Changing Brushes

[alayne42]

Is there some point at which we should check our brushes to see if they need changing? Seems like I remember someone at Innovations talking about this. . . I have a Liberty, and it has done about 75 - 100 quilts in its life.

Alayne P

Seattle

[BethDurand]

Great question! I too need to know the answer.

Beth

[Bonnie]

Alayne...I would ask Amy about this....the machine I have did a considerable amount more over that many before I needed to get a new motor, just flat wore the puppy out, so am wondering if brushes are even a worry.... Our motors are very well built...not saying that the brushes don\'t or can\'t wear out, but think its something that APQS can answer better. I believe your Liberty has a heavier duty motor than what the ULT II\'s come with and as I said I did almost 1500 in a 4 or 5 year period before I wore the motor out.

[PamelaA]

Amy covers that in the two day maintenance class. They are easy to change. If they are really worn out you may burn out the motor. I haven\'t looked but this topic may be in the manual. APQS carries them. I think everyone in my class purchased some as spares.

Pamela

[kennan100]

Ok, I haven\'t aksed a question in a looooooong time, I don\'t have a machine YET, but I\'d like to know what are the indications that bruches might be wearing out? You\'d want to change them right away to prevent wear on the motor, right?

[smorris]

Hi Alayne

You should check the length of your brushes and clean out the cavity that they fit into every 3-6 months depending on how much use your machine gets.

The length of a new brush is about 1/2" and you should replace your brushes when they get to about 3/8".

With the power lead unplugged, take off the short top cover of your machine, it covers the motor. On either side of the motor you will see a screw. Undo the screws and you will see a strip of copper this is the end of the brush. It may just pop out when the screws are removed, if not gently prise it out. Blow air into one of the sides where you removed a brush and place your vacuum hose over the other hole to extract the dust. This will blow out any excess carbon and will clean that area. Rotate the thumbwheel and clean the rod that is rotating inside the motor with a cotton bud and replace the brushes.

The brushes will have curved shape wear they have been connecting with the arod, make sure you put them back in so that the curve fits around the rod giving the best connection. Replace the screws. Then replace the top cover.

After 100 quilts you should still have quite a bit of brush left.

Best wishes

sue in australia

[kusmaulk]

What, pray tell, do the brushes do?

[jvorich]

In as simple terms as I can the brushes take the power from your outlet in the wall and make the electrical connection to the motor.

[michelleslongarm]

So in it's a very good idea to have your machine off before you remove your brushes. Don't ask me how I know this, but I now have curly hair!!

[love2qlt4u]

What does the machine do if the brushes are bad.? Does it lose power?

[DawnCavanaugh]

Barbara,

If your brushes are getting worn, one of the indicators will be an unusual motor sound. The machine might speed up and slow down on its own, since the brushes are "arcing" and not making proper contact with the motor. In severe cases, you may notice a smell coming from your motor.

My machine is an older model with the motor exposed--if my brushes are getting short, then I can even see sparks inside the motor...not a good thing.

Sue is correct; check your motor brushes every 6 months or so if you are quilting frequently. The manual has an appendix about changing the motor brushes. You can follow those steps to remove and check the brushes on the motor.

It's not hard, and is a good thing to do since running the machine with brushes worn down can damage the motor. But don't panic...it won't happen overnight!