From the Field - kele.com

Since 1983, Kele has been committed to getting you the parts and solutions you need to be successful on the job site. Our Kele Team gets hundreds of questions daily and we know that sometimes getting technical advice on a timely basis can be challenging. So in an effort to keep “Making It Easy,” we’re creating a knowledge center that YOU can access anytime. Browse technical issues and questions and get solutions instantly!

And if you can’t find what you need? Well, our Kele Team is just a call or click away, waiting to help you find a solution. Call us at 833.452.8760 or email us.

Q: How can I replace my failing actuator on my basement heat pump system with a more reliable and cost-effective solution?

There were a few parameters that we needed to keep in mind:

The actuator is expensive, becoming obsolete, and unreliable.
The customer wanted to replace the entire system with a more modern and cost-effective solution.
It’s on a heat pump loop, and it’s used for heat injection into the loop to maintain 70 to 80 degrees going through a heat exchanger.
The customer has a generator backup system, so a fail-safe valve is not necessary.

So, was the Kele tech team able to address the concerns of this customer?

Of course! They recommended the Belimo B2 Series 2-way and B3 Series 3-way ball valves and the Honeywell T775 Series single- or multi-loop standalone controller.

The Belimo B2 Series 2-way and B3 Series 3-way ball valves are used for two-position, floating or proportional control of HVAC hot or chilled water. The valves come assembled with direct coupled Belimo electric actuators with spring return or non-spring return operation.

Features

Equal percentage characteristic (2-way)
Large Cv range from 0.8 to 170
Assembled, ready for installation
Floating, two-position, or proportional control

The Honeywell Model T775 is a standalone multi-point and multi-loop controller designed for a wide range of applications. The I/O point mix is unit-specific with temperature, humidity, and pressure input models available. Relay or analog output models may be selected as well. Single-loop, two-loop and reset controllers may be selected, all including a seven-day time clock for output disable or night setback. The relay output controllers have adjustable differential control algorithms. Analog output controllers have adjustable throttling range, proportional plus integral (PI), or proportional, integral, and derivative (PID) control. The backlit display is easy to read, and the menu-driven setup is simple. The T775 is available in NEMA 1 or NEMA 4X enclosures for the most demanding environments.

Features

Standalone controller
Multiple power input (24, 120, or 240 VAC)
Single- or dual-loop models
Throttling range, PI, and PID tunable modulating models
Adjustable differential two-position models
Humidity, pressure, and universal input models
Two-position 10A relay model
Analog output 0 or 2 to 10 VDC, 4-20 mA, and 135Ω models
Integral seven-day time clock for night setback or shutdown
Remote night setback or shutdown input
°F or °C temperature display
Daylight savings time compensation

When you’ve got a question, the Kele Tech Team is here to provide you with the answer you need to succeed. So whether you’re out in the field wanting help with an install—or trying your hardest to just find the right part—the Kele Team is here to make it easy. Call us today or chat with us online so we can help you find the custom solution you’re looking for.

Q: Does this specific Belimo part have an electrical connection and plug? Some parts make you buy other parts, and I need to know if this is going to be one of them.

There were a few parameters that we needed to keep in mind:

The customer is looking for a plug that gives flying leads so that he can land his wire to it.
The facility is a chicken farm with a large number of chickens. The pressure transmitters give them water every day, so they HAVE to run smoothly and operate without issue.
The customer is concerned about cost and prefers a simpler solution over an I/O controller and additional sensors.

So, was the Kele tech team able to address this customer’s concerns?

Our techs were able to verify the parts information on the call and then pulled the part off the shelf to double-confirm and double-verify with the customer that they knew their stuff. The Belimo 22WP Pressure Sensor (Liquid) was indeed the perfect part for the job and had what the customer wanted.

Belimo’s 22WP Pressure Sensor (Liquid) Series comes with an active sensor (0-10 V or 4-20 mA) for measuring the pressure in liquid mediums for air conditioning, heating, and water applications. Suitable for plants with refrigerant. NEMA 4 / IP65 rated enclosure.

Product Series Features

Active sensor for pressure in liquid mediums for air conditioning, heating, and water applications.
NEMA 4 / IP65 enclosure

Q: I am looking for a refrigerant leak detector for R32 that is going to be housed in a refrigerant shaft within a building. When it reaches a certain leakage amount, I need it to turn on an exhaust fan or be a relay to do that and then also generate an alarm somehow. Do you have a product you could recommend or an application that can help me out?

A customer recently called in, needing some technical help with selecting the correct refrigerant leak detector.

