GE 5hp motor in spa
Okay so heres my current situation. 2 speed spa pump. Windings are good, bearings are good, capacitors all read within their allowable variance both start and run. I can find no reason this motor would draw too many amps......Say one. This motor is a 5 horsepower replacement GE motor stuck on a waterway pump. If the actual newtons of force required to turn the pump can not be supplied by the motor and the two are not a match then theres an overlap and the motor works too hard. If I had a way to up the voltage a little I could certainly drop the amps but I have no practical way to do that. Normally I would just run the motor until D day but i don't like the 14 amp draw on my pc board with a rated 12 amps. Any ideas? I have a hard time believing that a 5hp motor will not run the pump with 2 inlet and outlet on the matched frame size. Also wire sizes are all correct for the FLA and then some.
Pool & Spa - Waterway
Answers & Comments
OK, I'll take a shot at this one:
You indicated that the present motor is a replacement. Does it match exactly the motor characteristics of the original motor? What was the prior amperage draw for the original motor?
Since you spoke in terms of "newtons of force" instead of torque, I assume you are not in the United States. You didn't specify the supply voltage but if it's in Europe somewhere, it should be around 220-230 volts or so.
At 5 horsepower and 746 watts per horsepower, the apparent power draw of the motor should be around 3,730 watts (5 x 746).
Assuming the motor has a standard power factor of around .85, the power consumption should be close to 3,170 watts (3,730 x .85). That equates to about 13.78 amps (3730w / 230v x .85) which is close to what you stated.
What to do? If you are familiar with power schemes, you could consider the installation of a "buck-boost" transformer to the circuit and increase the supply voltage. These specialty transformers come with different voltage taps to adjust the voltage output. However, you must be careful not to raise the voltage substantially or you will cause the stator windings of the motor to overheat. There can be voltage fluctuations on the power grid which can cause variations in power output and consumption. A buck-boost transformer can help to alleviate this issue.
This will require some re-wiring. Your local jurisdiction may have codes or other requirements governing specialty wiring devices.
See the link below for a further discussion about buck boost transformers:
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091223205204AAPQFvR