Electric Motor Care and Maintenance   

February 10, 2025

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Electric motors are one of the most important components of many industrial applications across a wide variety of industries. This is why it is crucial to devise a maintenance schedule to ensure they are always producing an optimal performance.

Regular inspection is essential as it minimises the risk of premature failure and subsequent downtime for repairs. A premature failure – and where no back-up motor has been arranged to immediately replace the failed motor – can be catastrophic to a business and incur high costs for repair and loss of production. Of course, it is wise to also keep replacements on hand, like those available through a specialist distributor such as the preeminent electric motors supplier in Yorkshire, YB Components.

Here we will run through several important measures to take during your maintenance routine to keep your electric motors operating at full capacity.

Keep Electric Motors Cool

Electric motors need to be kept as cool as possible as overheating can be very damaging. For example, overheating is responsible for a huge amount of insulation failures, but this can be avoided.

Overheating will usually be caused by either a high environmental temperature in the operating area, a blocked cooling fan or a low quality power source (also covered in the next section). So keep the fan clean and monitor the operational environment to keep it as cool as possible while the electric motor is running. Also regularly check the motor temperature itself to catch any problems early.

Prevent Electrical Overload

Always make sure you have the correct electric motor for the application, or you could end up overloading the motor with too much current. When the flow of current exceeds that which the electric motor is designed for, then the electricity it carries can be unsafe for the machinery operator as well as damaging to the motor.

It is not just too much current you need to be careful of either. A supply voltage that is too low for the motor design makes the electric motor draw in more current in order to generate the necessary torque. This can then short circuit the conductors and cause electrical overload.

Minimise Vibration

Vibrations during operation are another cause of electric motor failure and can hasten their natural wear and tear. You can minimise vibrations by ensuring the motor is positioned correctly and is placed on a flat and even surface. If it positioned correctly on such a surface and vibration continues, then the cause could be misalignment or loose bearings.

Regular Cleaning Schedule

Contamination will cause electric motors to prematurely fail so always keep your motors clean. Remove dust, dirt and any other contaminants at regular intervals as they can damage the raceways and ball bearings, which in turn causes vibrations and unnecessary wear and tear. Contaminants can also block the cooling fan, leading to overheating.

If you require any electric motors, Yorkshire supplier YB Components can ship them fast and free all over the UK and the rest of the world. Just contact YB Components to speak to the UK’s leading electric motors supplier in Yorkshire.