What Is Electrical Fluting and How to Prevent It

HVAC units can develop various types of issues associated with prolonged use. It’s especially true with air conditioning motors, where faulty performance often stems from a phenomenon called electrical fluting.

Most home and business owners haven’t heard this term before. However, electrical fluting is an issue that requires professional service and maintenance and shouldn’t be neglected.

What is electrical fluting?

Electrical erosion is the removal of material from ball-bearing contact surfaces, and it is something that occurs due to unintended electric current or voltage. There are two main types of electrical erosion: fluting and pitting.

Electrical fluting is another way to refer to current leakage since it’s the most common reason for current “leaks” from the generator. With generators and motors controlled by a variable frequency drive system, the stray current is not uncommon.

The consequence is that the generator bearings, both raceways, and rolling elements, become especially prone to fluting.

When the current flows through the bearing, it creates small craters, which develop into dark-brown, evenly spaced flutes. A mechanical resonance vibration causes mechanical stress over the small cavities.

Other causes

There is another factor that comes into play when talking about electrical fluting. The size of the motor will significantly impact the possibility of it happening.

If the motor is larger, the higher magnitude of the circulating current will lead to more significant fluting.

Shaft currents can also lead to electrical fluting when the HVAC motor becomes magnetized. For example, it can happen during the welding process or when there are notable static charges that build up during use.

What does fluting look like?

Property owners are probably wondering how to recognize electrical fluting in their homes or places of business. The effects of electrical fluting can vary. It all depends on the bearing that’s involved.

In some instances, the anti-friction ball bearings might look frosted or shiny, or the whole outer race might have an unexpected repeating pattern of spaces or lines. Within roller bearings, repeating patterns could also appear on the rollers.

How to prevent electrical fluting

After property owners understand what electrical fluting is and how to spot it, the question of prevention remains. There are a couple of ways to prevent electrical fluting.

The first option is to install Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) so that HVAC motors can produce different frequencies and run at different speeds for various uses.

However, it’s essential to ensure the motor is suited for the VFD, and that can only be verified by hiring a professional electrician to check. Another way to prevent electrical fluting is to invest in parts that are safe against fluting.

Maintaining the HVAC motor and preventing electrical fluting

The crucial information property owners need to know about electrical fluting is that it can lead to electrical damage and even complete motor failure.

The downtime alone can lead to significant expenses, not to mention the cost of replacement. The best course of action is to prevent electrical fluting from ever happening to the HVAC system.

Professional HVAC service companies can guide you through this process and keep your unit safe.

911 Heating, Cooling and Plumbing can service all commercial and residential HVAC and plumbing needs. Call 602-795-2900 today!

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https://www.911hvac.com/