Need Help!- Need Help! 5HP motor 460V to 230V?!

[diyengineer]

I just bought a huge air distributer. 2000CFM driven by a 5HP electric motor 3450RPM. The motor is like new and must have been recently replaced!

It comes with a really nice filter. My plan was to swap out the 2" thick filter for a really nice HEPA filter to keep my shop dust free. (i dont cut wood or grind/sand).

The unit is actually in mint condition and works perfectly. It came with all the documentation and even the electric schematic for the allen bradely box.

Its wired for 3 phase 460Volt.

On the 5HP motor is clearly states 460V/230V. My shop only has 240V and i want to use it. How do i go about rewiring this thing?

Later today i will go out there with a flashlight since night is coming and try and get pictures of the plaque on the motor.

Thanks guys!

[houstonsamuel]

You cant just rewire the motor. You would have to make sure everything else in the air distributer can take 240V. Depending on how many amps it draws. It may be easier to get transformer to bump your voltage up.

[Al_The_Man]

If you take the terminal cover off, there is generally connection instructions on a label attached.
If not post the present connections and terminal designations as they are often standard.
Keep in mind you may have to increase the fuse and overloads size accordingly, hopefully the wire and contactor size is sufficient for the higher current.
Also check the control transformer to see if the primary can be changed.
Al.

[diyengineer]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Man If you take the terminal cover off, there is generally connection instructions on a label attached. If not post the present connections and terminal designations as they are often standard. Keep in mind you may have to increase the fuse and overloads size accordingly, hopefully the wire and contactor size is sufficient for the higher current. Also check the control transformer to see if the primary can be changed. Al.

Well by rewire i meant "just make it run" lol.

I will take some really nice pictures of the inside of the box.
Also have a few pictures of the motor as well. I will load them up later tonight!

I'm excited!

[diyengineer]

Here are the motor pictures. The angle which i had the camera is extremely tight, and i couldnt flash the center or it would blow out the text so sorry for the bad pictures, but all the information is there

[diyengineer]

Inside of unit Allen-Bradley:



Extra information i found:
Uses a 13" direct drive chicago blower corportation blower 2000cfm.

Calculated unit shipping weight 782 pounds.
manufactured in 1997.
Pretty sure its a new motor and not the original.

[vger]

Nice unit... Although I consider this a "small" blower, once you get up to about 100 HP I call em large. I do balance work on industrial blowers, some of them are up in the 800 - 1000 HP range.

As Al suggested... Check the current rating of the breaker... when you go from 460 to 230 your current will increase (about drouble), so you may have to replace the breaker. Also check the contactor rating rating. Looks like the control transformer has dual primary, probably in series now, putting in in parallel may allow you to run it on 230 (240).

Steve

[lgalla]

You need 230 3 phase.Does your shop have 3 ph 230?

[Al_The_Man]

According to the print it shows a dedicated 460/120v 75va transformers, but looking at the actual transformer it appears to have primary taps.
Check the actual txfr itself.
Also on the motor change, the terminals are usually laid out as per the diagram #'s so all you do is change the links over.
Al.

[diyengineer]

Originally Posted by lgalla You need 230 3 phase.Does your shop have 3 ph 230?

240V single phase

[diyengineer]

Originally Posted by vger Nice unit... Although I consider this a "small" blower, once you get up to about 100 HP I call em large. I do balance work on industrial blowers, some of them are up in the 800 - 1000 HP range. As Al suggested... Check the current rating of the breaker... when you go from 460 to 230 your current will increase (about drouble), so you may have to replace the breaker. Also check the contactor rating rating. Looks like the control transformer has dual primary, probably in series now, putting in in parallel may allow you to run it on 230 (240). Steve

lol! 1000HP blower holy crap. That must be the size of a house!

I will check breaker rating, and transformer out and report back.

[Al_The_Man]

Originally Posted by diyengineer 240V single phase

You could use a 1 ph in VFD just for 3ph for the motor and feed 240 1 ph directly into the control transformer.
The contactor would go on the input side of the VFD.
Al.