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Electric Motor Storage: A Guide To Preserve Their Readiness

Electric Motor Storage: A Guide To Preserve Their Readiness

Managing a manufacturing plant involves having precautions to ensure efficiency remains constant and productivity is always high. One of the best practices that helps achieve this is keeping a spare electric motor in storage that can readily get up and running at a moment’s notice. Having one or a couple of spare motors around is sure to come in handy in the event that your primary motor goes offline for any reason as getting an electric motor rewind or any kind of servicing will take some time. Acquiring spares is only the first step, as proper storage is also crucial to keep your facilities running at peak efficiency.

Below, we go over proper motor storage techniques so you can rest assured that your replacement motors are always ready to go when needed.

1. Determine how long to store your motor

The first thing you need to make sure of is the duration in which you intend to keep your motor in storage, as having a timeline determines various facets of the storage plan. Ideally, you should narrow down your plans into either short-term, mid-term, or long-term.

Short-term entails storing your motor for just a month or two and focusing on the factors that you have immediate control over, like ambient vibration and temperature.

Mid-term storage covers anywhere near the six-month timeframe and will now require paying more attention to your storage location by keeping records and ensuring you have all the safety measures in place to keep your motor in good condition.

Lastly, long-term storage is when you intend to keep a motor on hand for a year or longer. In this case, having a regular maintenance schedule for your spare will be necessary to promote its longevity.

Alternatively, suppose you are unsure how long you need to keep a spare around. In that case, it is recommended to just employ as many precautions as you can to stay on the safe side and better guarantee your electric motor’s functionality.

2. Choose the proper storage location

Your choice of storage location matters as many different factors can affect how your spare will fare while on standby, such as ambient vibration, temperature, pests, and so on. For one, subtle vibrations can cause vibration-related damage to the internals of your motor, while fluctuating temperatures may cause condensation that can corrode your motor.

Hence, it is recommended to play your motor atop counteractive materials and keep them somewhere that has no humid air and within -12℃ to -6℃ to avoid condensation. And as for pests, it should be obvious how detrimental they can be to the functioning of your machinery. Ideally, you would want to choose a clean, dry, and secure location with climate control to keep your motor in perfect condition and safe from theft.

3. Protect carbon brushes, bearings, and springs

Take note of the following recommendations to safeguard these essential motor parts.

  • Carbon brushes

Lifting carbon brushes is the safest and most effective way of avoiding the potential risk of chemical reactions.

  • Bearings

Clean any dust and debris from the electric motor prior to storing it, and fill in the cavities of the bearings with grease to keep them properly lubricated and stave off corrosion during storage.

  • Springs

It is paramount to relax the springs of your motor before storage, as keeping them compressed for a long time may cause them to become fatigued when the motor is put back in service.

4. Maintain storage records

Establishing a record-keeping process for your stored electric motors is essential to better track the date they are put into storage and when they are returned to service, along with any other details that may be important. By having accurate records, you can know exactly how long your motors are kept in storage, which allows you to distinguish the ones that are used, repaired, or brand new. Other recorded information, like maintenance days, can also make you feel confident that your spare motor will work when it is time to put it to work.

Conclusion

With the right information on electric motor storage and generator maintenance and best practices in motor rewinding, you can rest assured that unexpected downtimes will no longer be a concern since you have a spare motor within reach. Thus, when your main unit goes down for any reason, you can quickly switch to the spare without a hitch. That said, even with the help of these tips, it pays to get the help of a professional firm that specialises in mechanical and electrical engineering in Singapore to verify that your spare motors and generators are being stored in good condition and will be ready whenever you need them.