motor wiring ?

[messmaker]

I just salvaged a 120v 1/3hp motor from a clothes dryer with the blower attached. I am planning to mount it in a overhead box with filters attached to become an air cleaner. I got it ready but I can't get it wired up. I don't have a wiring diagram so I am flying blind. It has two heavy gauge red wires on each end of the plug. It has a black,green,white w red stripe and a blue wire also. The last four wires are of a smaller gauge. I would assume that I have a hot,netural,ground and maybe a switch wire. That would still leave me with a couple wires left. Any thoughts on how to proceed. What am I missing?[?]

[BobSch]

quote:Originally posted by messmaker

I just salvaged a 120v 1/3hp motor froma clothes dryer with the blower attached. I am planning to mount it in a overhead box with filters attached to become an air cleaner. I got it ready but i can't get it wired up. I don't have a wiring diagram so I am flying blind. It has two haevy gauge red wires on each ent of the plug. It has a black,green,white w red stripe and a blue wire also. The last four wires are of a smaller gauge. I would assume that I have a hot,netural,ground and maybe a switch wire. That would still leave me with a couple wires left. Any thoughts on how to proceed. What am I missing?[?]

If you know the make/model of the drier, you might be able to find a manual with a schematic on-line. Or if there's a make/model number on the motor try googling for a data sheet.

As a last reort, try a local appliance repair shop. They may have a manual and might be willing to let you copy the schematic.

[vaking]

Was there a capacitor in that clothes dryer somewhere?

[messmaker]

I did not see one. All I remember diconnecting was the door switch, the drum safety switch, the timer-heat control and the on-off switch.

[vaking]

You did not happen to mark what was connected to what wires. I am guessing that all the switches were connected to smaller wires (control curcuits don't need high current). The heavy wires are the power wires (there should be 120V between them for motor to run). Where the switches were - connect the 2 wires going to each switch together. When the switch was open it meant (in the dryer setup) that door was open or safety curcuit was making it unsafe to spin. Connecting the control wires together indicates safety says "good to go".

[messmaker]

That sounds about right but why two large red wires and a small black one . I would think you would have one large hot (black) and one large netural wire (white). If the red is both hot what does the current travel back on. I would think it should be the same gauge. I did mark the door switch wire,(blue) by the way.

[Rslaugh]

It's an internal component of an appliance and doesn't necessarily follow house wiring conventions. Take a VOM and put it on the lowest resistance scale. You should see a very low but not zero resistance between the red leads if they are indeed the winding of the motor. I'd do some more research either with the motor mfg directly or the appliance mfg and get a definitive wiring diagram.