the instructions provided by the manufacturer before proceeding. For example the blower fan motor in an air handler can start and run backwards as can some air conditioner compressor unit cooling fan motors. Note that for typical HVAC motors in the U.S. the two standard speeds are 1725 or 3450 rpm but you already knew that. On 2020-08-10 Member and ASHI Director in Cambridge, MA. Watch out: yes it is indeed possible for some electric motors to run "backwards" following damage to the motor's start capacitor or windings. When the resistance between each lead wire are those listed in the specifications for your equipment the fan motor should be normal. For DWDI or Arrangement 3 SWSI fans, it is the side of the fan housing at which the belt drive sheave is mounted. Examples include HVAC unit blower squirrel cage fans whose blades won't move air if the fan runs backwards and oil burner or well pump motors whose oil pump or water pump won't move oil or water if the pump motor is driven in the "wrong" direction. Oriental Motor employs the double chamber method, which offers higher accuracy than the air-duct method and is used worldwide. So it the motor is 3 phase, it draws about 5 amps @ 3350Rpms at 110vac. single phase? 1.take a look of the connection block and you can have an idea, (6 wires connected in star= high voltage, connected in delta= low voltage)ej: 380/690, 380(d), 690(y) or maybe 230/400, 220(d)-400 (y), if the motor is with out block terminal then take a look of the end wire quantity (12, 9 or 6)and how are wired.2. Also, what is the adequate size of generator to power a 15hp compressor motor. Note on rotation: Fan blade rotation is determined to be either clockwise or counterclockwise when viewed from the air-discharged side. HOW TO RECTIFY? A centrifugal fan is a mechanical device for moving air or other gases in a direction at an angle to the incoming fluid. [30] Jim Simmons: Personal communication, J. Simmons to Daniel Friedman, 9/19/2008. If you have determined which wires can be reversed, use a flathead screwdriver to remove the motor's end caps. A few years back, I went to a no cooling call. However, if we are sure that the voltage to your motor is correct, then I suspect the motor was and is now failing. Question: heat pump ran fine, then started blowing heated air out through the return registers Click to see full answer. and maybe serial no. For example on oil fired heating equipment, the oil burner fuel units (the mechanical heating oil pump driven by the oil burner electric motor via a coupling) can be purchased as CW or CCW devices. 2. Abel Some motors are wired such that you can reverse the rotation direction. Blower rotation is often marked on the blower wheel itself. You can calculate how much air would it circulate in "HI" mode, when the motor rotates at 1200 rpm. Otherwise for DC or 3 phase motors there are other possibilities. Electric motor run direction and backwards-running motors: Why would an electric motor suddenly start running backwards? Single phase motor runs in reverse rotation, what is the possible defect. © 2021 New York Blower Company, All Rights Reserved. Although all double-inlet wheels can be reversed, it may be quite difficult to access the set-screw to tighten the wheel onto the blower or motor shaft. This article series describes A/C electrical motor troubleshooting: a troubleshooting guide that helps diagnose and repair most electric motor problems for motors found on HVAC equipment in buildings such as air conditioners, furnace or air handler blower fans, oil burner motors, well pumps, and condensate return pumps. Helpful photos to identify your blower wheel 3. uncouple the motor (if it is), perform a megger, if is ok , connect the motor in low voltage connection (d) and run then read the no load current and speed. To know about your specific motor you'll need to identify the brand and model and check the instruction manual. Determine if blower fan can spin freely manually, without effort or assisted means. Precision Electric, a vendor of VFDs has advice at https://www.precision-elec.com/how-to-run-a-3-phase-motor-on-single-phase-power/. THERMO KING DOUBLE SHAFT MOTOR 104-651 1.5 HP 1600 RPM 27 VDC 52 AMPS - see the pair of images I'll post below. by George G. Esmeralda. Blower rotation question This is a squirrel cage type blower....as viewed in this photo, it rotates in a clockwise direction. I find it odd that its only a 120v motor yet it's 3 phase. Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly. When I was in highschool in the electricity shop tall us the rotation of an AC motor cant be reversed. For induction motor the electromagnetic force E=.95*Voltage [approx. Compared to electric motors used in oil burners and air conditioning compressors, we don't need such a costly and heavy-duty electric motor to spin the rotating table in a microwave oven. Your phase rotation meter can be used here, also. 4) Remove the blower assembly. Determine suitable location on tractor for rotation control switch (815598). Why would a hvac fan motor that made to run one way run correctly until the compressor kicks on and then it stops and starts running backwards? [5] Fluke Corporation, 6920 Seaway Blvd, Everett, WA 98203, USA, PO Box 9090 Everett, Washington 98206, Tel: +1(425) 347-6100, Technical support: 1(800) 44-FLUKE (1(800) 443-5853), Website: www.fluke.com, Digital 287/289 Digital Multimeter, Users Manual, retrieved 9/5/21, original source: http://assets.fluke.com/manuals/287_289_umeng0200.pdf, [copy on file as Fluke_287_289_umeng0200.pdf], [6] Simpson Electric, P.O. Curtis said:I have a vintage Frigid 3-speed floor fan model VEL 20TS (looks kind of like this but much older and blue) [shown below] that was in bad condition. If the shaft rotates to the left, your motor is counterclockwise shaft end, or CCWSE. Bi-directional electric motors run in either direction and are used in applications in which the direction in which the motor spins doesn't matter to the equipment it's driving. For DWDI or Arrangement 3 SWSI fans, it is the side of the fan housing at which the belt drive sheave is mounted. (I suspect not on a simple fan motor)This is a single-phase AC motor, right? • If system is wired for 120VAC power, verify a jumper wire is installed For figuring out a motor rating if there is no data tag, from various sources I've reviewed, the general approach:Determine motor's rated voltage: feed the mystery motor using an automatic transformer that allows you to vary the output voltage - input voltage to the motor.Increase the voltage until the motor speed reaches steady state; that's probably the motor's rated voltage level. by George G. Esmeralda. Ideally measure the motor's rotating speed and record it as it speeds up. Rotation Clockwise or counterclockwise, facing front of the fan blade. (Sorry)Is there a start winding whose leads are reversed?About the winding, I've not encountered it myself but some techs tell me that a burned motor winding can cause the motor's run direction to reverse. Just their position in the electrical joints. I'm trying it out right now and it is working, the 3 phase motor creates back EMF and that's where I'm getting the 3rd phase from. Basic Blower Motor Information Selecting the Correct Blower Motor BLOWER MOTORS BLOWER MOTORS Friction coefficient of the sliding surface of each moving part Next you will need to determine the required specif… MY WOOD CUTTING M/C( GL110 YURI GREEN LINE)MOTR STARTED ROTATAING ANTY CLOCKWISE? KevLet's step through the diagnostics on the page above. Now a call for cool: motor runs slow the plug was broken, the 3-speed switch was broken, a wire inside the motor was broken off (wouldn't run at all). This engineering website has useful tipshttps://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=314985 Excerpts:You have to know:what kind of motor[dc,induction,synchronous] and at least no. m. ELECTRIC MOTOR DIAGNOSTIC GUIDE - homeI'll see if I can find other things to look-at or try; Unfortunately there is no tag on the motor, it's just a simple 120AC single-phase 3-speed fan motor, no run cap just a switch for each fan speed, I've had to motor apart to repair a corroded wire and to clean the dust out of it too. Example: testing a blower fan motor winding: referring to the electrical diagram for your equipment, unplug electrical connectors at the fan motor. The first step is to determine the drive mechanism for your equipment. Switch should be in a convenient location for operation while blowing snow. on SOME electric motors (but probably not your fan) there are start & run capacitors (or a combined start/run cap) that can be damaged and thus the motor could start backwards. Moreover, Oriental Motor uses measuring equipment conforming to AMCA (Air Moving and Conditioning Association) standard 210, a fan measurement standard that is recognized worldwide. 2) Note the motor voltage, horsepower, and rotation of the motor being replaced. Details of the causes of reversed motor direction are in the article above. Electric motors require a kick or to put it more like an engineer, a starting torque to overcome the resistance when the motor is to begin spinning from a stopped position. 240vac? This motor does not have any cap's, this motor is just a very basic 3-speed synchronous motor. The motor would not run. I checked the rotation and it … I think there's a three phase motor is one that's designed to run on 3-phase current but it doesn't produce three phase current. Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia. Just purchased a replacement hydraulic power unit for a 2 post car lift, but the motor has a sticker that has the rotation in opposite direction. This paper explains the basic principles behind correct fitting of fans. My ac air handler motor is turning opposite side , how can I fix it ? content; Determining DC motor rotation direction. With a V-Belt drive the answer is theoretical, due to belt slippage, and with a timing belt or a chain drive not every answer provided is an available combination. While our page top photo shows the red reset button most clearly, the reset button on the motor at left may be harder to spot. however if I disconnect the cap after the motor is up to about 70% speed (max rpm is either 