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Modding my swamp coolers - what is the motor mount called?

Modding my swamp coolers - what is the motor mount called?

Modding my swamp coolers - what is the motor mount called?

(OP)
I'm more of a computer enginerd, not sure of the correct terminology for some of the mounts on an electric motor. Figured I better ask the right kind of engineer before I tinker.

I'm planning to order a more efficient motor for my swamp cooler, measure the difference from the old then maybe do the furnace motor as well. I'm looking at a Baldor EL3507 230V single phase ODP. I finished up the wiring to the cooler and it is starting to get hot outside so I need to get moving. Right now the cooler has a home depot piece of junk that looks to be ~45% efficient.

My question is about the mounts. They seem to have a 2.5" circular mount on the front and back of the existing motor, I don't have a way to mount this Baldor beast without welding up something new. Can I just buy some sort of ball bearing to mount in the existing hardware? If you google swamp cooler motor, you can see the two rings at the front and back that it would normally clip in on. If not I'll fabricate something.

Well I guess that question got me to finally build an account and post something. I lurk all the time. :)

RE: Modding my swamp coolers - what is the motor mount called?

It's called a Motor Base, and specifically, you want an "Evaporative cooler motor base". The base and the straps are sold separately. Most


http://www.amazon.com/LASCO-05-1132-Evaporative-Co...

If you want to buy from a brick and mortar place, try a national HVAC parts house, like RSD (Refrigeration Supplies Distributing), they are all over the country.


"You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals" -- Booker T. Washington

RE: Modding my swamp coolers - what is the motor mount called?

Jeff I think you have it backwards. He has that base mount and he's trying to adapt a foot mounted motor to it.


Teufelhund1018: Ugh.. You've made yourself a sticky wicket. You're trying to replace a 'motor base' mount motor with a foot mount motor. Here's the issue.. The base mount motors are that way because the entire motor is then mounted in elastomeric supports. This is to isolate it vibrationally from the cooler's chassis so your whole house doesn't vibrate and hum which it will with the type motor you've acquired. You really should find a high efficiency motor of the same mounting type, to be happy with the retro-fit.

Swamp coolers and dryers all use those type mounts because they are larger in-home motors that will drive people nuts if not maximally isolated.

Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com

RE: Modding my swamp coolers - what is the motor mount called?

Keith,
I see that and you are right, I got it backward. You are also right, I don't believe there is any standard way to adapt a foot mounted motor to a base mount like that, and the vibration would resonate with the house framing to make a lot of annoying noise. The previous owner of my house had rigged up his own attic vent fan using what must have been a scrap industrial blower, it was horribly noisy when it ran. I tried swapping out the motor with a 3 phase and used a VFD, thinking that if the speed were lower I could mitigate the vibration, didn't really help.


"You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals" -- Booker T. Washington

RE: Modding my swamp coolers - what is the motor mount called?

My suggestion is to look on the Baldor website and get the frame number of the motor. Then check Baldor and AO Smith for a high efficiency motor with the same frame, Hp and rpm. With the same fame, the motor should fit.

RE: Modding my swamp coolers - what is the motor mount called?

(OP)
Itsmoked - you are correct. Well I'll start looking for a foot mount version. Baldor can't be the only pony in the race, I'll start looking for other 1725rpm 3/4hp 56 odp. Thanks for the input, you saved me from some wife aggro after rigging up the wrong thing.

RE: Modding my swamp coolers - what is the motor mount called?

You bet Teuf!
You are also right in that that standard BASE Mount (you reversed it in your last post directly above), motor is an industry standard for probably the most common motor in the world and should have many companies providing them. The problem will be finding one that's higher efficiency then the usual.

Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com

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