dust collector down!

[Jeff Bartley]

Hi All,
Today I went to start up the dust collector (clearvue) and nothing......well, the light that indicates the relays have been energized came on but the fan motor didn't even make a sound. I think I know how to proceed but I figured I'd see what everyone here thinks first.
The system is controlled by a generic remote that powers two relays, power goes into a junction box, junction box feeds each relay, remote controls relays. The light is wired into the front of one of the relays.
When the remote is activated the light comes on but there's nothing from the motor.
So, first step should be to activate the remote and check the back of the relays, right? Is there a way that a motor can fail where is does absolutely nothing?
Almost any other motor in the shop could fail and I could work around it.....it'll be miserable to work without it!

[Brian Henderson]

Is there a way to just plug the DC in without all the relays and switches and remotes, just to make sure it works? That would at least keep you moving until you can figure out exactly what went wrong.

[Jeff Bartley]

Brian, that's exactly part of the plan I've been going over in my head! I have the system shoe-horned into an sound-insulated cabinet and most of the difficulty is getting into it. With this problem I plan to move the relays into an electric box to be located on the outside of the cabinet. If the relays are OK, that leaves the motor. Does anyone know the life expectancy of a 5 hp leeson?? I think this one is going on 10-11 years (I bought it used).

[Lee Schierer]

I would suspect a faulty contact in the relays. They fail more often than anything else. As Brian recommended, plug it in directly to power and see what happens.

[David L Morse]

... the fan motor didn't even make a sound. ...

... I have the system shoe-horned into an sound-insulated cabinet...

Would you have heard the quiet hum of a motor with a bad start capacitor? Given that the breaker didn't open it's not very likely that the capacitor is the culprit but it might be wise to only apply power for a few seconds at a time while testing to reduce the risk of damaging the motor until you know for sure what's going on.

I agree that the relay is the first thing to check, just don't apply power for too long while testing.

[David Hawxhurst]

bypassing the relays and hooking up power right to the motor is a quick and easy. this would tell you which side to look at control (relay/remote) or motor. of course it maybe easier to use a volt meter and check the output of the relay.
why not have the light hooked up on the output side of the relay?

[Rod Sheridan]

The best method of troubleshooting involves voltage measurement.

Does the motor have power? That splits the system in half so you don't waste time looking at stuff that doesn't need looking at.

Of course the motor can fail where it does nothing, having it's more common that a wire has come off than a complete failure of the start and run windings.........Rod.

[J.R. Rutter]

The best method of troubleshooting involves voltage measurement.

Does the motor have power? That splits the system in half so you don't waste time looking at stuff that doesn't need looking at.

Of course the motor can fail where it does nothing, having it's more common that a wire has come off than a complete failure of the start and run windings.........Rod.

Yep, break out the meter and start probing.

[Jeff Bartley]

Thanks for all the input fellas! I went right to the meter and checked voltage everywhere, found 104 volts on one of the input leads, then tracked that back to the plug......found a loose connection and a partially melted wire! After making that right everything works great. Gotta love it when it's something simple!! And you gotta love a voltage meter: one of the most important tools in the quiver.

[Malcolm McLeod]

Yep, break out the meter and start probing.

+1 - - Apply a meter and the 'Law of Halves' (As Rod said, cut any problem's potential source in half a couple of times and you have the root-cause.)

You've basically got 3 things to look at: motor, power feed, and control circuit.

Start the DC. Test for power at the motor leads. If it's hot, the problem is in the motor. (lots of other threads on motor tbl'shting.)

If no power at the motor, back track the power feed until you find where it IS hot. Presumably at the starter relay (or the breaker?). Most starters have contact blocks that can be manually engaged; push on it and if the motor runs you have either a bad feed contact, a bad coil in the starter, or the problem is in the remote control circuit.

Sometimes you can smell a bad contact (burned from arcing). If it passes smell test, kill the main power, open the starter, and look for damaged contact pads. Most starters can be re-built from a contact kit.

Check the starter's coil voltage to see if it cycles on/off when you start/stop using your remote. If coil voltage cycles, you have a bad coil. If no control voltage cycling, the remote circuit is misconscrewed.

...I can't help much with that circuit without a schematic.

Dollar short and 4-minutes late.

[Jeff Bartley]

Maybe four minutes late but still good info there Malcolm!