3000 or 3450) the amps goes down but the motor can't keep it's speed up while loaded blowing so much air and it stalls out. On 2020-01-23 by (mod) - double shafted blower motor rating and wiring determination, Thanks for the interesting photo and questions, HL.I did a reverse image search combined with your phrase double-shafted blower motor to find some similar products like the. The page top photo was taken of of an oil burner electric motor not an air conditioning blower fan motor or pump motor, but you'll see that all of these electric motors look a lot alike. Or see ELECTRIC MOTOR RUN DIRECTION FAQs - questions & answers posted originally at this article. Fan rotation is determined by looking at the fan from the drive end. so long story short I have replaced/fixed all the issues but a new problem has cropped up... the motor is spinning in the wrong direction. U.S.A., Email: support@extech.com, Tel: 877-239-8324 Option 3, Website: http://www.extech.com, [15] Dr. Jess Aronstein, consulting engineer, Poughkeepsie NY, 1991, [16] Rex Cauldwell, master electrician and contributor to the, [17] New York State Central Hudson Gas and Electric Company, G&E/1-2/85 consumer safety pamphlet, [20] Arlene Puentes [Website: www.octoberhome.com ] , an ASHI member and a licensed home inspector in Kingston, NY, and has served on ASHI national committees as well as HVASHI Chapter President. Along with the type of drive mechanism, you must also determine the dimensions, mass and friction coefficient, etc. Phone: 215-467-4646 Fax: 215-467-1667 2701 East Tioga Street Philadelphia, PA 19134 humidair@comcast.net. 3. of poles,frequency,stator length and bore diameter. Typically purple and yellow wires or wire pairs permit this change. It's possible to run a 3 phase motor on single phase current with some ancillary equipment but you'll need a variable frequency drive and some wiring tips. For accuracy, don't measure when the fan motor is hot, allow it to cool off. Some examples are direct rotation, a ball screw, a belt and pulley or a rack and pinion. Specification of the rotation and discharge when ordering a housed centrifugal fan is required so that the fan will fit in your system properly. If the shaft rotates to the left, your motor is counterclockwise shaft end, or CCWSE. wheel was 10 ft in diameter and had 20 ft long belts. Dimensions and mass (or density) of each part 3. In this example, the centrifugal blower in a window air conditioner circulates 600 CFM on the "LO" setting when the blower motor is spinning at 800 rpm. Check that the blower is rotating in the right direction, that it is tight on the shaft and that there’s no restriction or grinding as the motor turns. [27] "Electrical System Inspection Basics," Richard C. Wolcott, ASHI 8th Annual Education Conference, Boston 1985. Rotation: Blower Wheels. Fast forward to today, I got the same call for the same customer and someone had replaced the blower motor again. 3 phase? ... Had a 200 hp 3 ph motor with Star Delta starter on a blower for a office tower. Step Two: inspect the rotation of the fan. On 2020-01-23 by (mod) - figure out an electric motor rating if there is no data tag. On 2020-08-10 7. The altitude should be given in feet above sea level. This number is usually found o www.supercoolsliderule.com -- This video tutorial demonstrates how to simply reverse the rotation of a non-reversible motor. Instead, microwave (and some other self-reversing) electric motors use a clever design that allows for elimination of the start winding winding and also allows use of a lower-cost and less powerful electric motor. Of course the blower could have had some other industrial application. Curtis:1. is is possible that the fan blades are backwards (just flip the fan blades over) If not 2. the fan motor has been damaged internally3. On 2015-10-12 by Juan Flores Ojeda. you're saying. Yeah and the cost of further fooling around trying to fix it is probably more than a new motor. Measure the resistance between each lead wire with a multimeter or VOM. Sure, Bob, an electric motor can run the wrong way from any of several causes as we explain above on this page. Zero resistance or infinite resistance are indicators of a problem. I just don't understand why this is happening. If I had to guess each side is moving between 600 to 700CFM. The motor has 4 wires, a common (yellow) low speed (red), med speed (blue) high speed (black), each speed works but is just rotating in the wrong direction and that baffles me.. Check the nameplate on the motor. Thermostat satisfied: runs backwards. I have Ohm'ed the winding and got the following (Low) 5.9 Ohms, (Med) 5.4 Ohms, (High) 3.7 Ohms, no shorts to ground. tau=Dstator*pi()/no.of polesand I will supouse is a low voltage motor (< = 600 v). Figure 1 – Correct connection of motor phases for clockwise rotation During the de-energized switching interval, the rotor falls back against the rotating field of the power supply. Check the rotation and speed of the blower fan. If the shaft is pointing at you and rotates to the right, your motor is clockwise shaft end, or CWSE. [31] Kenneth Kruger: Original