Quality of WEG motors?

[Luke Barber]

Just had a brand new 10 hp WEG motor erupt in flames at a car wash. No kidding, it looked like one of those dragsters. This is the third one in a short period of time that's done this. The other two lasted a little longer in time, but were not used much before they failed. Little too odd, just thought I'd give you a heads up if you have a choice in motors. This last one was real fun. It's on a blower, so it had to be raised 10 ft and all connected before flaming out. I'm not sure if WEG motors are a good choice for wet environments.

 

[Skogsgurra]

Did other brands perform better? A car wash, if one is "unlucky", can kill any motor. I have seen quite a lot of failed motors and the WEG failure rates do not seem to stand out in comparison with brands like ABB, Siemens and others. WEG has factories in several places. Do you know from where these particular Machines are?

Gunnar Englund

http://www.gke.org

--------------------------------------
Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.

 

[ScottyUK]

WEG used to have a deserved reputation for being cheap and nasty. Today I think they've improved their quality to at least mid-market. There are certainly better-built motors out there but you'll pay a hefty premium, for example Loher's Chemstar series - now owned by Siemens.

I think you should take a look at your starter gear first and find out why it isn't protecting your motors adequately: any motor will get in trouble if it is overloaded and the protection doesn't work or is incorrectly set. If it's a really bad environment then it might be worth adding sensitive earth fault protection even though it's uncommon at such a low power level.

 

[itsmoked]

Funny you should mention this. A buddy was just tasked with replacing the burned up blower motor in our town's car wash about a week ago. It was a nasty job, wet, forklift heavy, drag chains, floor disruption. He discovered the cheap-ass owner had added other motors by simply daisy-chaining the contactor output and running 'extra motors' completely unprotected. No overloads what-so-ever! He refused to even consider doing it correctly.

Seems you need to seriously check the protection as Scotty suggests.

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[Luke Barber]

Thank you for the suggestions.

I found the following post by a Baldor engineer helpful.

[URL unfurl="true"]https://precisionautomation.net/2019/04/08/operating-motors-in-wet-or-damp-environments/[/url]

 

[waross]

If these are totally enclosed, fan cooled motors, thermal pumping may be drawing moisture into the motors.
When the motor is up to temperature, the air inside the housing is also hot.
When the motor is stopped, and cools down, the air inside will also cool down and contract, forming a partial vacuum. This will pull in any moisture near the end bell fitting.
Consider Mr. Cowern's advice as to weep holes in the motor. If there are no weep holes, consider drilling a breather hole in the lower part of an end bell.
I have had transformer connection boxes, and control panels that suffered from chronic moisture. The inside surfaces were covered with water droplets.
All were cured by drilling 1/8 inch diameter drain holes.


Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

 

[itsmoked]

I have stopped chronic wet-failed motors by Bill's method but I always go further. I thread in a hose fitting and run a hose (can be really small 1/8" 3/16") off to somewhere dry. If the hose is long enough no air will actually ever turn-over in the motor housing.

This same problem will happen with a vehicle. Take a hot third member into water and the instant cool-down of the axle housing will create a vacuum that sucks water into the gear housing. NOT good. So the dumb little vents get swapped out for a hose that ends somewhere above fording levels.

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[waross]

I have seen a few pick-ups that have that hose from the diff' up to the frame as a factory installed feature.
Cheap boat trailer hubs may not last the season.
The good hubs are 100% grease filled with a spring loaded follower to alow for thermal expansion and contraction of the grease.

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

 

[iceworm]

Yep - one trade name is "Bearing Buddies". I put them on all the boat trailers I built. Hit them with a grease gun every time, before I backed in the water.

BUT, they don't work so good if you have trailer brakes. The grease gets forced out past the inner seal. It coats the inside of the wheel - unless there are brakes. Then it coats the brakes. Managed to only do that once.

Harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction

 

[ScottyUK]

We started fitting IP-rated breathers to our junction boxes and terminal boxes. We're a petrochem site so drilling holes in certified equipment is generally frowned upon, but these work very effectively:

https://www.hubbell.com/hawke/en/Pr...athers/489-Ex-e-Ex-d-Breather-Drain/p/2147263

 

[waross]

I second that Scotty.
Those are very common in the petrochem sites that I see.
They may not be needed in a car wash.

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter