4 Bad Habits That Can Ruin Your Motor

4 Bad Habits That Can Ruin Your Motor

Why is it that the same motor lasts over five years without failure for others, but yours is constantly under repair?

It's not necessarily poor motor quality—chances are you’ve fallen into the trap of these “invisible killers”!

Today, we'll reveal the four major culprits behind short motor lifespan. Avoid them, and you could cut your maintenance costs by up to 50%!

1. Overloading: When Motors “Work to Death”

Symptoms: Severe overheating, loud noise, frequent tripping.
Analysis: Long-term overloading accelerates insulation aging and can burn out windings. For example, forcing a 7.5kW motor to drive a 10kW load drastically raises its temperature. Each 10°C rise cuts its service life in half!
Best Practice:

Match load power with the motor rating, leaving 10%–20% safety margin.

Install overload protectors to monitor current in real time.

2. Harsh Start-Stop: The Fatal “Shock” of Current Surges

Symptoms: Large sparks on startup, contactor sticking, bearing damage.
Analysis: Direct starting generates current 5–7 times the rated value, putting severe stress on windings and mechanical parts. Frequent start-stop cycles (over 10 times per hour) greatly accelerate bearing wear.
Best Practice:

Use a soft starter or VFD for smooth acceleration and deceleration.

Allow sufficient time between restarts—at least twice the motor's cooling time.

3. Environmental “Abuse”: Dust and Moisture Attack Silently

Symptoms: Reduced insulation resistance, internal short circuits, abnormal noise.
Analysis: Dust clogs cooling vents, raising motor temperature by up to 15%. Moisture causes rust and insulation failure. In chemical plants, acidic or alkaline gases can directly corrode windings.
Best Practice:

Choose motors with protection class IP54 or higher for dust and water resistance.

Clean ventilation paths regularly; in humid environments, install heaters for dehumidification.

4. Neglected Maintenance: “Don’t Fix Until Broken” Leads to Disaster

Symptoms: Bearing seizure, winding burnout, doubled repair costs.
Analysis: Nearly 80% of motor failures come from poor lubrication. Dried grease increases bearing resistance, raising power consumption by 30%. In severe cases, it causes rotor-stator contact.

Best Practice:

Replace grease every 2,000 operating hours (halve the interval in high-temperature conditions).

Monitor vibration and temperature monthly, and build trend records for early warnings.

✅ Smart operation + proactive maintenance = long-lasting motor performance.
Avoid these four pitfalls, and your motor will run longer, while your repair bills drop dramatically!