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Thread: Clearvue Cyclone motor fried?

  1. #1
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    Clearvue Cyclone motor fried?

    The motor on my Clearvue Max will not start.
    When I click the remote to turn it on I hear a hum from something trying to work - this trips the breaker if I don't click it off right away.

    I turned the motor on / off several times over 10 minutes on the day it stopped working, which I don't normally do. The temperature in my shop was 93°, so it was likely hotter up at the ceiling where the motor is mounted.
    I also did not have a fan blowing on the motor.
    I have tried to reset the thermal overload reset button but it doesn't move at all - zero action. I unscrewed the junction box from the motor to get better access to the reset button but as I say it does not budge.

    Is there a simple fix, as I hope, or is my motor fried?
    How can I test for this without taking the whole system apart?

    thanks, Mark

  2. #2
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    Mark, did you check for a bad starter capacitor? It might be difficult to get to and could be dangerous but if the start capacitor is bad a motor will hum then the circuit breaker will pop. If the motor is given even a little help starting right before or after it is turned on the the motor will run fine if the capacitor is the only problem. I've started both a mini lathe and a big bandsaw manually this way while waiting for new capacitors when they went out. Maybe remove the manifold to the filter and give the impeller a push with a stick?

    (Usually a bad capacitor will smell bad too.)

    This won't work if the motor windings are fried. You could take the motor down and get a local motor shop to check it out. (What a pain to remove the motor!!) If the motor is bad the good news is having one rebuilt can be much cheaper than buying a new one.

    Do you have the Leeson 5hp motor? A general guideline I've read is to not start a cyclone more than 5 times per hour or you risk overheating the motor. Some say 7 but the principle is the same. I tend to leave my ClearVue on for long periods. Apparently a large motor needs some cool down time between cycling. When doing a lot bandsawing or dust making I close the blast gates and let the cyclone run while getting ready for the next use.

    JKJ

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Gibney View Post
    The motor on my Clearvue Max will not start.
    When I click the remote to turn it on I hear a hum from something trying to work - this trips the breaker if I don't click it off right away.

    I turned the motor on / off several times over 10 minutes on the day it stopped working, which I don't normally do. The temperature in my shop was 93°, so it was likely hotter up at the ceiling where the motor is mounted.
    I also did not have a fan blowing on the motor.
    I have tried to reset the thermal overload reset button but it doesn't move at all - zero action. I unscrewed the junction box from the motor to get better access to the reset button but as I say it does not budge.

    Is there a simple fix, as I hope, or is my motor fried?
    How can I test for this without taking the whole system apart?

    thanks, Mark
    Last edited by John K Jordan; 07-16-2020 at 10:12 AM. Reason: typo

  3. #3
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    Thanks John, it would be great if it is just the capacitor. I'll check into that. Fingers crossed.

  4. #4
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    Mar 2005
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    I have the same problem. Mine just stopped and doesn’t even hum. I have a Clear Vue powered by a Unisaw motor. I have ordered a Leeson to replace it. I am right in the middle of a bed project. It takes some getting used to trying to get by with a shop vac. Good luck getting yours changed. Mine has served for 15 years. It is in a closet and I will have to recruit help to get it down.

    I talked to friend who has worked with motors. He said if it hums it is most likely the start capacitors.
    Last edited by Charlie Jones; 07-16-2020 at 9:57 AM.
    Charlie Jones

  5. #5
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    I recommend cutting the power cord as close to the motor as possible. Use shrub loppers or a hacksaw to cut the cable. Put a female cord end on the old cord. Use a little new cable and put a male cord end on the motor while it is down on the bench. I like twist locks. This reduces the headache of wiring it up in the rafters ever again.
    Bill D

  6. #6
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    As said, probably the starting capacitor, hopefully not the start winding. Remember to minimize the starts per hour to 3 - 4, and that's spread out over the hour, not all at once. It's not like a table saw where there's not much rotating mass and the motors are usually smaller. A blower has a much longer start time, and thus more heating.

  7. #7
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    Does it help to start with all blast gates closed?

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matthew Hills View Post
    Does it help to start with all blast gates closed?
    Yes, it lowers the amp draw.

  9. #9
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    Do not let it run very long with the blast gates shut or the fan will overloads the motor and fry the windings.
    Bil lD

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    Do not let it run very long with the blast gates shut or the fan will overloads the motor and fry the windings.
    Bil lD
    Why? thought it was the other way.

    Matt

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matthew Hills View Post
    Why? thought it was the other way.

    Matt

    It is electrically. It is counter intuitive but the load is lowest when the least amount of air is being moved. Look around and you will find videos of folks with ammeters on their systems that show this.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  12. #12
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    NOT TRUE, at least with cyclone like the ClearVue

    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    Do not let it run very long with the blast gates shut or the fan will overloads the motor and fry the windings.
    Bil lD
    You have it backwards. This is not true with a cyclone, to my understanding from research and my own tests. To test, I put an amp meter on the motor line and found that the current was much less if all the blast gates are closed. Lower current means less heat. I often let mine run for extended times with all gates closed.

    The cyclone motor works the hardest when the impeller is pumping air. When the blast gates are closed, the impeller runs in partial vacuum which makes it much easier on the motor.

    As a converse to this, ClearVue cyclone installation instructions warn strongly "Do NOT turn the motor on until the system is completely assembled, including the collection drum. Doing so may cause the circuit breaker to trip, physical damage to the system and/or bodily harm." Turning the motor on without air resistance causes too heat from too much current. I've read several accounts of people frying new motors in their haste to test an unclosed system. Be extrapolation, a completely closed system, with blast gates closed, creates the smallest load possible on the motor.

    The motor itself is not enclosed within the cyclone but sits on top the machine in open air with just the impeller in the air streem. The motor is NOT in the air stream so air running through the system does not cool the motor. I measured the temperature of the motor housing and it was cooler when running with all the blast gates closed.

    The biggest current draw is when the motor starts up. If the blast gates are open when the motor starts, the current and the heat is the highest. That's why I close my blast gates before turning on the motor. That's why you shouldn't cycle a cyclone too may times in a given period. The extra heat from the startup needs time to dissipate.

    All this may be different with a different type of dust collector, one that is not a cyclone. If the motor body is in the airstream on certain DCs it may need the air moving to keep cool, I don't know. The only DC I have experience with is this 5hp ClearVue 1800 cyclone.

    JKJ

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    Do not let it run very long with the blast gates shut or the fan will overloads the motor and fry the windings.
    Bil lD
    This is absolutely incorrect, see the results of some testing I did here; https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....dux)&highlight=

  14. #14
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    As John and John said, motor load is lightest when the gates are all closed.

  15. #15
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    I hope you got your problem solved. I just replaced my motor. I still don’t know what is wrong with the first one but I wanted to upgrade anyway. Now I have another problem. The fan housing is made from MDF. I set it under the shed and rainwater got on top of it. Does anyone know how to salvage it? I am going to dry it out, drill a bunch of holes in it and fill with thin epoxy. If that doesn’t work I will have to make one.
    Charlie Jones

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