# How does a motor "burn out"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-motor-burn-out/603731>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 22, 2011, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-motor-burn-out/603731 "2011-11-22T07:32:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-motor-burn-out/603731/21 "2017-05-02T16:22:43Z")

</div>

Motors used to be heavy duty and repairable.

You could replace the brushes, bearings and even get the armature rewound.

They are using throw away, junk motors in equipment these days. They expect paper shredders to fail and need replacing.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-motor-burn-out/603731/22 "2017-05-02T16:29:38Z")

</div>

This is the most common failure for paper shredders. Today’s cheap motors aren’t repairable.

> **[How to Check a Motor Armature for Damaged Windings | Groschopp](https://www.groschopp.com/how-to-check-a-motor-armature/)**
>
> Here are three quick checks you can perform with a volt/ohm meter to test an armature winding to determine if a motor armature is functioning properly.

> [@](#):
>
> If a motor is driven too hard for its environment and temperatures are allowed to rise beyond the thermal limits of the insulation, it is possible for the insulation on the wires to break down and short together, or short to the armature stack. If windings are shorted together, the electro-magnetic fields cannot be created for that coil, causing the motor to run erratically or fail all together.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-motor-burn-out/603731/23 "2017-05-02T18:27:31Z")

</div>

> [@aceplace57](#):
>
> Motors used to be heavy duty and repairable.
> 
> You could replace the brushes, bearings and even get the armature rewound.
> 
> They are using throw away, junk motors in equipment these days. They expect paper shredders to fail and need replacing.

New motors are $10 from China. A rewinding shop charges $20/hour and you have to be able to disassemble the device and deliver them the motor then pick it up after repair.

Which approach \*really \*makes sense?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2017, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-motor-burn-out/603731/24 "2017-05-02T20:40:29Z")

</div>

Paper shredders are difficult to dispose of. Their cabinets are so big and unwieldy. I had one sitting on my curb two weeks waiting for pickup.

I wish the inexpensive motors could easily be replaced.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-motor-burn-out/603731.md?page=1)