Internal Motor

The current push in today’s world is to upgrade everything to a more energy-efficient state. This is true for cars, appliances, and electric motors.

If you are deciding whether to keep your old motor or to replace it with a new one, please consider the following:

Production/Operation Downtime

Motor replacement requires an associated amount of pre-planning or downtime in operation or production that could be avoided by simply keeping the working motor you already have. Small repairs often take less time than ordering and installing a new motor, which would equal more downtime.

By pre-planning for the replacement, the best solution — a combination of motor efficiency, cost and performance — can be determined and ordered to avoid rush charges or costly mistakes made when under the pressure of a machine being down.

Starting Torque

The starting torque for old motors is generally much higher than starting torque for new motors. This means that replacing your old motor would likely also require installing a new drive into your current machine or equipment, which may not be the most convenient option.

Often an updated control scheme, as simple as a soft-start, will help reduce the cost of electricity consumed on start-up while maintaining the torque required for the machine.  If a new high efficiency motor is required, careful consideration to starting torque or full load torque may determine that the motor and drive be sized as much as 150% larger in order to achieve the same results as old wound rotor motors.

Cost

Although replacing your old motor with a newer motor—particularly one with a more efficient motor—may save your company money in operational costs, it may still not be the most cost-effective solution for you. Often, the cost of maintenance and preventative care for your current motor is much less than the cost of replacing it with a new one.

Some operating costs can be saved by adding soft starts or VFD’s which have incentives from the power companies that may be as high as 100% of the cost of the VFD.  Often simple things like not stopping and restarting large motors between 11am and 5pm will reduce your energy costs substantially.

In addition, if the motor is small or only used sporadically, the energy savings of a new motor may not be significant enough to warrant the upgrade. Simple calculations can be made to determine if a motor upgrade would really be the best option.

At Renown Electric, we offer a selection of the highest quality electric motors to provide you with the motor you need. We are specialists in motor maintenance and replacement.  Please consult one of Renown’s motor specialists to help you determine the best course of action to optimize both cost and performance.

If you are interested in keeping your old motor and want to make sure that it is well maintained, download our eBook “Preventative vs. Predictive Motor Maintenance.