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shdesigns
Powered By Infinite Improbabilty Drive
Premium Member
join:2000-12-01
Stone Mountain, GA
(Software) pfSense
ARRIS SB6121

shdesigns to PSWired

Premium Member

to PSWired

Re: Variable speed drive

I have not seen many VFD's for single-phase motors. Most use 3-phase motors.

I have one set up on my metal lathe. Lots of settings for startup speed and spindown. It is a Toshiba 1/2HP VFD and a 1/2HP 3-phase motor. Both bough used under $100.

One plus with a 3P motor is there is less torque vibration (hum.) My motor just makes a hiss.

A new VFD and 3P motor will cost you about $300.

PSWired
join:2006-03-26
Annapolis, MD

PSWired

Member

Thanks for the ideas so far. Replacement blower motor looks interesting... wonder if it's just a regular induction motor with a built-in drive?

Laserfan, the blower doesn't contribute too much to the inrush current of the whole system, but it's something. I added a hard start kit to the compressor and that made things much easier on the generator. Last summer when the power was out for 7 days, I ran the air handler blower constantly to avoid the synchronized start with the compressor.
tomupnorth
join:2005-01-14
UpperMidwest

tomupnorth

Member

said by PSWired:

I added a hard start kit to the compressor and that made things much easier on the generator.

I added hard start kits to my compressors and two out of three blew-up! I took the third out before IT blew up too! Dunno why/how this happened as they were properly sized & wired, or so we thought (me & the HVAC tech).

Anyway those RESCUE motors look interesting to me as apart from the energy usage and "lights dimming" issues, I also find our blowers to be inordinately loud (not the motors per se, but the airflow) and maybe those would help with that too. As it is, on one of my blower motors I re-wired to the lower RPM windings...