Our Kele Tech Team was ready and able to help!

There were a few parameters that we needed to keep in mind:

Refrigerant transition for HVAC is required according to the EPA’s authorization of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act
The Industry for Comfort, Heating, and Cooling has largely identified R454B and R32 as replacement refrigerants for R410A
Part of the code requirement in the IMC for these new A2L refrigerants is that anytime you penetrate two or more floors, the refrigerant pipes must be located in a refrigerant shaft. (See full code 1109.2.5 here)
The customer was going to need a total of 20-25

So, what did the Kele Tech Team find for a solution?

Our techs had their recommendation already in hand by the time the call ended! They recommended the Bacharach MGS-450 Series, specifically the 6302-1155, as the refrigerant that would work best for the customer’s situation.

The Bacharach MGS-450 Series is a feature-rich refrigerant, toxic, and combustible gas detector with a remote sensor (up to 16 ft. or 5 m). The MGS-450 Series can be connected to a building management system using Modbus, MGS-408 Series gas detection controllers, or as a standalone gas detector for low-temperature, IP66 applications. In addition, the MGS-450 Series includes 3-output relays (fault, low alarm, high alarm) and an analog output for local alarming, auxiliary ventilation, or refrigerant flow restriction. The MGS-450 Series is ideal for all AHSRAE 15 or EN378 safety compliance applications, including cold storage, freezers, coolers, or mechanical room applications.

When you’re looking for a customized solution the Kele Tech Team is here to help cover all the bases. So whether you’re out in the field needing help with an install—or trying your hardest to just find the right part—the Kele Team is here to make it easy. Call us today or chat with us online so we can help you find the custom solution you’re looking for.

Q: Do I need to run shielded cable or can I run 18-4 with the KCD-W-V CO2 sensor you sell?

Here are some of the parameters we were given to help find the right solution:

It’s for a retail facility (upper and lower levels).
Between 48-60 inches.
High voltage.
The engineers for the project had specific requirements for IAQ.

So what did the Kele Tech Team suggest? DEFINITELY run shielded cable!

Shielding not only reduces signaling impacts but it also reduces electrical noise and lowers electromagnetic radiation. Plus, it protects people and surrounding machinery. So in this type of application—shielded cable is the way to go. Running shielded cable will guarantee no issues and in our opinion, it can be better to err on the side of caution when there are a lot of moving parts.

The Kele KCD Series carbon dioxide sensor was designed to offer an economical, reliable, non-dispersive infrared carbon dioxide sensor. The KCD carbon dioxide detector measures environmental CO2 levels for use in demand-controlled ventilation, air-quality monitoring, and other BAS and HVAC applications in accordance with ASHRAE standards. Fully isolated voltage analog outputs and convenient flying leads on the wall mount make installation both simple and trouble-free. The analog output is available in 0-10 Volt DC or 4-20 mA, over the industry standard 0-2000 ppm CO2 range.

Shop the Kele KCD-W-V CO2 Sensor

Q: How can I effectively monitor and control a fan in a server closet using a BACnet system?

Our Kele Tech Team was ready and able to help!

There were a few parameters that we needed to keep in mind:

The customer’s existing setup includes a 120V supply fan and a return air vent in the server closet.
The customer wants to monitor fan status and room temperature.
The customer is concerned about cost and prefers a simpler solution over using an I/O controller and additional sensors.

So, what did the Kele Tech Team find for a solution?

Our techs had their recommendation already in hand by the time the call ended! They recommended the Viconics Staged BACnet Thermostat with Humidity, specifically the VT8650U5000B.

The VT8650 room controllers are both application-specific and programmable. This enables the modification of pre-configured control sequences or scripting to modify existing behavior. The VT8650 room controllers provide exception control of staged heating and cooling equipment such as packaged roof-top units. Their configurable control sequences, economizer, and scheduler functionalities deliver all the flexibility necessary for optimal indoor air quality applications.

Product Series Features

Suitable for both commercial and hospitality markets and systems
Customizable color digital touchscreen interface with multi-language support
Fully programmable control sequences using scripting
On-board configuration interface utility
Configurable sequence of operations
Configurable Economizer
Configurable Scheduler
Change of value (COV) function for BMS integration
Universal inputs and outputs including a CO2 sensor input and Fresh air station input
Optional PIR occupancy sensor
Advanced occupancy functions for commercial and lodging applications
Optional wireless motion sensors, door and window switches (with optional ZigBee Pro® card) available
Supported networking protocols:
BACnet MS/TP (B) (selectable)
Modbus (B) (selectable)
ZigBee Pro and ZigBee Green Power wireless mesh network (P) (optional with communication module purchased separately)

Q: I think I found a replacement for a part my customer wants to retire in his building. What I see on your site looks like it’ll be an exact fit. What else do I need to consider other than that?

