Motors, Controls, and Troubleshooting

Most electricians can wire a motor. Fewer can look at a tripped overload, a motor that hums but won't start, or a VFD fault code and know exactly where to begin. This course is built around that gap. You'll start with how motors actually work — the physics, the nameplate, the difference between single-phase and three-phase — because protection and troubleshooting decisions only make sense once you understand what you're protecting and why it behaves the way it does.

From there, the course moves into the two layers of every motor installation: the power circuit and the control circuit. On the power side, you'll learn how NEC Article 430 governs sizing and protection, how starters work, and when a VFD is the right tool instead of across-the-line starting. On the control side, you'll learn to read ladder diagrams, trace seal-in circuits, and follow safety interlocks through a schematic — the skills that let you work through a problem logically instead of swapping parts until something changes.

The final unit puts it all together. You'll work through a systematic troubleshooting method, learn the most common motor failure modes and what causes them, and practice reading symptoms the way a good technician does: as clues that point to a cause, not just a component to replace. By the end, you'll have both the conceptual framework and the hands-on diagnostic thinking to handle motor and control problems with confidence.