5 Electric Motor Preventive Maintenance Services You Should Perform Annually

Everyone knows that performing preventive maintenance on your electric motors is critical to make sure that they continue to run smoothly and reduce the number and frequency of unplanned work stoppages due to equipment failure. But what sort of services should you perform each year?

Physical Inspection

A lot can be discovered by being physically near an electric motor. Information such as:

• Conditions of the operating area near the motor–Is it dirty? Damp? Very dry? The conditions in the workspace might indicate possible problems with the motor working within it.
• Visual inspection of components–Are there any signs of corrosion, oil or dirt buildup on any of the individual components? Look closely at the contacts and relays for rush and dirt buildup.
• Listening for problems–Does the motor seem to be running louder than expected? Can you hear any irregular sounds such as grinding or pinging?
• Scent of the motor–Does it smell like it is running hot? Is there an odor of burning or overheated insulation?
• Record essential information–Look at the motor nameplate and capture important information off of it. The model number and serial number are a good place to start, but the nameplate has a lot of other important information that might be useful for the in-depth inspection of the motor.

Vibration Testing and Analysis

Electric motor vibration analysis is one of the most useful non-destructive motor tests that can be performed on a running electric motor. These tests can reveal problems such as:

• Faults in rotating equipment such as fans, gearboxes, and pumps.
• Misalignments and unbalanced loads
• Rolling element bearing faults
• Resonance conditions

An electric motor vibration analysis can discover problems very early on allowing you the opportunity to address them before they get worse and increase your overall maintenance and repair costs, increase your risk of equipment downtime, and reduce the life of your equipment overall.

Infrared Thermographic Studies

These studies are another non-destructive test that can reveal problems early on before they become serious (and expensive) issues. Infrared thermographic studies are designed to find hot spots caused by defective connections or components allowing them to be repaired or replaced before they fail altogether resulting in unplanned downtime.

Bearing Lubrication and Replacement

Your operating manual should have guidelines on how often your bearings require lubrication and how often the grease or lubricant needs to be replaced. Following these guidelines should reduce the number and frequency of bearing replacements.

Surge and Hipot Testing

Surge and Hipot testing are yet another non-destructive test designed to uncover insulation defects and weaknesses that result in current leaks. These tests also can result in lower repair or replacement costs and longer equipment life.

Tekwell Services Provides Extensive Electric Motor Preventive Maintenance Services

If you have the proper equipment you can do a lot of these tests yourself, but most of the time it is less expensive (and more convenient) to allow an electric motor service company handle it.

Tekwell Services has over 20 years of experience providing electric motor preventive maintenance services for all sizes of motors across a variety of industries. Our factory-trained service technicians know what to look for and how to fix it. If you’d like to sign up for our annual preventive maintenance program, give us a call (toll-free) at 1-888-984-4668 or fill out our quick solution form today.