Very hot ro150feq

[imaginarynumber]

Hi all

My old ro150 died recently so I ordered a new ro150feq.

The store lent me a hire model whilst awaiting delivery of the new one.

My new model arrived on Friday. I have noticed that after about 10 minutes it gets very hot. If I hold it low down near the exhaust on the bottom left I find it uncomfortably hot and have to move my hand, the same is also true of the area where the body meets the gears. I even notice that the vacuum hose is slightly warm- not some thing i have ever noticed with any tool.

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Is this normal???

The hire model seemed normal.

I did read elsewhere on here that after 10 hours the brushes will bed down or is that a crock? Nothing about heat is mentioned in the user guide.

I have tried to phone festool uk but I am just getting vmail so i though I would ask here first

ps I would like to order new gears for my old ro150 but cannot work out how to take the metal housing apart. I guess I need to undo the spindle first but there is no spindle lock to stop it turning.

Thanks in advance

 

[termite]

mine runs pretty hot as well. it does seem that it runs a little cooler now than when i first got it, so the break in period may be a legitimate explanation for some of the heat, but mine, at least, is still a hot running sander...i also find myself shifting my hand around the sander as it heats up.

 

[imaginarynumber]

Thanks termite

How many hours do you guess that you have used it for? Mine is at about 2.5 hours thus far.

My old ro150 didn't get this hot, or even noticeably hot. Nor does my ro125 or any of my other Festool/protool stuff.

The odd thing is that it is not hot at the power supply end- where I guess that the brushes and communicator are. If it is down to the brushes then why is it hot at the gear end? Even if the air is sucked all the way through the body the whole body would be hot???

I did also think that there might be some crap being thrown out onto the wooden work top I was sanding- It looked like very small pieces of the resin used to coat wires on transformers (even though that it normally amber in colour and this stuff was black). I cannot confirm though that this was not already on the work top or being blown from elsewhere.

 

[nickao]

Keep using it for about 20 hours than there will be no issues at all. BUT, the RO always gets hot, just not as hot as first.

 

[imaginarynumber]

Keep using it for about 20 hours than there will be no issues at all. BUT, the RO always gets hot, just not as hot as first.

thanks.

Will it still get so hot that you need to move your hands???

Why don't they mention the heat in the user manual???

 

[termite]

I probably have the twenty hours on mine and it is still hot, just not as hot as it was when new...I wish that I could quantify it better for you. I also agree w/ you that it gets hot where you indicated which seems counter intuitive but that is the hot spot on mine as well. By now, I no longer actually have to move my hand but just do to get to a cooler spot. In the beginning I actually had to move my hand or get a glove...

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

The Rotex is sent out with brand new brushes. It isn't a crock.  [smile]  It takes 10+ hours of run time for the brushes to begin seating properly. During this period, the area mentioned can become warm. As the brushes get seated, you will see an increase in "power" as well as a decrease in the heating up of that area.

 

[AlexThePalex]

From what I've understood from things I read here on the forum it's normal that the Rotex runs hot when it's brand new, due to the fact that the gears need to settle to each other. There are some imperfections on the gears due to the production process which have to erode within the first 10 or 20 hours of use. After that period the gears are perfectly smooth and adjusted to each other so they wont generate that much heat anymore.

I myself never experienced any excessive heat when I just got my Rotex. Granted, I didn't buy it brand new, but the guy I bought it from said he hadn't used it for more than 3 hours, and I could clearly see from the state of the machine that it was true. I also don't experience much heat when using it under normal circumstances. The only time I could feel it getting hot was last week when I was sanding for hours right in a pretty hot sun. But it still did not run too hot to keep hold of it.

 

[jonny round boy]

I did also think that there might be some crap being thrown out onto the wooden work top I was sanding- It looked like very small pieces of the resin used to coat wires on transformers (even though that it normally amber in colour and this stuff was black). I cannot confirm though that this was not already on the work top or being blown from elsewhere.