So what did the Kele Tech Team suggest?

Well, once our tech team started digging, they found two BIG things that you always want to keep in mind if you ever find yourself in the same situation.

Protocol: The power meter that their customer wanted to replace was at the time running a proprietary protocol. The replacement they had found was from a different manufacturer and therefore that was an issue that needed to be brought up.
CT Input: At the end of the day—the biggest concern what the CT input was on the current component. We wanted to make sure that the input was the same for the new part from Dent Instruments. If the CT input hadn’t been the same, then the customer would’ve been replacing everything all over again. We had to make sure that the CT inputs stayed the same—otherwise, we would’ve had one irritated customer on our hands!

We verified all of the information and had the customer find out what the CT input was. After everything was all said and done, we were able to confirm that the power meter from Dent Instruments was indeed the right choice on the part of the customer and that it would work for what he wanted to do.

The DENT Instruments PowerScout 3037 comes in four basic configurations depending on whether a display or Ethernet port are desired. Instead of having one specific meter for a single job, the PowerScout 3037 can adapt to nearly any project requirement. All PowerScout 3037 models have a broadband power supply (80-600VAC) and can be paired with a variety of current transformers, from split cores that measure less than 1A up to large RoCoils designed for measuring 4000A. In addition, communication protocols are field-selectable. Easily toggle between Modbus or BACnet using ViewPoint software. Send kWh or other pulses to an external device. The pulse output is used to generate system kWh pulses for devices, such as data loggers, that can accept pulses, but do not have BACnet or Modbus capability. The PowerScout series networked power meters are designed to provide timely and accurate consumption data to gain the upper hand on electrical costs in today’s escalating energy market. PowerScout meters can capture kWh/kW energy and demand data as well as virtually all relevant energy parameters for diagnostics and monitoring on three-phase or single-phase circuit installations. The PowerScout’s flexibility, size, and ease of use make them ideal tools for gathering detailed consumption data in commercial, industrial, government and retail environments. Kele is the leading supplier of building automation products. When you need the right product, right now, count on Kele.

When you’re working on a building and dealing with obsolete parts (or anything else for that matter) the Kele Tech Team is here to help cover all the bases. So whether you’re out in the field needing help—or trying your darndest to just get the right part in so you can get back in the field—the Kele Team is here to make it easy. Call us today or chat with online to help find the custom solution you’re looking for.

Here’s the link to the part: https://www.kele.com/product/power-monitoring-and-protection/power-meters/dent-instruments/ps3hd-c-d-n

Q: At my facility, we are required to wash our dry ice containers with hot water at a certain temperature. I'm looking for some kind of temperature sensor that I can submerse and install in a line in one of our pipes. I just need some help to find the right part and components. Can you help me out?

Our Kele Tech Team was ready and able to help!

Here were a few parameters that we needed to keep in mind:

This part had to be fully submersible.
All temp. sensors are meant to communicate with some other piece of equipment, so we needed to make sure everything was compatible.
All the customer wanted was something that read the temperature of the water and then turned the data into a digital reading. No alarms or notifications are needed!
It needed to have an NIST certification.
For everything to work the way the customer wanted, he was going to need the temperature sensor, a transmitter, and a display. (And a brass well and a DC power supply!)

So what did the Kele Tech Team find for a solution?

After everything was all said and done and our techs did their due diligence and investigated some data sheets, the ST-W91E-XW Immersion Temperature Sensor turned out to be the perfect solution!

The Precon Model ST-W Immersion Sensor from PreCon provides precise remote temperature sensing for Building Automation Systems, BAS, and mechanical equipment room instrumentation. The active sensing element is a highly stable precision thermistor material or platinum RTD. The sensing element is sealed with a temperature conductive compound in a 4-7/8 in (12.4 cm) stainless steel tube and brass fitting. A brass thermowell is the standard well provided with each sensor. A Greenfield connector is factory installed for flexible connection. The probe assembly on these immersion sensors are removable for replacement without the draining system.

Our tech team also recommended the necessary parts needed for the entire process to work smoothly each and every time. Those parts were the:

WEL-B (brass well for above)
LPI-1C-E (display)
T91U-2 (transmitter)
DCP-250-P (DC power supply, 120VAC input)