PDG G5 Dryer Motors

[Jaltavela]

Hello everyone,

I am a new owner operator of some IBA/SS sites in western NY. I have a couple dryer motors that are dead on PDQ G5 IBAs. I had a quote of $1300 for the part and went back to order it and was told that the 10hp is no longer available but they make a 7hp retrofit kit for more than triple that price. I am wondering if any else has had the same experience, can the old motors be rebuilt? Or has everyone else just bit the bullet and bought the retrofit kit? Thank you in advance.

 

[Keno]

Is it just the motor portion that is broken? Or the fan blade/housing having issues also? Motor is probably an off the shelf unit that you can get at any industrial and/or motor supply house

 

[Jaltavela]

Still have to take it down but i believe its just the motor. Its not easy getting the motor down so i was hoping someone might have a part number or something on hand. But yes i am hoping that once i get it down that it'll be a motor that's used in something else that i can buy from a supply house. or even if the blade housing is bad, maybe i could find a used one and still get a new motor from somewhere. $4600 seems like a lot for one blower, I read that these G5s can be expensive to maintain but I refuse to believe that others are paying that much per blower motor. I could be wrong and this could be a lesson learned but hopefully there is an alternative solution.

 

[Keno]

You will most likely need a forklift or similar to get them down and re-install them. Might be worth climbing up there and getting specs and testing so you only need the forklift once. I'm not that familiar with PDQ, but in general, some parts are off the shelf and some parts are proprietary on most IBAs, the proprietary stuff if usually a pretty penny to replace. Motors are usually off the shelf, blowers and housings may or may not be proprietary. But there are a few dryer companies out there, don't know if there are any full dryer drop in replacements for your machine.

IBA bay is a very harsh environment, so parts are usually overbuilt. If you have to replace the motors - go with a good brand if you are planning on keeping this machine for the long haul. Expensive is all relative - a $4600 blower maybe hard to swallow price wise, but if that blower lasts 100k washes, its peanuts in the long haul.

 

[New Washdog]

I maintained G5's for a bit. Have you tested the motor to insure its not another component? Also we had frame mounted machines and I used a chain fall to remove and install blowers.

 

[Jaltavela]

I believe there are ceiling hooks to be able to use a chain fall. I certainly understand the importance of paying for quality. But in this case the $1300 vs $4600 is because i need a retrofit kit because PDQ no longer makes the 10hp motor. so the motor quality is the same but more than three times the price. From what i can see before digging in to it the case is pretty crusty. These are both about 19 years old. I need to get 5 more years out of them if i can, but if all four blowers went that would be nearly $20,000 in to an old machine, id have to start to consider it a down payment on a new machine instead. unfortunately right now i don't have the means to replace the whole machine. I am hoping the motors could be rebuilt or maybe PDQ bought them from a supplier that still makes that motor. Thank you for all of your feedback so far. Being a newbie, i am sure i will have many more questions on here.

 

[Jaltavela]

I need to take the cover offer to get a better look at the model number. But its a Baldor Resilience super E 10HP motor. They look to be readily available online once i narrow down the specific model. And they are the $1400 price range. I am not sure why PDQ discontinued their use. But once i know for sure which one is correct and i find them i will probably order a few and then have the old ones rebuilt as spares.

 

[Keno]

All the specs you need to replace that motor are on that black info tag. But as new wash dog asked earlier, have you tested the motor to ensure that is bad and not some other component?

 

[Jaltavela]

I had a technician look at it initially who diagnosed it to be the motor. So I'll admit that i did not test other components. But i am told that the technician did. I was able to talk to an electric motor supplier in the area. They are a Tico Westinghouse dealer. Their prices are very affordable compared to the PDQ supplier option in this instance. I am not knocking the supplier at all. They're great, just in this case I think PDQs updated option is cost prohibitive. Does anyone have any experience with Tico Westinghouse motors and their longevity?

 

[New Washdog]

I had a technician look at it initially who diagnosed it to be the motor. So I'll admit that i did not test other components. But i am told that the technician did. I was able to talk to an electric motor supplier in the area. They are a Tico Westinghouse dealer. Their prices are very affordable compared to the PDQ supplier option in this instance. I am not knocking the supplier at all. They're great, just in this case I think PDQs updated option is cost prohibitive. Does anyone have any experience with Tico Westinghouse motors and their longevity?

Motor is just part of the equation, because of the high RPM's you really need to make sure the turbine is not damaged and balance is maintained during removal and install of the turbine. Also make sure the turbine has no cracks. I'd highly suggest just buying the upgrade as much as the cost sucks.

 

[Jaltavela]

I understand. I will be having the skilled service tech help with the replacement as well. Is the retro fit kit a new turbine as well? that wasn't really explained to me. I thought it was just to be able to use the new 7hp motor on the old turbine.

 

[New Washdog]

I understand. I will be having the skilled service tech help with the replacement as well. Is the retro fit kit a new turbine as well? that wasn't really explained to me. I thought it was just to be able to use the new 7hp motor on the old turbine.

Upgrade should include motor, turbine, housing and motor switch/overload(correct name of this component eludes me at the moment).