Should You Buy New or Rewind?

When you have a motor failure you’ll need to decide if you should buy a new motor or fix the old one. A common cause of motor failure is problems with the motor windings, and the solution often is to rewind the old motor. Because it is economical in terms of initial cost, rewinding of motors is very common particularly for motors of more than 10 horsepower. However, the motor rewinding process often results in a loss of motor efficiency. It is generally cost-effective to replace motors under 10 horsepower with new high-efficiency motors rather than rewind them. When deciding whether to buy a new motor or rewind the old one, consider the cost difference between the rewind and a new high-efficiency motor, and the potential increase in energy costs of a rewound motor that is less efficient than the original.

The quality of the rewind has a big impact on operating cost. A poorly rewound motor may lose up to 3% in efficiency. A 100 HP motor may use several hundred dollars more in electricity each year due to this drop in efficiency, compared to its original efficiency. The operating cost may be even more compared to a new high efficiency motor.

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