It's not from elsewhere, it is from the sander. The Rotex has a rubber 'pad break' that rubs against the pad to stop the pad 'spinning up' when it's not in contact with the work. When new this is sometimes slightly too proud, and will wear down, spewing the small black fleks of rubber out. This shouldn't last long, either.

BTW, it shouldn't damage the work in any way (it's only rubber) so try not to worry too much about it.

I do think Festool should mention both this and the 'running in' period in the manual, but they don't. Complaints about lack of info in documentation aren't particularly new or unique. Luckily, Festool USA have commissioned some 'after-market' manuals which are available for some of the newer tools. I hope they will continue to do this as and when tools become available over there.

 

[jonny round boy]

The odd thing is that it is not hot at the power supply end- where I guess that the brushes and communicator are.

As it happens, the brushes are NOT at the end where the plug-it is. You'd be forgiven for thinking that though, it's where everyone else puts them! They are in the front-end of the hand-grip section - almost exactly where you've circled the 'hot bit' on your picture.

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Just a quick follow up...

Different users of the Rotex may experience different levels of heat buildup during the initial break-in stage.  Those who polish or just using a lot of pressure in the Rotary mode may cause the motor to draw maximum current? After all, the motor is rated at nearly 1 horsepower, and when worked hard there will be lots of heat generated. By the way, there is built in thermal protection if it gets too hot.

We offer an auxiliary handle if you think it gets too hot or just want the added benefit of better balance.

Product # 495188, $16 USD

 

[imaginarynumber]

Thanks to everyone for replying. I was concerned that mine might be duff.

I wanted a heads up before I lost the legal right to ask for a new replacement rather than having to send it back for repairs (leaving me without a rotex).

I shall now reply in order of response.

Thanks Termite- I had thought that maybe I was being a girlie!!!

Hi Shane- thanks for the info- I don't understand why new brushes would generate so much heat- we really are talking about hot rather than warm. This is a complete guess but I would say about 50 to 60 degrees centigrade, ie 50 to 60% of the boiling point of water (sorry no idea what that is in fahrenheit). Whenever I replaced the brushes on my old ro150 I didn't notice it running any hotter, then again the brushes were at the power supply end. The handle you suggested might be an option that i will go for. Thanks again.

Hi  Alex- all due respect to Shane et al but the gears theory sounds more plausible with regard to the heat generation. I believe that the ro150feq has metal gears whereas the old ro150 has nylon gears. So running in would produce more heat.

Finally

Johnny Round Boy- I am glad to hear that there is a thermal cut out and that I was not imagining the black bits. I  had assumed that the brushes were at the rear given that the old Rotex and DX93 had them there (same body). With regard to the supplied literature- I agree 100%. I love the tools and want to like the company but attempts to communicate with them (in the past to report faults, some very dangerous) has always proved extremely frustrating (Christian being the exception).

In conclusion you have, all, convinced me that I have nothing to worry about, so again, I thank you. 

 

[AlexThePalex]

The odd thing is that it is not hot at the power supply end- where I guess that the brushes and communicator are.

As it happens, the brushes are NOT at the end where the plug-it is. You'd be forgiven for thinking that though, it's where everyone else puts them! They are in the front-end of the hand-grip section - almost exactly where you've circled the 'hot bit' on your picture.

If I read the Ekat schematics right the brushes are right under the label with the word Festool in green. I know somebody posted pictures of the inside of the Rotex a while ago but I can't find the post anymore. But I don't see how the brushes could generate a lot of heat. They have a very small contact area and if they're not properly seated yet in the beginning then the contact area is even smaller than under normal circumstances.

Nice of you to mention the black bits, I also saw them when I just got my Rotex and was a bit worried for a sec, but they fairly quickly disappeared again so I forgot about them. But now I understand what they were.

 

[jonny round boy]

Yes, with new brushes the contact area is smaller. This generates more heat, because the resistance increases as the cross-sectional area decreases.

That's why you can't use a small power cord with high-current appliances - the cord overheats because the cross-sectional area is smaller.