Nov 2015

The problem of power surges and incorrect supply voltage has become more and more of a problem over the years.  This is especially true with load shedding brining on the onset of “dirty power” during start-ups which often leads to motor burnout and damage.

At Lutz refrigeration we offer a multitude of options to prevent compressor failures in your refrigeration systems compressors, fans and pumps.  

Traditionally fuses, surge protectors and overload motor protectors have been the order of the day. However these options fall short when it comes to phase voltage and amperage monitoring and as such cannot prevent a host of other potential failures. 

One can install standalone phase voltage monitoring systems that will link into your cold rooms control system to shut down all motors when voltage goes out of range.  This will prevent your motors from running during under or over voltage situations and hence prevent motor winding burnouts during these times.  The shortfall of this type of system is that it monitors the incoming power but does not take into account any voltage problems at your compressor which can arise due to switch gear failures.

The next step in motor protection comes with “Soft Starters and Variable Speed Drives which offer phase voltage and current monitoring to the individual motor which prevents all the unusual failures which occur downstream at your motor winding. In addition to the motor protection benefits these devices offer they both proved significant saving of energy which has been shown to reduce running costs substantially.

In conclusion there is no one size fits all recommendation for motor protection but if you need advice or analysis of your current system please feel free to contact us and we will help set up systems and controls to reduce the likelihood of any future refrigeration system electrical damage while reducing your energy bill along the way.