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Has anyone ever had this happen? It just turns itself off and then you can hear it click back on a few minutes later. It does feel quite hot to the touch. It seems to do it when loaded, but has also done it when it's just free spinning.

It's a Balder 1/3 hp that is not terribly old, but I did buy it used, so I don't know how much use its had. I used it for a couple previous projects and I do not remember this happening.

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Pat

Have you looked inside to see if it's full of buffer fluff?

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Nothing to offer, but I see Hardwick on the sticker. I love that store.

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

No, is that something that typically happens?

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Pat

I was going to say the same as Chris. Also, how tight is the belt.
Take the belt off and run the motor for 10-15 mins. Does it still get hot?
If not then it's something with your buffer set up. The bearings might be non-concentric which will add to the load on the motor. With the belt off can you free spin the buffs easily?


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All good suggestions. Also, double check your wiring, make sure all of the connections correct and tight.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I may be mistaken, but is that motor an open, drip-proof type? If so, all of that buffing wheel fluff, dead compound, and any other debris in the air is passed through the interior of the motor with the cooling air.

Perhaps after cleaning out the motor, you might consider seeing if there is a used, totally enclosed, fan cooled motor available from your vendor and work a swap. While a TEFC motor still needs to have the fan plenum and fan cleaned out with compressed air every few months, it is much easier to keep clean and running cool than an ODP design.

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I will check all of those things tonight. Although, I was hoping I wouldn't have to open it up! I'm not sure if it is a certain type of motor or not. How would I tell?

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Pat

That isn't a TEFC motor, which is what you would like to use in this application. I've heard of people putting a lady's nylon over the motor to keep the dust out, but once it gets covered in dust, your motor will over heat, or something more dangerous might happen.

Alex

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Possible capacitor failure?

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Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from poor judgement.

Just take it to an electric motor repair shop. They'll probably fix it for $15-$20 (probably a capacitor).

+1 on overheating. The click you hear is the thermal protection switch closing after enough cooling.
Probably not a bad capacitor; since that's a start capacitor, it's taken out of the circuit as soon as the motor gets up to speed. The motor wouldn't start if the capacitor was bad.

I/d would have the wiring checked for the circuits overloading somewhere in the wiring.

Is it wired correctly in terms of Low vs. High voltage?

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