BM23 - Evaporator Fan Wiring Question

[nikegolf22]

Well, I picked up an old Beverage-Air BM23 (the wood vinyl paneled one) re-branded with the Superior nameplate for only $50. When I picked it up, it had not been used for quite some time, and wasn't running either. Everything appears to be in good shape with the compressor and the such, but the interior of the unit was another story. The evaporator coils appear to be in good shape, but the evaporator fan was not turning (getting power, but rusted up a bit), and the evaporator pan/housing was rusted through in some spots.

So, I purchased a new evaporator pan/housing, evaporator motor and new fan blade from Partstown, but when the motor got here, it only has (1) lead off of it, where the old one had (2).

Now my question to the experts here (and I am a true n00b when it comes to refrigeration) is do I need to wire the two leads (one black and one white) together in order to get power to the fan? I tried plugging each of them in at one time, and no power to the fan. Did I get the incorrect piece from them (I verified the part number from Beverage-Air); should it have (2) leads?

Basically, any help would be appreciated.

Thanks all!

[THE ICEMAN]

It certainly sounds to me like they gave you the wrong motor. Check back with the company from which you purchased the motor.

I work on those little beasts all the time & I have never heard of a motor with just one lead. They don't work that way. Motors, no matter how big they are, need at the very least two leads. DO NOT wire the white & black together. That will result in a direct short & blow the breaker at the least & fry the wiring with a possible fire at the worst.

Make sure you get the condenser coils good & clean before you put it into use. Sounds like a good deal. Good luck with it.



OBTW, welcome to the forum.

[nikegolf22]

Thanks much ICEMAN. I figured something was wrong with the motor they sent me, so I will get in contact with them and get another one.

I am sure I will have more questions as I move forward with my little project

[BrewGuru]

Some evaporator fans, especially on Perlick models are supplied with only one wire lead coming from the motor, the hot lead. The Ground on these motors is usually a surface mounted 'spade' connector, of which you should have been supplied a 'jumper' cable with two female spade connectors... I've seen the occasional motor that is grounded via the Chassis, but never in a Bev-Air.

You might also look closely at the wire coming off the motor to make sure that it isn't two separate conductors that share a common jacketed insulation, meant to be split down the center, similar to many appliance plugs. If this is the case, you'll need to split down the center and strip back some of the insulation. Typically in this kind of wire, the 'printed' side is the hot.

Good luck!

Edit:

Just re-read your original post, was there some kind of connector supplied at the end of the lead, was it bare stripped wire, solder coated? What was the part number from PartsT0wn?

[THE ICEMAN]

I'm not saying you are wrong there BG but that seems to me to be a very dangerous way to work things. Using the ground as the second leg of power would be against code most everywhere I've ever had the experience of working & could lead to being shocked should the motor fail.

[BrewGuru]

ICEMAN - Heck yeah, it's absolutely a bad idea to use the chassis / ground as your neutral... but as I'm sure you've seen, it's been done plenty...especially on older units, and when shoddy repairs / maintenance work has been done - way scary!

I once worked on a system where a high flow pump had been wired in such a manner that it's neutral conductor was crossed over with the chassis ground, and sticking your hand in the tank this pump drew from you could feel the slight tingle of electricity! That was particularly scary and eye opening, had the water had a little higher salinity...