[Steve Chapman]

We have just replaced the same vac motor in one of our excels for the third time in 9 months, is anyone else experiencing trouble with the life of these motors?

We never let water or foam pass through and are very careful, and the one thats gone looks as if its brand new, yet its just grinded to a halt after making the normal screeching noises and burning smell!

We do use the excel nearly every work day all day long but surely they should last longer than 3 months?

I cant think what else could make them go, any ideas?


regards
steve

[jeff1966]

Steve,is it vac 2 if so, I had the same problem.The black seal at the bottom of the waste tank was leaking and dripping directly on to the motor.If so get it in to Extracta it cost about £50.The only thing is it keeps going every 6 months I've had 3 seals fitted in 18 months!John allways asks me the same old shxxxte "have you been using solvents in your tank,and all this crap about how he's never come across it before"
                                           regards Jeff

[Ken Wainwright]

Some cheaper pattern vac/motors appear to have a very short life when compared to the original Lamb Amtek.  Could this be the case?

Safe and happy cleaning
Ken

[Steve Chapman]

jeff,
it is vac no 2, but i'm sure there is no leak but may be worth investigating!

Ken, the vac is one from woodbridge and is alot cheaper than the ones from extracta but is still a ametek one so should last longer than 3 months!

can they be fixed or are they totally blown?

regards
steve

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

I had so many vac motors in my Excel that my accountant even remarked on it.

When I switched to Alltec no failures in two years

Cheers

Doug

[Glynn]

I used to get 600 - 700 hours out of the exel's vac motors.

[Aquakleen Restoration Services]

Hey carpet Doc where do you keep your machine at night? I made the mistake of keeping it in the van and had to have a new vac motor fitted but was still under guarantee. I then switched to keeping it in the shed...bang another motor needed!

I now keep it in the house and seems fine. Apparently according to John and Brian the cold and early morning dew can effect the motors and should never be kept outside/in sheds etc....

Next time it goes however I am going to get John Kelly to fit a new one for me...a bloody lot cheaper than Extracta do it for!

John

[Glynn]

What these machines need is a soft start. Whereby the motors start up at a low speed, then increase to full speed. It would stop the surge of o rpm tp 20000 rpm within a second.

[Steve Chapman]

what i cant understand is it is the no.2 vac every time, the no.1 has been in there for ages and is still fine, if damp was the problem surely it would affect both motors,

i was wondering whether one motor works harder than the other so it burns out a lot quicker, i can live with replacing it every six months, but 3 is just silly, perhaps it's because we are buying the cheaper ones?

Is there any maintenence that can be done to the motors to make them last longer?

regards

steve

[Glynn]

Yes.
You could install a cooling fan to the motor compartment or in the base as I did so that it blows air OUT of there.
Reguarly use compressed air to blow out the carbon deposits from the air intack side of the motors (accessed from outside)
And the main thing, run the machine for a few minutes after the final job of the day to expell all damp air, do this with the vac tank lid open.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

do you think the warmer but at this moment in time damper humid air has anything to do with it?

Shaun

[cleanability]

Now I swear by this and its worked all the time in the 10 years I been carpet cleaning. I was going through vac motors like there was no tomorrow until I took this advice and my vac motors in my Alltec Pro Plus just go on and on and on, they last years. I dont know why it works but it does and the piece of advice was DONT LET THE VAC MOTORS RUN UNTIL THE BRUSHES WEAR OUT AND THE MOTOR STOPS. CHANGE THE BRUSHES SAY EVERY 450/500 HOURS. There will still be enough of the brush to keep going for a while but change them religiously after this time and it did the trick. I dont want any anorak shooting me down in flames here. This worked for me fact. By the way, the times I had foam sucked into the vac motors was nobody's business and they still lasted years as long as I CHANGED THE BRUSHES BEFORE THEY WORE OUT. 

Thanx
Chris lol

[Cloverleaf]

Also ensure that the rods and washers that the motor are mounted on are of equal length.

Lamb motors have recently altered the aloy castings of the support plates.
When the motor is worked, the aloy body will distort and the fans will start to run out of balance if the motor is not supported by equal length rods.

John

[stuart_clark]

I use an ittalian equivalent to the lamb motor and have done so for the last ten years and at a fraction of the cost of a lamb! for a 5.7" three stage motor I think they cost me 339.00 plus vat and delivery,
they last as long as a lamb and are just as powerfull as the standard motor!
I use a service engineer in market lane Dunston tyne and wear, his name is Peter Davies his mobile number is 07977453804 and he does not charge vat
I heard of a guy buying a 7.2" lamb a few weeks ago from a local supplier at a cost of £250.00 plus vat I can buy them for £150.00 plus vat and thats a super vac 1500 watt

[stuart_clark]

Mistake in the vacume motors! it should of said £39.00 plus vat and delivery

[Steve Chapman]

stuart

where can you buy the italian motors from?

cheers
steve

[stuart_clark]

Woodbridge commercial 01279 422220 ask for john

[Ian Gourlay]

I think I am correct in saying you need to watch how tight you fit the Woodbridge Motors.

I fitted on too tight a few years back and it only lasted a month.

[Steve Chapman]

ian,

why would that be so?

steve

[Kinver_Clean]

The second motor burning out is the recurring problem for mcs with series not parallel mounted vac units. If you switch one motor on the other will rev quite well due to the turbine effect of the air passing through. If you then switch the second motor on, the motor will cause the unit to rev even faster. If the motors are mounted parallel as with Alltec and one or two other manufacturers, the motors will run at the correct speed and not tend to disintegrate. I have found that normal running 5.7" 3 stage units will run for 1000 hrs or more without a brush change. I very rarely change 5.7 brushes as by the time the brushes are out the bearings and vanes are about shot anyway. I service one particular machine that has run 5.7s for several years, the owner says that it is due to running the vacs at the end of the job with the lid open to dry things out.
7.2" units are a different matter, the brushes must be checked every 350-400 hrs and very often changed at that time.
You get what you pay for. Cheap motors will not last as long, as a rule, as Lambs, but if they are cheap enough it may pay to fit them and change units sooner.

Trevor