I saw a post here a few days ago about using a dimmer switch to slow down a motor on a dryer. They said it would'nt work, but did'nt say what was the best way to go. Does anyone have any ideas on the best way to do this & what should I use to control the speed? Any input would be great.Thanks
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You will need to figure out a gear combination for what you want. Slowing down a motor will burn it out. You can buy a low rpm motor. However, if you are using a motor you have laying around, it is better to have the motor run at its capacity and use gearing to get what you want. You will have no stress or load on the motor that way.
I built my own tumbler with very good results. I used a farm duty motor from Tractor Supply, one horse @ 1750 rpm's. Then I went to an electrical contractor's store and bought a gear box that reduces 60 to one.That would make my 55 gallon tumbler turn about 30 rpm's. However I used an 8" pulley on the barrel and a 2" pulley on the gear box. That dropped the rpm's down to about 20 rpm's.
You can only variable speed a DC motor. You will burn up an AC with a dimmer switch. If you do have a DC gear reduction motor go for it. Just remember that most DC motors do not have a fan and they also get hotter if they are run at a slower then intended speed so put a fan on it. Your tumbler never runs for more then 20 minutes at a time so a little heat will not hurt it. A general rule of thumb is that if you can still touch the motor with your bare hand your not hurting it.