mounting motor above the ceiling line

[Roadkill401]

I live in southern Ontario, so we get cold winters, and moderately hot summers. ie (-5f to +90f)

My shop doesn't have very tall ceilings as it's a converted garage. In order to fit my CVMax in, I had to either give up 55gal collection bin, or mount the unit higher than the finished ceiling.

I opted for the latter, and cut a hole in the ceiling, and mounted the mounting plate between the ceiling joists with the motor part sticking into the attic. I thought this was a smart idea... but now I am not too sure. Here are my issues


The attic space is filled with blown celulous insulation. I built a box 18"x18"x24" tall around the motor to hold back any insulation from the motor. I left the top open.

1. will the summer heat that could get up to 110f + in the attic be a problem for the motor?
2. I didn't put a lid ontop of the box to maximize the air that the motor can get. Will the motor running suck in dust and debris from the insulation in the attic?
3. If I put a top onto the box, will that cause an issue with it overheating?
4. Should I put a screen mesh to capture bigger chunks, but not fine particles or trap in heat?
5. Am I worrying about nothing and get on with installing this and get back to woodworking?

HELP


Matt.

 

[AlanBienlein]

I went and snapped a few pics of mine. I've had mine like this since june of 2010.


Now that I re looked at mine the openings are on the side of the motor at the top and that is why I put mine as close as I did to the ceiling of my shop.

 

[Roadkill401]

i went and took a photograph of what I have now..



I know that the motor has a thermal protection, so if it did overheat, it wouldn't blow up but rather cut out.

Is the gap around the bottom of the base large enough for air flow. it's not totally sealed off.

Matt.

 

[Danscyclone]

With the box around the motor and no top you will lose a lot of heat to the attic and with a top on the box the motor fan could suck up a lot of the hot exhaust air from the motor. I don’t think it would be able to draw in any of the insulation. From looking at your photo, can you run the wall board up to the roof and across the rafters to make an enclosure that is open to the shop and sealed from the attic?

 

[bababrown]

motor above ceiling

motor above ceiling

Matt,
Most Leeson motors are rated for 40 Deg C or 104 Deg F maximum ambient air. If you can read the nameplate the number should be on it. I would be careful not to run it long term with the summer temperatures you will find in an attic. Mine is covered right above the motor but open around the motor so the air isn't stagnant and I have no problem. If you have an indoor / outdoor thermometer you can easily monitor the temp and make sure it stays reasonable. If you decide to put a closet around it you can put a "chimney" in to draw the air down. Otherwise you might add a fan so the air doesn't stagnate.
bababrown

 

[Steve P]

I have my unit installed in a closet that would create a pocket of hot air around the motor. What I did was to put a baffle around the filters, so that the air has to go up and past the motor. It then travels back down before venting out the side of the closet, taking all the hot air with it. This completely solves the problem of hot stale air around the motor.

Steve

 

[Mike Goetzke]

When I looked through the gallery a few years ago I think I saw someone hook up a bathroom vent fan to keep the motor cool in an application like yours?


Mike