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Fixing flooded table saw motor

3.4K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  NickDIY  
#1 ·
I have a contractor style table saw (with separate motor and belt drive) that was flooded in Sandy.

It has a bit of trouble starting about half the time. If I give the blade a little push on startup if often ramps up to speed. the rest of the time it trips the circuit.

I have a track saw that I use on jobsites so have not been using this saw very often but it is is time to fix.

I was planning on getting a new set of brushes. Of course I will be looking for anything that looks rusty and clean any gunk but is there any other maintenance types parts I should pre-order before I open it up.
 
#2 ·
The water alone shouldn't hurt the motor. I had a motor one time fall in a tank of water while running and it kept running submerged. I took it out, dried it out and have it on my bandsaw today about 30 years later. In your case what might hurt is if there is any dirt or debris in the motor. You might have to open the motor up and clean it out.
 
#5 ·
If it sat a while it may have rusted the rotor shaft inside the bushings or if it has bearings those may have dirt or rust. As suggested previously a complete disassembly, cleaning, inspection and lube is in order. Some bearings the dust shields can be popped off and the balls and races cleaned and lubed and the shields reinstalled to get more life out of it.
 
#7 ·
What type of motor do you have, split phase, capacitor start induction ect,
you probably just need a start cap if it is a capacitor start. be sure to replace with the same rating uf and voltage as you have or you can burn up the motor.
if you have a motor with brushes rust can bridge the gaps in the commutator and cause problems. if it has a centrifugal switch rust or dust could cause the switch from opening or closing.
mud from flood water can cause these problems and you local electrical supply house has cleaning and dehydrating chemicals for this, only use chemicals rated for cleaning motors and transformers, corrosion can also cause the baked on varnish on the windings to peal off and short out.
Also, never ever use compressed air to blow out a motor as this can also damage the winding insulation.

I would lean towards a bad cap though.
 
#8 ·
really?

out.
Also, never ever use compressed air to blow out a motor as this can also damage the winding insulation.

Been doin' that for years, no issues. Air is air, no chemicals. If the windings blow apart, they were bad to start with. Better to have no dust in the motor than to have it overheat from lack of proper air flow...... JMO.
 
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