Motor Starter Sales

Tower Electric Motor Company carries a wide variety of brand name magnetic motor starters to fit many different applications. Call us with your specific switch needs and we will help you select the models that you need.

Call (510)490-2187 for additional details and to order.
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Magnetic Motor Starters

Motor starters serve a safety machinery function as an overload relay.  Motor starters work similar to a contactor in that they operate when the coil energizes.  The difference between a standard contactor and a motor started is that motor starters have an additional overload relay.

Magnetic motor starters are commonly used to start electric motors.  With a 3 phase magnetic motor starter there are 3 contacts that are normally open. Because 3 phase power is very popular for industrial applications and 3 phase motors are more efficient, 3 phase magnetic motor starters are most needed.  Magnetic motor starters vary widely in size and application.

Magnetic motor starters control the closing and opening of the contacts that allow for the flow of electrical power to the electric motor.  Magnetic motor starters with built in overload relays help protect the electric motor when the load becomes too great and could overload and possibly damage the motor.  In an overload situation this type of protection can help shut down the motor preventing it from overheating.  The greater the motor load, the greater the power current the motor will draw to perform its task.  Increased current also increases the heat.  The overload device senses the heat from the excessive current and is set to shut down the motor power before the windings would burn out, thus protecting the electric motor by keeping this from happening.

It is important to choose a magnetic motor starter that not only takes into account the electric motor it is meant to start and protect from overload, but also the environments surrounding temperature.  The overload relay in a magnetic motor starter is not meant to protect against short circuits so it is also important to install short circuit fuses as a standard added protection.

There are other types of specialized magnetic motor starters such as reversing motor starters for reversing motors, and multi-speed motor starters for multi-speed specialized electric motors.

See the manufacturers specifications and call our magnetic motor starter specialists for further abilities and specialized magnetic motor starter types.