The Ametek Lamb 116472-13 is the two-stage, 5.7-inch bypass motor people reach for when a hard-working 120-volt machine has finally lost its suction. It is bought almost entirely as a replacement part, by central vacuum installers, service technicians and facility maintenance staff who need the original performance back rather than a general-purpose substitute. At a published 112 CFM of airflow, 106.7 inches of sealed vacuum and 404 air watts, it sits at the strong end of the 5.7-inch two-stage range, which is why it turns up in power units and recovery machines that have to pull through a long hose run.
Built for
- Replacing a failed two-stage motor in a central vacuum power unit
- Wet and dry recovery machines and portable extractors built around a 5.7-inch bypass motor
- Commercial canister and tub vacuums on 120-volt service
- OEM service benches and repair depots stocking 5.7-inch two-stage spares
- Material handling and transfer blowers running clean, dry, filtered air
How this motor works
A bypass motor carries a separate cooling fan, so the air that cools the armature and field never mixes with the air being pulled through the machine. That separation is the whole reason bypass motors are specified for wet recovery work such as carpet extraction and autoscrubber recovery, where the airstream is carrying water, foam and cleaning solution. It also means the motor is not being cooled by whatever the operator happens to be picking up.
Tangential discharge routes cooling air out through a single side port, which lets the machine builder aim the exhaust deliberately, into a muffler, a sound baffle, or straight out of the cabinet. On extractors and compact commercial machines where the motor sits in a tight enclosure, that directed exhaust is often the difference between a motor that runs cool and one that heat-soaks.
Ametek publishes this motor at 1,550 watts input with a maximum of 11.7 amps and a nameplate speed near 25,400 RPM at 60/50 Hz. It uses double ball bearings, a thermoset fan end bracket and an aluminum commutator bracket, and it is specified for clean, dry, filtered air only.
Carbon brushes are the wear part on any Ametek Lamb motor, not the motor itself. Ametek's own guidance is that a set of brushes can be changed twice before the armature and the rest of the assembly need replacing, with roughly 60 percent of original life left after the first change and about 40 percent after the second. If a machine has begun surging, losing suction intermittently, or throwing sparks at the commutator, brushes are the first thing to check before condemning the motor.
The one symptom that is not a brush job is a burning smell. Technicians on carpet-cleaning and contractor forums are consistent about this: a scorched odor means the armature has overheated where the brushes ride, and the machine should be shut down at once rather than run to the end of the job. A motor that has cooked its armature is a replacement, not a repair.
Ametek Lamb part numbers are not interchangeable by diameter alone. Before ordering, pull the old motor and match four things: frame diameter, number of fan stages, discharge configuration and nameplate voltage. Two motors that share a body size can have completely different gasket surfaces, lead lengths and airflow paths, and a mismatch usually shows up as a motor that physically drops in but never reaches its rated suction.
Specifications
- Fan diameter: 5.7 in
- Stages: 2
- Airflow system: bypass
- Air discharge: tangential
- Voltage: 120 V
- Input power: 1,550 W
- Maximum amps: 11.7 A
- Maximum air watts: 404
- Sealed vacuum (water lift): 106.7 in
- Maximum airflow: 112 CFM
- Speed: 25,400 RPM
- Bearings: double ball bearing
- Fan end bracket: thermoset
- Commutator bracket: aluminum
- Air handled: clean, dry, filtered air only
Fitment
A distributor listing for this part number cross-references it to several other Ametek numbers, including 116474, 117073, 117795 and 119260. That is a single source rather than a manufacturer cross-reference table, so treat it as a starting point and verify against your own machine. Neither Ametek nor any distributor publishes a machine compatibility list for 116472-13, and none is claimed here.
Frequently asked questions
Is 116472-13 a bypass or a thru-flow motor?
It is a bypass motor with tangential discharge. Cooling air travels through a separate path from the working air, so the airstream being picked up never passes across the windings.
What is the difference between 116472-13 and 116472-00?
They share the same base motor. The suffix identifies the specific build, which can differ in lead length, water sealing and mounting detail. Read the complete number including the suffix off your existing motor.
My motor sparks and surges but still runs. Do I need a new motor?
Usually not. Sparking at the commutator and intermittent suction are the classic signs of worn carbon brushes, which are a serviceable wear part. A burning smell is different and means the armature has overheated.
Can this motor be used for wet pickup?
The motor itself is a bypass design, which is what wet recovery machines are built around, but it is rated for clean, dry, filtered air. Water reaching the windings will destroy it, so the machine's float shut-off and filtration have to be working.
How much airflow and lift does it produce?
Ametek publishes 112 CFM of maximum airflow, 106.7 inches of sealed vacuum and 404 maximum air watts at 120 volts.
Discount Cleaning Products is a United States based dealer for Ametek Lamb vacuum motors and stocks the matching carbon brush kits, gaskets and mounting hardware alongside them. Our team works with these motors every day across central vacuum systems, extractors, autoscrubbers and shop equipment, and can help you confirm frame size, stage count, discharge style and voltage against the motor already in your machine before you order.
