Always inspect incoming motors, breakers, fuses, and other spares or replacements. If they are spares, store them per the manufacturer’s instructions. Items like motors should be on a PM, even when on the shelf. Otherwise, you may get the following “I’m looking for a new job” scenarios:
Mary crawls under a hot, dirty machine to remove a 10-hp motor. Then, she crawls back under the hot, dirty machine and installed the new motor. However, the new motor, which had once spent six months in a dusty part of the stockroom, had grit in its bearings. An hour later, Mary crawls back under that same hot, dirty machine with a motor she personally tested; she rejected two others before finding a good one.
Phil and Bob spent a couple of hours removing the 400-hp air compressor motor. The replacement arrived quickly but sat on the loading dock with no incoming inspection. Only after Phil and Bob had set it in place did someone spin the shaft and hear that unmistakable sound.