author of the sidebar on testing VOM DMM condition: Kenneth Kruger, R.A., P.E. The electric motor has quite a few parts if examined in detail, switches, wires, possibly capacitors, oiling ports and more, but there are four basic parts to every HVAC electric motor: In addition to the basic electric motor components above there are two other features to know about when troubleshooting a motor. Fatal Shock Hazard Warning: Inspecting electrical components and systems risks death by electrocution as well as serious burns or other injuries to the inspector or to others. Apologies for the delay. Sperry Instruments Inc., 2150 Joshua's Path, Suite 202, Hauppage NY 11788, Tel: 800-645-5398, Email: cat@awsperry.com, Website: www.awsperry.com. (DC just switch the power leads).And we're sure there's no start/run capacitor, right? The color of the wires is highly individual and depends upon the brand and model of motor you have. The motor is single phase 115v. The one exception to this rule is double shafted motors. The Correct Rotation is fundamentally critical to the Performance and Air Flow Characteristics of a Blower Wheel. Sometimes the reset button on an electric motor is hard to find, and sometimes there is no reset button! To determine the input or output speed or the pulley and cog sizes needed in a drive you may use a simple ratio. Yea I don't have a VFD or a spare 3 phase motor to rig up a rotary phase inverter. [2] N. Srinivasan, MSEE, is a senior member of IEEE with 30 years experience in the electrical industry. [29] "Evaluating Wiring in Older Minnesota Homes," Agricultural Extension Service, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108. You may have seen ELECTRIC MOTOR TESTS - Electrical Tests to Check HVAC Blower Fan Motor or Outdoor Compressor Fan Motor Winding on Heating or Cooling Equipment or on Other Electrical Motors - at https://inspectapedia.com/electric/Electric_Motor_Diagnosis.php#GenAdv for which I'd welcome any suggestions. See POST a QUESTION or COMMENT for what appears to be an example of a backwards-running electric motor in an air handler. It is a 2 wire 240v sta-rite motor. Box 99, 520 Simpson Avenue, Lac du Flambeau, WI 54538-0099 Tel: 715-588-3311, customer service: 715-588-3947, Email: support@simpsonelectric.com, Website: www.simpsonelectric.com/, Simpson 260® Series 6XLM Volt-Ohm-Milliammeter Instruction Manual, retrieved 9/5/2012, original source: http://www.simpsonelectric.com/uploads/File/datasheets/260-6xlm.pdf, [copy on file as Simpson_260-6xlm.pdf]. To determine lead end perspective, hold your motor up and point the shaft away from you. Thank you. 3) Disconnect the existing motor wire harness from the control board. Or skip right to ELECTRIC MOTOR WON'T START / RUN if you prefer. Actually I just remembered that I have a 3 phase washing machine motor (belt drive front load washer) Would that work to create 3 phase? then estimate the power output (by taking all sizes of shaft gross, frame bolt distances and shaft center height, then you can estimate the frame. For general applications the rules listed here should hold true. that are required for the load calculation: 1. Dimensions and mass (or density) of load 2. It looks like motor is running wrong way, ....possible? 1.take a look of the connection block and you can have an idea, (6 wires connected in star= high voltage, connected in delta= low voltage)ej: 380/690, 380 (d), 690 (y) or maybe 230/400, 220 (d)-400 (y), if the motor is with out block terminal then take a look of the end wire quantity (12, 9 … AIA ASCE, is an ASHI Using a variac I did experiment with wiring it up different ways using a run cap on the extra terminal and with a high enough MFD the motor will run in the right direction but it struggles unless the MFD is over 100 and with the cap connected the amp draw comes up to 10 amps before I bring the variac up to 120v ac. The motor has 3 terminals labeled T1, T3, T4, the Ohm reading for all windings is 4.3 Ohm's, If it was a capacitor run motor the windings would have different values. Today we gave mainance to an AC 110-220V motor and in the plate has the legend; for changue rotation changue black wire to blue. HlAgreed; 3 phase current is usually applied to power large, heavy-use electric motors. Then, energize the feeder and watch the voltmeter. The majority of the dust will be on the leading edge of the fins. At ELECTRIC MOTOR DATA TAG we explain all of the information that can be found on the electric motor data tag. Also have you actually tested the windings? In a fixed-direction electric motor such as on an HVAC blower fan or an A/C or heat pump compressor, each time the motor starts its start capacitor and start winding give the motor a "kick" in the right direction. The winding look good, the amperage it draws when running isn't over spec (5amp) however it does have kind of a burny smell to it, how would a short in the winding make it go to other way? While DC motors are applied mostly in special applications, knowing how to properly connect them is important to their required performance.You're about to connect a newly repaired or purchased DC motor on …