You do not choose between a LEESON Washguard motor and a standard LEESON motor by comparing prices on a screen. Or at least, you shouldn't. I manage maintenance planning for a food-processing plant, and I've now paid the difference between those two motors twice: once in dollars, once in downtime.
I'm not a motor design engineer. I'm the person who handles the repair orders, fills out the failure reports, and keeps the spare-parts checklist. I've been doing it since 2017. That means I've made some expensive calls and had to explain them to my plant manager. This comparison is the one I wish someone had handed me before my first washdown-area motor order.
What We're Actually Comparing
A standard LEESON motor is a general-purpose AC motor. It moves air over itself with a fan, keeps dust out reasonably well, and does its job for years in a clean, dry environment.
A LEESON Washguard motor is built to survive what a washdown environment actually does: caustic cleaning chemicals, steam, high-pressure water, and condensation that sits on the motor overnight. The terminal boxes are sealed more seriously, the hardware is stainless, and the paint is not there to look nice.
Same brand. Same frame sizes, often. Different intent.
So here's the comparison I use now, dimension by dimension.
Round 1: Price Tags Lie to You
In March 2023, I was comparing quotes for a 1.5 hp washdown conveyor motor. The standard LEESON motor was about 40% cheaper than the Washguard equivalent. On paper, that looked like an easy decision. It wasn't.
Here's the formula I use now:
TCO = purchase price + freight + installation labor + repair labor + downtime + early replacement cost.
The $200 I saved on the purchase price disappeared when that motor failed at 14 months. The replacement cost, including emergency freight and overtime labor, was roughly four times the price difference. The line was down for part of a shift, which matters more than any motor price in a food plant.
Was the standard LEESON motor bad? No. It was the wrong tool for that room. My mistake was treating the purchase price as the whole cost.
Lesson: if someone says "but this one's cheaper," ask what the total cost looks like over 3 years. That question has saved me more than any coupon code ever could.
Round 2: Washdown Is Not "It Sometimes Gets Wet"
In September 2022, we had a motor fail on a pump skid that got sprayed down at the end of every production day. The motor was positioned under a drip edge. Not submerged. Not flooded. Just sprayed, every single day, with warm water and sanitizer.
The standard motor lasted about nine months. When we pulled it, the bearing grease had washed out and the winding insulation showed signs of moisture damage. The motor shop confirmed what I should have known: general-purpose TEFC motors are not designed for repeated spray cleaning.
The Washguard motor we installed afterward has a sealed body, protected leads, and hardware that doesn't corrode as soon as the coating gets nicked. It costs more. But it was designed for this exact abuse.
Now I check two numbers before ordering for a wet area: the motor's enclosure type and its IP rating on the datasheet. If the spec sheet doesn't list the ingress protection rating clearly, I treat that as a red flag and call the distributor.
Round 3: Bearings Are Where Motors Go to Die
Most motor failures I've dealt with trace back to bearings. Not because the bearing was cheap, but because water or contamination got into it and washed away the grease.
Wait — What's a Ball Bearing?
If you're newer to this, here's the short version. A ball bearing is a set of steel balls captured between an inner ring and an outer ring. The inner ring mounts on the motor shaft; the outer ring sits in the housing. The balls let the shaft rotate with far less friction than sliding metal-on-metal contact.
That's it. Small part, huge job.
When a ball bearing loses grease or takes in water, it starts making noise. Then it gets hot. Then it fails. And when a bearing fails in an electric motor, the rotor can drop into the stator. That is not a $30 repair. That is a rewind or a replacement motor.
Sealed ball bearings make a real difference in washdown locations because they keep the contaminant out longer. I don't buy open or shielded bearings for wet areas anymore. I check the bearing spec on the motor data sheet before I approve the order.
Round 4: Standard Induction Motor vs. Servo Motor
One more distinction that used to confuse me: a standard LEESON motor is an induction motor, not a servo motor.
An induction motor runs at a speed determined by the frequency of the power supply. Pair it with a variable frequency drive and you get adjustable speed, which handles a huge range of conveyor and pump applications.
A servo motor is a different animal. It runs in a closed loop with an encoder and a drive, and it is built for precise torque control and exact positioning. If your machine has to stop at the same spot every cycle and hold position, you are not choosing between a Washguard motor and a standard motor. You're looking at a servo motor application.
They're both motors, but comparing them by price is like comparing a pickup truck to a race car because both have four wheels. I've seen companies try to save money by replacing a servo motor with a standard AC motor and VFD. Sometimes it works. Most of the time they end up retrofitting the servo system back in.
Know what the machine actually requires before you call your distributor.
Don't Buy a Disc Brake Piston Tool for a Motor Brake
Now for the mistake that still makes me laugh because it was so preventable.
In November 2022, we had a brake-equipped LEESON motor on an inclined conveyor. One morning, the motor hummed but the shaft would not turn. Our newest maintenance tech, who had come from an automotive background, was convinced the brake was stuck.
He ordered a disc brake piston tool with overnight shipping. His logic made sense if the motor had a caliper and a hydraulic piston like a car. It doesn't.
Most motor-mounted brakes like this are spring-set and electrically released. When power is applied, a coil pulls the armature away from the friction disc, allowing the shaft to turn. When power is removed, springs push the brake back into the stop position.
There is no caliper piston to retract. The automotive tool did nothing except cost us an overnight shipping fee and a few hours of confusion.
The actual problem turned out to be a failed brake rectifier. The coil wasn't getting DC power, so the brake never released. If we had checked the brake coil voltage first, the fix would have taken twenty minutes and maybe $50 in parts.
The tool order? Still on my list of expensive lessons.
So Which LEESON Motor Should You Buy?
Here is the practical answer I give to our own team now:
- Choose a standard LEESON motor when the environment is dry, clean, and well-ventilated. You'll pay less upfront, and there's nothing about a washdown-rated motor that makes it run better on a clean indoor conveyor.
- Choose a LEESON Washguard motor when the motor gets sprayed, steamed, hosed down, or subjected to condensation. Water and chemicals are enemy number one for standard motors.
- Check the bearings. Sealed or shielded ball bearings belong in any location with moisture or dust.
- If the application needs precise positioning, stop comparing washdown vs. standard and start the conversation about servo motors.
- If the motor has a brake, read the brake section of the manual before you order any specialty tool. I'm serious.
Prices vary by frame size, voltage, and distributor, especially since 2023. The percentage premiums I paid in early 2025 may not be the same next quarter, so verify current quotes before you build a budget around this article.
The cheapest motor is rarely the one that ends up costing less. I had to learn that the hard way — three failed motors, one unnecessary tool purchase, and enough paperwork to remind me every month.
So take it from someone who has replaced both: let the application decide. Then let total cost decide. Then order.
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