FAQ

General

Question: I am a homeowner. Can I purchase product on emotorstore?

Question: My motor is very hot to the touch. Is that normal?

Question: What type of motor must be located in the air stream to be cooled because it is not self-cooling?

Question: Overheating is a sign of inefficiency and/or insufficient ventilation True/False?

Question: In order to provide the necessary cooling for an “air over” type motor, the motor must be located in an air stream True/False?

Motor Temperature/Cooling

Question: My motor is very hot to the touch. Is that normal?

Question: What type of motor must be located in the air stream to be cooled because it is not self-cooling?

Answer: Air-over motor

Question:Overheating is a sign of inefficiency and/or insufficient ventilation True/False?

Answer: True

Question:In order to provide the necessary cooling for an “air over” type motor, the motor must be located in an air stream True/False?

Answer: True   

Rotation: Motors (for Blower Wheel rotation SEE BELOW)

Question:When choosing a motor, how do I know I am getting the correct rotation?

Answer: Rotation is obviously an extremely important motor attribute.  While many motors are easily reversible (for example, most three phase motors), others are not.  For non-reversible motors, you must be very careful to check, and double check that the correct rotation is being specified.   Unfortunately, the vendors don't make it easy on any of us, since the specifications of "CW", and "CCW" of course depend on the direction you are viewing the motor; i.e. are you viewing the motor by looking at the shaft end or the opposite end.  Some vendors use the shaft end as the reference others use the opposite end.

The following table, lists some common rotation specifications which do not depend on the viewing reference.

For Fasco Motors: View the motor facing the shaft end to determine rotation. (unless otherwise noted)

Counter-Clockwise Rotation (CCW)

Clockwise Rotation (CW)

For General Electric Motors: View from opposite the shaft end (unless otherwise noted)

Counter-Clockwise Rotation (CCW)

Clockwise Rotation (CW)

• Lafert, Leeson and Marathon Motors (on emotorstore) are Reversible
• For all A.O. Smith Motors rotation is uniquely specified



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Question: When you call emotorstore.com what view point should you use to give shaft direction of rotation?




Answer: Looking at the shaft.   




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Rotation: Blower Wheels




Blower rotation is often marked on the blower wheel itself. If not, the cups of the blower fins push the air, and that is the direction of rotation. Dust build-up on a blower wheel can help determine the motor rotation. The majority of the dust will be on the leading edge of the fins.








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Question: I have a 3 phase motor. How do I change the rotation?




Answer: Changing two of the three leads will change your rotation.




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Question: There is no way to visually determine the direction of rotation of a Shaded-Pole motor True/False?




Answer: False




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Question: Dust build-up on a fan blade, blower wheel or rotor fin can help determine motor rotation True/False?




Answer: True




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Bearings/Lubrication




Question: How often should I lubricate my furnace motor, and what type of oil should I use?




Answer: For routine maintenance and for improved bearing life a few drops of 20w non-detergent oil can be applied every 12 months.




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Question: Ball bearings, under normal operating conditions, will last as long or longer than sleeve bearings True/False?




Answer: False




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Question: Bearing temperatures are a major factor in determining the useful life of a motor True/False?




Answer: True




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Capacitors




Question: Which capacitor lead can be insulated and not used if only one capacitor lead is used in the application wiring?




Answer: The brown lead with a white stripe down the side




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Question: A motor with a shorted capacitor can still start and run, but will operate as if seriously overloaded True/False?




Answer: True




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Question: Capacitors for PSC (Permanent Split Capacitor) motors are only used for starting the motor True/False?




Answer: False




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Question: Run capacitors are oval shaped with single MFD (Microfared) ratings True/False?




Answer: True




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Question: You can always replace a PSC motor with a Shaded Pole motor True/False?




Answer: False




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Question: It is possible for a Permanent Split Capacitor (PSC) motor to operate even if the capacitor is shorted True/False?




Answer: True




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Question: When replacing a motor run capacitor, it is acceptable to use a capacitor rated at a lower voltage True/False?




Answer: False




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Question: Capacitor life is about how many hours?




Answer: 60,000 hours.




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HP/RPM




Question: Using an oversized motor horsepower rating for a replacement will not cause excessive heat in the motor True/False?




Answer: False




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Question: Motors with horsepower ratings below one horsepower are called fractional horsepower motors True/False?




Answer: True




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Question: The RPM of a motor driving a fan blade will increase when the air flow system or filters become clogged True/False?




Answer: False




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Installation




Question: When installing a motor, it is best, when possible, to have the lead exit of the motor at the _____ position.




Answer: 6 o’clock




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Question: It is okay to by-pass thermal protectors to eliminate nuisance tripping True/False?




Answer: False




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Question: On multi-speed motors, you do not always have to connect the common (white) lead to the power line first True/False?




Answer: False




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Laws and Principles




Question: Ohms Law is the basic relationship between voltage, current and resistance in electrical designs. What is the formula?




Answer: R=E/I




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Question: Motors run on the basic principal of




Answer: Electromagnetism




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Service Factor




Question: What is a Service Factor?




Answer: A Service Factor is a Measure of the overload capacity designed into a motor. For example: A 1.15 Service Factor means the motor can deliver 15% more then the rated horsepower without injurious over-heating. A 1.0 Service Factor Motor should not be overloaded beyond it's rated horsepower. Service Factors will vary with different horsepower motors and motor speeds.




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Question: Don’t replace a general purpose motor (with a service factor), with a special purpose motor that does not  have a service factor True/False?




Answer: True







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Motor Types




Question: A clogged furnace filter will decrease the system static pressure True/False?




Answer: False




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Question: Air moving application motors have HIGH starting torque True/False?




Answer: False




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Question: Shaded Pole motors are the least costly and the least efficient of all motors True/False?




Answer: True




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Question: The two most important factors limiting motor life are:




Answer: Heat and moisture




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Question: Multi-speed motors only indicate speed variation when loaded. When they are run without loads, all speeds will be the same True/False?




Answer: True




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Question: Is Repulsion Induction 1 of the 5 basic types of electric motors True/False?




Answer: False




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Question: Which of the these are parts of a basic electric motor?




a. Rotor    b. Windings
c. Starter  d. All of them

Answer: d. All of them




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Question: What is the only thing that cannot be determined from a motor with no nameplate?




Answer: Voltage




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Question: Which of these motors is the most Energy Efficient?




a. Shaded Pole  b. Three Phase
c. Split Phase    d. Capacitor Start

Answer: b. Three Phase




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Mounting




Question: What's the difference between F0, F1 and F2 Mounting?




Answer: The F mounting refers to the location of the conduit box. See illustration below.