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I found some old motors under my house

I

isaac99

Plastic
Joined
Aug 23, 2018
I'm not sure if this is the right category to post under, but it seems appropriate. There's a crawlspace under the ground floor of my house. It has about 3-4 ft of clearance and it's slightly below ground level. I'm calling it my super-basement, since it's below the first floor, but above my basement. I crawled down there last year to see what I would find and discovered the previous owner had used the crawlspace as a storage area (He's dead, so the stuff's mine now I guess). There were nails, light switch/outlet covers, fuses, piping, sheet metal, roofing, an a/c unit, 10 motors, a toolbox with a Ramset model 122MD in it(I'll make a separate thread about that after this one), insulation, some other tools, some sprung mousetraps and rat poison, several rat skeletons, and just a ton of cool stuff.

Right now, I'm primarily interested in figuring out the value of the motors. Since I have no use for them, I hope to sell them. Is there an easy, safe, and inexpensive way for me to personally test if they still work first? Additionally, assuming they work, I'd like to know what a reasonable price to charge for each motor would be. I've attached for each motor a picture of its information plaque/sticker(s) and a picture of the entire motor. Any information would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance for any assistance!

Link to photos
 

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  • Split Phase A.C. Motor #4.jpg
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  • Split Phase A.C. Motor #4 plaque.jpg
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  • Split Phase A.C. Motor #3 plaque.jpg
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  • Split Phase A.C. Motor #3.jpg
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  • Emerson Electric A.C. Motor plaque.jpg
    Emerson Electric A.C. Motor plaque.jpg
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Nothing very old or special there. Craigslist might be your best bet, both for possible sale and gauging your local market prices.

My local scrap yard would give you 30 cents a pound for them.
 
A new motor like that can be had for under $100. If those are shorted, bearings squeal, or they get too hot to touch if running for 20 minutes or so, you could have a motor repair shop fix them for around $100 (see where I'm going). If you want to put the time into checking them out and they work fine, they would still be a gamble to whoever gets them because they don't know the history or how much longer they will last.

Higher HP, special application, or "vintage antique" motors will have a better used market as they cost more to repair or replace.
 
Those are likely motors which were used to drive blowers on home forced-hot-air heating systems or ventilating fans. The variable-pitch pulley on one of the motors is typical of this sort of application, as are the "resilient" mountings.

Again, not much, if any value in those motors. They are still being manufactured, and if one fails in service, they are regarded as "throw-aways" (not paying to do any serious repairs other than maybe replacing a starting capacitor).

Not worth listing on Craigslist or ebay unless you are prepared to respond to bidders/buyers for a sale of maybe 5 bucks a motor.
 
The previous owner could have been keeping them as spares for equipment in the house, I would make sure they do not fit things in the house before getting rid of them.
They do not have much use beyond the application they were made for. If you sold them for $20 each you would be doing really good.
 
The motors are single phase 1725RPM with at least one being reversible. I have to agree with Hodge above $25-$30. These are simple to test. Get a plug and wire them up and plug in. If they run quiet you have something to sell. If not just scrap. If you are asking how to test them then just leave them alone. It could be a shocking experience for you. No pun intended.
 
+1 to the following comment in Rob F.'s Post #7: "The previous owner could have been keeping them as spares for equipment in the house, I would make sure they do not fit things in the house before getting rid of them."

I have fractional-HP motors like that driving various old vee-belt-driven tools, therefore I don't see them as worthless. (Example: A double-ended arbor that holds buffing wheels.) The 120/240V reversible type would be favored.

I'd do the plug-in test OUTDOORS, away from the house, protected by a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) while wearing eye protection.

JRR
 
JRR:

You are describing what, in the powerplant world, is known as a "smoke test". If the motors do not arc, burn, and no smoke comes out the vent slots in the housings, and the motors run quietly, the test is "passed".

There should be wiring connections detailed on the nameplate or possibly on the plate covering the area of the motor where the wiring is connected. On larger motors and generators, this part of the housing is commonly known as the "peckerhead". On fractional HP motors, the connections are usually made in a small recess in the rear of the motor housing. Usually, connections for 110 volt and 220 volt operation as well as reversing rotation (on some motors) will be given on the cover plate for the wiring box on the motor.
 
