Ugly's Motor Wiring Error?

TwoBlocked

TwoBlocked

Senior Member
Location
Bradford County, PA
Occupation
Industrial Electrician
I am looking for help in solving a mystery. A project I was not directly involved in had a motor wiring problem. As I understand it, two different electricians mis-wired two identical motors the exact the same way, resulting in the breaker tripping shortly after being energized. The wiring diagram on the motor was correct. Feedback about why these electricians did what they did is unreliable.

What I am wondering is if the motors were wired according to a particular edition of Ugly's that I remember having an error in it. I threw that edition out ... Ugly's has published an errata for the 2017 edition. I am thinking it was an edition after that, but maybe not. https://www.uglys.net/errata

So if any of you fine folks have the 2017 and/or the 2020 editions and wouldn't mind looking for that motor wiring diagram with the error and posting a pic of it, I sure would appreciate it. I could then see if it was the same error these electricians made.
 
TwoBlocked said:
o if any of you fine folks have the 2017 and/or the 2020 editions and wouldn't mind looking for that motor wiring diagram with the error and posting a pic of it, I sure would appreciate it. I could then see if it was the same error these electricians made.
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Might be helpful to your request, if you mentioned what motor wiring diagram your interested in.
 
Why would anyone be wiring from a diagram in a book instead of from the diagram that comes with the motor. That's the real problem. Whoever is showing that kind of basic incompetency or inattention to detail needs to get a very serious talking to. Maybe a day off without pay so they have plenty of time to consider why such an approach is wrong. Before they come back they should write a 500 word essay on why reading the instructions and following them is not only a good idea but is actually for the most part a requirement of the NEC.

You might gather failure to read and follow instructions that are readily available is a pet peeve of mine. I actual had an alleged electrician wire four or five motors one time. None of the motors worked, I had him pull the pecker head off one and compared the way he had wired it to the wiring diagram pasted on the inside of the pecker head. He had not wired any of them to the diagram pasted on the inside of the pecker head. He said the diagram was obviously wrong. I asked why and he recited some ditty he had apparently been taught that purported to help one remember how to wire up a motor. I don't recall offhand if the ditty was wrong or he was interpreting it wrong, but why would one trust a potentially faulty memory against a diagram that is in front of your face?
 
I have not wired in DC motors that brought out armature, series & shunt leads out to motor head since Vo Tech class back in the 1960's. The last DC motor install at work was over 20 gears ago when they installed six 7.5 HP DC motors. When I asked why they did not go with far superior VFD'S & easy to get much cheaper three phase AC motors they said they were left overs that they had and were the last DC motors they would be using because they went with VFD'S & AC motors. Back in the 1980's an engineer ordered a 5 HP explosive proof DC motor because he was told the speed controller was cheaper then an AC Drive. Think the DC motor was double the price of a AC motor. Speed controller was in another room. Surprised anybody still uses DC motors. I do have my thick doubled sided spiral motor book by a great guy think Rosenberg from the 1960's. Probably has over 600 pages and loaded with pictures & wiring diagrams of DC motors. If I can locate it will check this fabulous book with diagrams. The large motor shop that rewound our motors even had s copy of this book.
 
petersonra said:
Why would anyone be wiring from a diagram in a book instead of from the diagram that comes with the motor. That's the real problem. Whoever is showing that kind of basic incompetency or inattention to detail needs to get a very serious talking to. Maybe a day off without pay so they have plenty of time to consider why such an approach is wrong. Before they come back they should write a 500 word essay on why reading the instructions and following them is not only a good idea but is actually for the most part a requirement of the NEC.

You might gather failure to read and follow instructions that are readily available is a pet peeve of mine. I actual had an alleged electrician wire four or five motors one time. None of the motors worked, I had him pull the pecker head off one and compared the way he had wired it to the wiring diagram pasted on the inside of the pecker head. He had not wired any of them to the diagram pasted on the inside of the pecker head. He said the diagram was obviously wrong. I asked why and he recited some ditty he had apparently been taught that purported to help one remember how to wire up a motor. I don't recall offhand if the ditty was wrong or he was interpreting it wrong, but why would one trust a potentially faulty memory against a diagram that is in front of your face?
Click to expand...
Seen in something as simple as wiring a 4way switch. found each mfg. had their own way of crossing the feeds, some were top and bottom others were left and right. So don't trust generic instructions found in some book, always refer to mfg. instructions
 
garbo said:
Wow. Counted 13 mistakes on first group of Ugly's. Guess they caught but with most newspapers that eliminated prof readers years ago.
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I could tell the printing and graphics were different somehow, computer generated? Haven't seen any Errata's from Ugly's except that one year. Growing pains, I guess.
 
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