Belle minimix went pop

[10phil79]

Hi - i have a Belle 150 minimix that is around 10 years old but in good nick - its a 240 volt jobbie.

Anyway - was mixing concrete yesterday when will a full load the drum stops and a loud pop came from the motor...

Took it for repair today and the bloke has replaced the starter capacitor and says its good to go again.

Question is why did this blow? Did I overload it? The repair guy said this is likely to happen if you power it using a long or several extension leads... but I am not convinced.

At the time, it had 6 builders bluckets of all-in-ballast and 1 bucket of portland and water - pretty much brimming. Am I overloading it?

Any advice would be great
Cheers

 

[wotan]

If the motor labours then the centrifugal switch could well drop out, reconnecting the start coil windings across the capacitor.
This will heat up, said capacitor, and the dielectric insulation may break down causing the capacitor to go pop.
I would say you need to reduce the quantity you put in the mixer.

Wotan

 

[Burnerman]

Bang on (sorry) The capacitors are much easier to get a hold of than the motors - they do tend to run hot anyway so keep the vent slots clear. I do wish Belle would get their spares act together.
John

 

[10phil79]

thanks both for the explaination.

I've more mixing to do soon so will give it a proper test. Is there a chance i've knacked or weakened the motor?

 

[wotan]

Only if the windings of the motor have burnt out completely, then you would know, as it would not work at all.
It is possible though to overhead the motor and damage the varnish insulation, this is a very distinctive smell.
If the motor is still working, just go easy with the amount you put in the mixer.

Wotan

 

[TicklyT]

On the theory of long extension leads causing problems - the volt drop over the length of a long lead will be higher, reducing the power available at the motor, particularly at start-up when the current drawn is at the maximum.

Reduced power at start-up will stop the motor spinning up to speed quickly, and keep the centrifugal switch engaged for longer, possibly longer than the motor start circuit was designed to handle.