An open letter regarding advice given on electric motors.
As a professional working in the electric motor industry I am concerned at the quality of advice given when some one has a question regarding an electric motor.
I should firstly I should state my background, I hold an electrical trade qualification and hold tertiary qualifications in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, I have worked in the motor industry for about 25 years before that I was involved in High Voltage electrical equipment installation and maintenance. My involvement with electric motors can be backed up by one of the moderators of the Forum I sold him a motor for his big lathe and delivered it just after he set him self up in business, that was when I worked for Brook Crompton.
On a recent post regarding the direction of a motor I noticed that members geve some advice without firstly asking some important questions, questions that should have been asked Ie.
- What type of motor was it Induction or Universal or was it a DC motor was there a brake fitted to the motor?
- If Induction was it single or three phase? If Single phase was it a capacitor start, or capacitor run or capacitor start and capacitor run motor each one has different running and starting characteristics
- Was it single phase or three phase? If a US member was told that the motor was 240V he would most likely think it was a three phase motor different countries have different mains voltages and regulations and as this forum is global so there is scope for miss-understanding
I have also noticed that some members go to great lengths with explanations and excerpts from technical books, this advice is the most dangerous because an expert would know better.
I may have been a bit emotional with regard to colourful language but when it comes to Electrical safety it seems that any one weather they have the knowledge or not is allowed to post what could be possibly dangerous comments and advice with out any reference to their qualification or expertise or identity.
I would strongly urge that any one who has a problem with their motors to take the motor straight to a qualified repairer to have it fixed, by a qualified repairer not just an electrician, we get plenty of motors in that have been incorrectly connected by qualified electricians because they have been to lazy to read the name plate.
Some of the advice that I have seen offered on this Forum with regard to electric motors is not only dangerous it has been incorrect and I am surprised that some poor sod has not been injured.
Phil Spencer