On Lucas electrical components, you can get replacement smoke, they even sell it in bulk...............which is the recommended way to buy it.
The internet is full of Lucas jokes.
 
rj1939 said:
On Lucas electrical components, you can get replacement smoke, they even sell it in bulk...............which is the recommended way to buy it.
The internet is full of Lucas jokes.
Click to expand...

It's funny ,I had never heard any Lucas jokes until I came on this forum ,is it a Merican thing ?
 
sable said:
It's funny ,I had never heard any Lucas jokes until I came on this forum ,is it a Merican thing ?
Click to expand...

Nah. Virtue signalling crowd following by folk to stupid to read the darn service and set-up manuals. Despite the commentary from the peanut gallery Lucas stuff of a certain era is much better engineered, with a few made too far down to a price exceptions, than most competitors were. Which was rod for their own back because the stuff got neglected for far too long until it was seriously problematical.

Greatly appreciated my reliable Lucas motorcycle (and car) electrics when making weekend money fixing imported machines. First BMW was a major culture shock! Just don't mention Italians. Just don't OK. Less than whelmed by Mr Hondas VFR 750 too.

Clive
 
Clive603 said:
Nah. Virtue signalling crowd following by folk to stupid to read the darn service and set-up manuals. Despite the commentary from the peanut gallery Lucas stuff of a certain era is much better engineered, with a few made too far down to a price exceptions, than most competitors were. Which was rod for their own back because the stuff got neglected for far too long until it was seriously problematical.

Greatly appreciated my reliable Lucas motorcycle (and car) electrics when making weekend money fixing imported machines. First BMW was a major culture shock! Just don't mention Italians. Just don't OK. Less than whelmed by Mr Hondas VFR 750 too.

Clive
Click to expand...

Yes, I always think of Lucas being good quality ,perhaps they sent all the junk over the pond LOL.
 
Clive603 said:
Nah. Virtue signalling crowd following by folk to stupid to read the darn service and set-up manuals. Despite the commentary from the peanut gallery Lucas stuff of a certain era is much better engineered, with a few made too far down to a price exceptions, than most competitors were. Which was rod for their own back because the stuff got neglected for far too long until it was seriously problematical.

Greatly appreciated my reliable Lucas motorcycle (and car) electrics when making weekend money fixing imported machines. First BMW was a major culture shock! Just don't mention Italians. Just don't OK. Less than whelmed by Mr Hondas VFR 750 too.

Clive
Click to expand...

Have to agree. Lucas jokes are a fun part of automobile culture, but a lot of their stuff is actually fine. Much of it is better quality than the majority of the electrics on my '71 BMW motorcycle.

Never could fathom their love affair with positive grounds, though.

Andy
 
isaac99 said:
I'm not sure if this is the right category to post under, but it seems appropriate. There's a crawlspace under the ground floor of my house. It has about 3-4 ft of clearance and it's slightly below ground level. I'm calling it my super-basement, since it's below the first floor, but above my basement. I crawled down there last year to see what I would find and discovered the previous owner had used the crawlspace as a storage area (He's dead, so the stuff's mine now I guess). There were nails, light switch/outlet covers, fuses, piping, sheet metal, roofing, an a/c unit, 10 motors, a toolbox with a Ramset model 122MD in it(I'll make a separate thread about that after this one), insulation, some other tools, some sprung mousetraps and rat poison, several rat skeletons, and just a ton of cool stuff.

Right now, I'm primarily interested in figuring out the value of the motors. Since I have no use for them, I hope to sell them. Is there an easy, safe, and inexpensive way for me to personally test if they still work first? Additionally, assuming they work, I'd like to know what a reasonable price to charge for each motor would be. I've attached for each motor a picture of its information plaque/sticker(s) and a picture of the entire motor. Any information would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance for any assistance!

Link to photos
Click to expand...

You did not know it but you had a motor home, now you don't....as others said if they are in good working condition $20-30 for both.

dee
;-D
 
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