Washing solvent for motor windings

CO2 is probably the best alternative if an Oily winding has to be cleaned on site but is it not 100% and it is not straight forward. You should make your customer aware of all the facts. CO2 is a wonderful cleaning alternative. We have 6 CO2 machines and we use CO2 on a regular basis to clean windings and it is very effective in most cases. The one area where it is not very effective is with oil. It is very difficult to remove oil from a winding using CO2. It can be done but is a much slower process than other types of contamination because it does not fall in the way that most contaminant do. It will move along the surface but it will not fall off. You move it along to a gathering point where you can wipe it off. Imagine a patch of oil on the floor. You could use CO2 to clean that oil patch from the floor and that part of the floor will become clean, but the oil will be on another section of the floor. CO2 tends to move the oil around but never remove it 100%. And remember, if you can't point the nozzle at it, you will not remove it.

The best method to remove oil from a winding is the same method as you would use to remove oil from your hands. Good old fashioned hot soapy water. Steam cleaning and drying out is the most effective method. The problem is that the winding has to be removed from service to accomplish this.

If the winding has to be cleaned on site the next option is chemicals. You could encounter many obstacles using chemicals as a cleaner.

• getting the use of the chemicals approved for use on site.
• If you are planning to spray the chemical you will need to build an enclosure ensuring that the overspray is contained.
• you will require respirators and the customer may insist on enclosed space training.
• you will have to set up something to drain the chemicals from the area and gather the dirty chemicals for removal from the site.

The safe use of chemicals can be more trouble than it is worth, especially with all the paperwork and liability. It is normally easier to remove the motor and do a good job.