Need a 2nd Opinion on Motor Search

[buddywiser]

I think my motor is about to go. It's making a pretty loud whirrr sound. It's about 12 years old, so I'm not even going to think about taking it to a motor shop. I'm not quite sure of the HP (everything is worn off on the plate), but if I'm doing this right, I think it's 3/4 HP.

I took the part number off the label below and searched for it. Using only the 184948 gave me some results and I found this page.

http://svrs-motors.com/pdf/brochures/3996/3996.PDF

On page 22, it says that a replacement motor would be B638. So if I go here, it looks like the B638 is a 3/4 HP motor with a 1.5 SF.

http://www.electricmotorwarehouse.com/5 ... ool_Motors

Anybody have any other suggestions, like maybe moving up to the next one, the B654 (1HP with 1.4 SF)? I know they say go with one that has the same HP, but what if the 1HP would have been a better option to begin with?

All comments welcome

 

[mas985]

It looks like you have a 1 HP with a service factor of 1 which why they specified B638. You need to match the BHP not the HP. Braking HP is label HP * service factor. The B638 has slightly higher BHP but is should work fine. The B654 would be way too much motor for the wet end and would waste electricity.

 

[Ohm_Boy]

You should know that there's not much on a motor which can wear out beyond a motor shop's ability to repair it.
In the case of a pool motor, if the casing was physically damaged, or the shaft broken, or maybe if the unit needed to be rewound, it might cost too much to repair, but for bearings, brushes, seals, and other typical wear parts, rebuilding is almost certainly going to be cheaper.

In larger, more expensive motors, everything except for a flattened housing would generally be repairable. Even a broken shaft would be fixed.

 

[buddywiser]

Thanks for the replies guys....

So the B638 would be a good replacement for this. I think that's what I was looking for.

Ohm_boy, what would be the approximate cost of getting the bearings repaired? I guess if I went that route it would come down to whether I would want a new motor for $200 vs. a 12-year old rebuilt motor for the cost of repair.

 

[Ohm_Boy]

Tough to say, depending upon the area of the country, the amount of competetion in the business, and the condition of the motor, etc., but I'd expect to see it range from about $80 to $120. Bearings aren't real expensive, and the motor shop guys probably get $50/hour or so for shop labor.

Also, as a rule, they will not just blindly replace bearings and be done. They will check the windings for shorts/grounds and should do a HIPOT (High Potential Voltage) test to check for insulation breakdown. If there's a problem, they'll let you know. They should also do a vibration level test after the rebuild which will tend to catch any problem spots in the rotating assembly.
12 years ain't nuthin' for a motor.

 

[rodrigo]

Last year, the capacitor on my Hayward Super Pump fried, and it was not able to spin up. I replaced the capacitor for about eight dollars, and finished out the season. But it seemed like the pump was running really HOT. So hot it began to discolor the PVC pipe a few inches away.

So, before I opened up this year, I pulled the motor off the pump assembly and took it to the shop for a going over. They replaced bearings and the seals, re-shellaced the winding and even sprayed a fresh coat of paint on the housing, and reinstalled all to the pump assembly (after I ran that back out to them) for around $130. The pump seal was the most expensive part at around $25, with about $40 total in parts. The rest was just bench time.

Sure, it was nearly half the cost of a brand new pump, but it was only 6 years old -- and this way, I'm keeping someting out of the landfill.

 

[buddywiser]

Well, I had a change of plans after a few days of research and thinking. I went ahead and bought a whole new pump. I figured why spend $200 on a new motor, and having a pump that is no longer made and will be hard to find parts for. I ended up buying a Hayward 1HP Super pump. All the pool stores around here wanted around $420 for one, but I ended up getting one on ebay for $265....no tax, free shipping, after Microsoft (now Bing) Cashback.

Now I just need to figure out how to plumb this sucker