Something interesting pulled me into the basement the other day...

[supremewhirlpol]

The motor housing end bells did not just slide off, and I actually had to apply a hammer and screw driver to them. That's a good sign.

 

[supremewhirlpol]

Top housing off exposing the armature and stator

 

[supremewhirlpol]

Removing the armature shows that there is "play" in the bearings, which explains the shaft turning rough. Armature and stator show that this issue has been caught early. (Another good sign)

 

[supremewhirlpol]

The windings, don't look very well. They are full of 20 years worth of microscopic dirt. Using compressed air won't work here. Oil-based microscopic dirt actually eats the varnish off the windings. The windings then become more resistive in nature and the motor will basically self-destruct. While replacing the bearings I can do, cleaning the windings, I don't have the proper equipment to do so.

 

[supremewhirlpol]

So off to the motor shop it goes...

 

[supremewhirlpol]

3.5 weeks later it's back, and in an interesting shade of gray, with a stamp on it. My motor has been marked!

 

[supremewhirlpol]

what a fat-looking motor!

 

[supremewhirlpol]

And while I was at the motor shop, I had to take these with me.

 

[supremewhirlpol]

The back please the back

 

[supremewhirlpol]

I will get to more about the fans later...Now time to install the key and pulley

 

[supremewhirlpol]

The motor goes back in for testing. It is best to test the motor by re-installing it back into it's original environment.

 

[supremewhirlpol]

Now the re-installation process... manuever the motor in machine the through the front. Make sure the mounting arms face the right side of the machine. Align the motor arms with the openings in which the rod slides through. Insert the rod from the back of the machine, sliding the bushings onto the rod as well. The bushings go against the front and back of the last mounting arm(facing the front of the motor), and do not tighten them yet. Secure the other end of the rod into place with it's bolt.

 

[supremewhirlpol]

securing the rod

 

[supremewhirlpol]

position the tension bar back into place above the motor, reconnect the tension spring. Reinstall the belts, adjust/check to make sure the system is in alignment. After the pulley system is in alignment, tighten the bushings that are against the last motor arm.

 

[supremewhirlpol]

Reconnect the power connector and ground.

 

[supremewhirlpol]

Lastly, re-install the frame cross-bar

 

[supremewhirlpol]

Now it is time to test the motor... Here is the configuration:

 

[supremewhirlpol]

The configuration of my rotary phase converter has 2 3phase line reactor the are in series with one another so that the supply is still inductive when the Primus machine goes into extract with a full load. The reactors do not supply enough current for the Ipso machine, as it has a bigger motor. Since the reactors can't supply enough current for the Ipso machine, the 3 phase supply then becomes capacitive with a lagging power factor. This condition is very bad for when you have hard to start 3 phase motor. So, the solution is the following:
Take the existing line reactors out of the circuit and use a bigger one. This line reactor has a 55 A capacity, compared to the existing ones, which have only 4 A. There are some other things that I have to do to the phase converter, before the project is finished... I will get to that later.

 

[supremewhirlpol]

The rear of the phase converter

 

[supremewhirlpol]

Motor tests good! Guys at the shop say it's one heck of a motor. So, what did they do? They replaced the bearings, washed the windings, re-coated them, and painted the motor. The windings now are a teal type of color. But there is still that big issue with Elmo motors of extreme heat on the slow speed. The solution is to attach a fan. I did the same thing to the motor in the Primus machine. Having the motor reconditioned was a small fee compared to paying $1300.00 for a new one. So now the fans...

 

[supremewhirlpol]

These 2 fans I got from the motor shop, and they are VERY special. These fans move lots of air, are sealed, and the motors are rebuildable!. I was told that they cost ~$250.00 each, but I have seen similar fans for about the same price, and those were not build as good as these. My thoughts are that these cost more that $250. These fans run on 208-220V and nothing less, they do not like lower voltage AT ALL! When ran on proper voltage they are loud and move some air. They move so much air that If you put your hand in front of the intake side, the blades will try to suck you hand in! These are 1 phase models.

 

[supremewhirlpol]

specs of the smaller fan

 

[supremewhirlpol]

In the next few days the fan will be fitted to the motor.

 

[a440]

Awesome Job Melvin!

I am enjoying your education so much!
Thanks for the time of posting this!
Love the washer, motor rebuild, and can't wait to see your invention with the fans!
Thanks!
Brent

 

[bertrum]

Hi nice restoration work, What are you going to use this commercial machine for?, not your domestic laundry?

 

[americansuds]

its amazing how you just came up with all of this on your own, as if no one on this site helped you or advised you on anything about the motor at all, taking it apart, removing the key, inspecting the windings, determining if there was bearing failure, encouraging you to take it to a motor shop...very interesting indeed.

 

[supremewhirlpol]

Time to fit the fan to the motor...

 

[supremewhirlpol]

I made the mounting brackets out of Whirlpool/Kenmore DD cabinet fasteners.

 

[supremewhirlpol]

bracket

 

[supremewhirlpol]

There are a total of 2 barckets holding the fan on to the motor.