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+-- Thread: Contactor quit on me (/showthread.php?tid=7342200)
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Contactor quit on me - woodcutter100 - 09-04-2018
Gentlemen: My contactor on my 1968 Delta tablesaw has quit on me. It is a Furnas model and of course they no longer exist.
Any suggestions on what to get to get my saw working again?
I am NOT an electrician to wire one up but I have contacts who can so any info will help.
Thanks
RE: Contactor quit on me - TDKPE - 09-04-2018
Can you show a pic of the internals? An old Furnas will likely have a NEMA contactor with auxiliary contacts for the push button station plus heaters for overload protection, and a transformer if it's a low-voltage control. Any of those parts should be replaceable.
Alternatively, you can just buy a complete motor control unit from Grizzly and others for about $100. Like this one, for 3 hp motors on 240V circuits. http://www.grizzly.com/products/Magnetic-Switch-Single-Phase-220V-Only-3HP-21-25A/T24101
There are others for the same price for different voltages and max hp ratings and current ranges.
RE: Contactor quit on me - Wild Turkey - 09-04-2018
Find a good electrical supply house. Take the old one in and ask them what you can fix/replace it with. A good shop will tell you what's available that will work and help you find the best solution.
And they will tell you what to put where to make it work.
RE: Contactor quit on me - woodcutter100 - 09-04-2018
(09-04-2018, 06:08 PM)TDKPE Wrote: Can you show a pic of the internals? An old Furnas will likely have a NEMA contactor with auxiliary contacts for the push button station plus heaters for overload protection, and a transformer if it's a low-voltage control. Any of those parts should be replaceable.Thanks Tom I'm not sure what I'm looking at in the box so I'll have to pull it to take it with me
Alternatively, you can just buy a complete motor control unit from Grizzly and others for about $100. Like this one, for 3 hp motors on 240V circuits. http://www.grizzly.com/products/Magnetic-Switch-Single-Phase-220V-Only-3HP-21-25A/T24101
There are others for the same price for different voltages and max hp ratings and current ranges.
RE: Contactor quit on me - woodcutter100 - 09-04-2018
(09-04-2018, 06:44 PM)Wild Turkey Wrote: Find a good electrical supply house. Take the old one in and ask them what you can fix/replace it with. A good shop will tell you what's available that will work and help you find the best solution.
And they will tell you what to put where to make it work.
RE: Contactor quit on me - TDKPE - 09-04-2018
What are the symptoms? Does it click when you push the start button but the motor won't start? Does it do nothing at all? There are a few quick things you can check to see if the problem is in the contactor, the heater(s), or the motor or wiring.
RE: Contactor quit on me - fishhh4 - 09-04-2018
I would think that Furnas model contactor can be easily fixed.... They are built like tanks . OR it is something else ??????
RE: Contactor quit on me - fishhh4 - 09-04-2018
I have used WEG.....
RE: Contactor quit on me - woodcutter100 - 09-04-2018
(09-04-2018, 08:04 PM)TDKPE Wrote: What are the symptoms? Does it click when you push the start button but the motor won't start? Does it do nothing at all? There are a few quick things you can check to see if the problem is in the contactor, the heater(s), or the motor or wiring.Was using it last night turned it off then nothing. No click, Switch is good had it checked out.
Saw will come on when you lift the contactor but wont stay up.
RE: Contactor quit on me - TDKPE - 09-05-2018
(09-04-2018, 08:51 PM)woodcutter100 Wrote: Was using it last night turned it off then nothing. No click, Switch is good had it checked out.
Saw will come on when you lift the contactor but wont stay up.
So that suggests the motor is good, as is the wiring to it, and the contacts inside the contactor.
What's not working is the control circuit, which pulls the contactor closed and holds it there until the Stop button is pushed or the overload device opens. I would start with potentially loose or broken wiring, as that's the easiest thing to find and fix. There's probably an auxiliary set of contacts mechanically linked to (more like piggy-back onto) the main contactor, which may have failed.
If the Stop button is stuck in or a wire to/from it is loose or the switch is otherwise is not closing that part of the control circuit, it will do what it's doing now - it won't start with the Start button, but will run if you manually close the contactor but only while you're holding it. Start with blowing it out with compressed air.
Unplugged for safety, can you see the small set of contacts on the side of the main contactor, probably with small wires to it, closing when you close the main contactor manually?
And I agree with fishhh4 and Wild Turkey - it's a Furnas, and highly repairable, and you could take it to a motor repair shop or good electrical supply house and let them have a look if you're not comfortable troubleshooting it and replacing parts if necessary. But they're industrial strength units, and worth fixing, IMO at least.