Electric motor questions, answered

Yes. We carry deep stock across the WEG range, and our Whanganui showroom at 1 Purnell Street holds the largest stock of electric motors in town. Common sizes usually go out the door the same day. For Palmerston North, the wider Manawatū and the Wairarapa, call Robert McTavish on 027 227 0111; for Whanganui, call the workshop on 06 344 4132.

The simplest way is to send us the nameplate off the old motor — it lists the kW, poles, frame size and mounting. If the motor is missing or unreadable, tell us what it drives, the speed it needs to run at and how it is mounted, and we will size it for you. Getting the duty right matters more than matching the kW alone.

Three phase motors run on a three phase supply and are more efficient, more reliable and available in much larger sizes — we supply them from 0.18 kW to 440 kW. Single phase motors run on a standard 230 V supply and suit sites without three phase, such as farm sheds and home workshops, but are generally limited to about 2.2 kW.

Bring it into our Whanganui workshop and we will assess it. We handle bearing replacement, shaft repairs, fault diagnosis and insulation testing. If a motor can be economically saved we will tell you, and if it cannot we will tell you that too rather than spend your money on a repair that will not last.

Usually, yes. We carry out foot to flange and flange to foot conversions, terminal box repositioning and shaft modifications in house, so a replacement motor can be made to fit the base and coupling you already have.

A variable speed drive (VSD or inverter) lets a motor run at the speed the job actually needs instead of full speed all the time. On pumps and fans that often means a substantial cut in power use, plus gentler starting. If you are currently throttling flow with a valve or damper, a drive will usually pay for itself.

WEG motors carry the standard factory warranty. If you purchase a WEG motor together with a matched starter, soft starter or VSD and register the combination, you receive a 5-year factory warranty. Standard factory terms apply — ask us and we will sort the registration.

Yes — household, rural, pool and industrial. We supply Onga household pressure pumps, pressure tanks, Farm Master rural jet pumps and cast iron drainage pumps, the Pentair pool range plus domestic and commercial water filtration, Caprari bore, sewage and surface pumps, Orange Pumps submersible drainage and grinder units, and Southern Cross vertical multistage sets. Because we know the motor side thoroughly, we can advise on the complete pump set rather than just the wet end.

Both. We supply electrical contractors, engineers and industry every day, and we are just as happy helping someone sort out the motor on a lathe, bandsaw or home workshop machine. Come into either branch and we will talk it through.

We serve Palmerston North, Whanganui, the wider Manawatū-Whanganui region, the Wairarapa and the lower North Island, and can arrange freight nationwide. If you need something urgently for a breakdown, call the branch — we would rather help you get running today.