Plant Services - July 2008 - (Page 7)

FROM THE EDITOR Motor Service You have to appreciate expertise where you find it O ing and putting in a whole new air conditioner. Of course, n the south side of Valparaiso, Ind., just north of I hoped to avoid the cost of another motor and the HVAC Route 30, behind Duffy’s Bar on Axe Avenue, shop’s labor charge. there’s a group of tin-roofed, cinder-block buildTholen isn’t as old as my mom, but he’s definitely my seings roughly gathered around a weedy, potholed gravel nior and speaks with the heavy Dutch or German accent parking lot. The simple, well-used structures house a set of I’ve often found associated with an appreciation of fine businesses every town needs, but fewer have as time goes old machinery and the desire to keep it working properly. by. There’s Lucht Blacksmith & Welding, On-Site Services’ “Sparks and smoke, you say?” he exclaimed as he peered at fix-it and small engines, L&S Auto Repair, Northern Indithe motor with obvious enthusiasm. “Write your name and ana Door Service and the subject of this month’s column, number on this piece of paper, I’ll call you when I’ve looked Tholen Motor Service. at it tomorrow morning!” What do you do when, at the onset of a long, hot Chicago Right on time, Tholen called to tell me the motor summer, your 83-year-old mom’s 40-year-old General Eleccouldn’t be repaired, and offered a replacetric through-the-wall air-conditioner blows ment at (“Are you sitting down now?”) about fuses and won’t run? Of course, you replace it I hoped $220 with tax and shipping. I asked him with a new, modern, efficient unit. But what if he could tell me why it failed, because it if your long-deceased dad had adapted it into to avoid the a window seat, using his own hands to make cost of another wouldn’t be worth replacing the motor for just another two years of service. He said it unique and clever control extensions and cusmotor and the had been fitted with the wrong capacitor. “It tom air ducts, so no new unit would fit withHVAC shop’s should be 4 microfarads, and it’s a 10, so the out major revisions? Maybe you’d do what I motor was drawing 1.5 amps instead of 1.1. did – try to find out what’s wrong with the old labor charge. That might be the reason,” he said. “The new one and get it fixed. motor will come with the right capacitor.” Dad made it easy to pop the chassis out, so I Wow, I thought, $220 is a lot to spend on this old air did that and took it home, plugged it into a 240-volt supply conditioner, especially since it probably uses twice as much protected by a 20-amp circuit breaker and switched it moelectricity as a new, Energy Star-rated unit. But on talking mentarily to “Low Fan.” The blower motor lurched, threw it over, we decided some things are worth keeping even if sparks and made a large puff of smoke. Rotors and stators they’re not the most efficient option. At least we wouldn’t mystify me, but nuts and bolts don’t, so I took some pictures be scrapping it. of how it goes together, excavated the motor, and carried it I had already found a new motor on the Web. I could have (along with its capacitor) to Mr. William Tholen, proprietor thanked Tholen for the bad news, ordered the motor myself, of the above-mentioned Motor Service. and had it and the capacitor delivered to my door for about Tholen’s one-man shop is about 14 feet wide and 30 feet $160. Instead, of course, I asked him to get it for me. deep. Enough space for a small, well-worn counter for one Because every town needs a Tholen Motor Service, and or two standing customers is given over to folks like me; the fewer have one as time goes by. balance is filled with benches, instruments, machine tools and work in progress. On a warm day, open front and rear doors provide cross-ventilation. At this point I must mention that this isn’t the original fan motor – that was replaced two years ago by trained HVAC PAUL STUDEBAKER, CMRP professionals. My intention was to find out what went wrong EDITOR IN CHIEF with it after only two years so I could decide whether to repstudebaker@putman.net pair or replace it, or deal with the great unknowns of find(630) 467-1300 ext. 433 www.PLANTSERVICES.com 7 July 2008 http://www.PLANTSERVICES.com

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Plant Services - July 2008 Contents From the Editor Letters The PS Files Up and Running Crisis Corner Asset Manager Technology Toolbox Cover Story Compressors Power Transmission Flooring Web Hunter In the Trenches Product Picks Classifieds Energy Expert

Plant Services - July 2008

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