“Service factor” is an interesting motor rating that you will see on many motor data tags. It simply means how much additional “work” a motor can do or how much “load” it may be placed under for short periods of time without failure or overload. For example, the FLA or full load amps of the […]

When you are checking a unit of any kind, you should be keeping your eyes open for signs of arcing and melting at all of your wire connections and contact points. We find issues with melting terminals on contactors and in disconnects regularly. Still, We rarely think about the relationship between circuit ampacity, wire size, […]

We keep two-pole, 40-amp 24v coil contactors on all of our vans. They are versatile and reliable, and you can replace most residential A/C contactors with them. There are a few things to watch for, though, especially when you have a crankcase heater. Many brands power the crankcase heater constantly and shut it on and […]