Dust Collector Issues

[Tom Hargrove]

I have a Delta Dust Collector (model AP400) that keeps blowing the start capacitor. My research indicates that a relay or switch inside the motor which turns off voltage to the capacitor has failed. I called the local tool dealer/repair facility, and was told they cannot obtain any parts for older Delta machinery. I called Delta and was told they no longer support this item, but have a few parts available. A new motor is $450, which is far more than the cost of a comparable collector. I can't find a wiring diagram for the motor.

Does anyone have any ideas short of buying a new collector?

[glenn bradley]

This is not necessarily the right answer but, it is what I would do. Pull the fan cover, mark the position of and remove the fan (I use a felt tip pen and put a mark on fan hub and shaft), remove dust cover, mark and remove the centrifugal clutch. Take the clutch to the motor shop and see if you can get a match.

A failing clutch cost me 3 caps on my cyclone before I figured out it wasn't the caps . . . doh!

[Larry Komroff]

What you are describing sounds to me like a dirty or sticking centrifugal switch. This switch will switch the start capacitor in and out of the circuit. You can try to blow the switch out with air. It might help if it is not a TEFC motor. If it is a TEFC, this will require you to unplug the saw, remove the rear motor end bell, clean the contacts and lube the switch if sticky.

If you feel comfortable doing this, there are videos on youtube that will help familiarize you with this repair.

I am sure a motor shop can perform this for you rather than replacing the motor

[Dan Friedrichs]

Yep, this is a relatively simple fix if you're mechanically inclined. Take the motor apart and clean/lube the centrifugal switch. It's usually a really simple mechanism (like a weight on a spring that pushes a set of contacts apart).

[Doug Garson]

I have the same dust collector and replaced my capacitor a few months ago. My research found that the motor does not have a centrifugal switch and your repeated blowing of capacitors may be due to installing the wrong type of capacitor. Per the attached link the capacitor in the AP 400 motor is a run capacitor which has a higher rating than a start capacitor.


http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&...Oz4-b_BLTABYHA

[Tom Hargrove]

Thanks for all of the quick replies. I will pull the cover off tonight or tomorrow and see what I can find. If I find a sticky switch, I should be able to handle cleaning it up. Thanks again.

[Cary Falk]

There are so many places to get a motor that would fit for cheap that I would never buy from Delta.

[Doug Garson]

Just curious have you had a chance to pull the cover off and what did you find?

[Bill Space]

Doug,

That is a great write up and should get the OP up and running fast I would expect! Hope he took the time to read it!

Good Job!

[Tom Hargrove]

Doug Garson is correct, the motor does not have a centrifugal switch, and does not use a start capacitor. I found and installed a suitable motor capacitor (50mf/250V) and the dust collector seems to run fine again. Unfortunately, the replacement capacitor is much larger than the original unit, so I had to add a separate box to house the capacitor. Not a huge deal, but it required an extra trip to the store.

What was really frustrating is that when I called Delta, the tech rep told me the unit used a start capacitor.

Thanks to Doug for turning me down the right path - and saving me several hundred dollars I would have spent on a new collector! The AP400 was Delta's "bottom of the line" collector when it was made. I had replaced the upper bag with a canister filter, and the lower fabric bag with a plastic bag, both with a from Wynn Environmental. These changes really improved the performance of the unit, which I picked up dirt cheap at a Lowe's closeout sale several years ago. I also fabricated a separator that sits below the intake port and which collects 95%+ of the stuff coming through the air stream. So I really didn't want to toss what I had and then deal with customizing a new collector.

[Doug Garson]

Glad I could help, real thanks goes to "Bit Twiddler's Rant", not sure what his real name is, who provided the fix, I just found it when my DC died and passed the link on. Sounds like we both have made similar upgrades to the AP 400, canister filter and a separator with Thien baffle, mine had a lower plastic bag when I bought it second hand. I didn't put the new larger capacitor in a box, just clamped it to the housing and covered the live end with a piece of plastic pipe.

[Malcolm McLeod]

... I didn't put the new larger capacitor in a box, just clamped it to the housing and covered the live end with a piece of plastic pipe.

Pardon the semi-hijack of thread, but cap blew up on dad's lathe and I started to look for replacement. Finding the (too) large ones is easy, but if you look hard on internet, the proper sized caps can be had. (Sorry, forgot the site where I found mine.)