Kele Blog

Tennessee State Officials Visit Kele

Kele was honored to host Tennessee Senator Paul Rose and Representative Tom Leatherwood today as part their tour of three Bartlett-area businesses. We were excited to share Kele’s story—our Bartlett roots, current growth, and strategy for the future!

Pictured below are CEO Richard Campbell, Senator Paul Rose, and Representative Tom Leatherwood.

Kele CEO Richard Campbell showing a Kele custom panel are (L-R) Bartlett Area Chamber CEO John Threadgill, Rep. Tom Leatherwood, and Sen. Paul Rose.

Kele CEO Richard Campbell showing a Kele custom panel are (L-R) Bartlett Area Chamber CEO John Threadgill, Rep. Tom Leatherwood, and Sen. Paul Rose.

Kele was honored to host Tennessee Senator Paul Rose and Representative Tom Leatherwood today as part their tour of three Bartlett-area businesses. We were excited to share Kele’s story—our Bartlett roots, current growth, and strategy for the future!

Data Centers: The Need for Speed!

I feel the need—the need for speed!” –Maverick and Goose, Top Gun

Not many of us have what it takes to be a fighter pilot. However, most contractors will attest to two common elements when working on a data center project—job pressure and, above all, the need for speed. While the stakes are not nearly as high as those in a dogfight, the fight to the finish is real. And Kele has been the perfect wingman on countless data center projects.

After all, helping you think through your plan of attack, anticipating project needs, getting your components fast, and providing technical assistance in a pinch is what Kele does best.

Data center construction itself continues to grow at lightning speed and shows no sign of slowing down. As the need for more facilities grows, speed to project execution is front and center and puts significant pressure on the job. It may even feel like “build, fit, design” rather than “design, fit, build.” Fortunately, there are smart ways to maneuver and accomplish your mission on time. 

Plan…but plan quickly.

Think through what you need, how it should all come together, and the potential functionality desired. Often the desired components are not overly complex—sensors, actuators, flow switches, air handler components, temperature controllers, moisture detectors, etc. However, does the owner want to be able to change server racks often? Should rewiring be minimized—eliminating hanging wires in favor of moving components from panel to panel? Are wireless sensors preferred to detect issues between hot and cold aisles? There are many possibilities. Kele’s project services and technical teams can help you think through this quickly and select the best components.

Standardization

Whether a smaller server room, large single-tenant building, or mega-facility that leases space, the general needs for data centers are consistent. In many ways, the setup of most data centers is similar, and owners often prefer standardization. Your project may call for a large or small panel. You may prefer to select and use your own components. You may “simply” need a quick turnkey system, in which case Kele’s Instapanel could be appropriate. However that standardization is defined, Kele’s panel shop can help you build the right solution and repeat it fast and efficiently.

Product availability and logistics

Nothing can be delivered with speed if it’s not available. Find a partner who can deliver. Kele’s inventory of 1.8 million parts in stock from 300+ suppliers is on standby. We have what you need and offer same-day shipping from our distribution center.

The next time you’re feeling the pressure of a data center project—and have the need for speed—call Kele. We can be your wingman anytime.

TECH TALK: Lighten Up—Tips for Changing Outdoor Lights with Changing Seasons

We have a customer whose parking lot lights are controlled by the building automation system using input from a light sensor. With the arrival of spring and daylight-saving time, he has noticed that his parking lot lights are already on while it is still daylight. Knowing he is wasting money, he asked us to change the threshold so that the lights come on at dusk. Clearly, the light sensor signal threshold that brings on the parking lot lights in the control program needs to be tweaked. What is the best way to go about doing this? Although we live in a high-tech world, some things are best adjusted based on human perception. Whether the customer’s light sensor is a precision unit calibrated in foot-candles or an inexpensive uncalibrated unit, we suggest the following approach:

  • Schedule a meeting with the building owner at the building shortly before dusk to select the light level when he prefers the parking lot lights turn on. If he defers to you, use your “engineering judgment.”
  • Prior to the meeting, study the BAS control program to locate the place where the light sensor signal is checked against a threshold value to determine when to turn on the lights.
  • Determine which controller AI input is receiving the light sensor signal and be sure you know how to read the light sensor AI input value on the BAS system screen.
  • Meet again with the building owner shortly before dusk. Ask him to watch the parking lot and tell you when he wants the lights to come on. When he gives the OK, read the light sensor value on the controller AI input. Modify the control program to use this new value for the light turn-on threshold.

Using this approach, the actual precision of the light sensor is unimportant. The only important thing is that the signal value is repeatable for a given light level. You might find that a different threshold is needed in the morning for light turn-off. If that is the case, repeat the above procedure at dawn and, if necessary, modify your control program to use the two different thresholds depending on whether it is dawn turn-off or dusk turn-on. If the light level sensor ever needs to be replaced and it is a precision unit (calibrated in foot-candles from the factory), you should not need to change the thresholds in the control program. However, if you are using an inexpensive uncalibrated sensor, such as the Kele PSR-1, swapping the sensor will require a recalibration using the above procedure.

Rich Schnarr Becomes MIControls President and General Manager

Kele, Inc. announced today that Rick Schnarr has joined MIControls, Inc. as president and general manager. The move became effective on Jan. 1. Kele acquired MIControls last June to expand its presence in the western part of the country. Schnarr, an industry veteran with nearly 40 years’ experience, will lead that effort moving forward.

“Rick’s addition is another step in support of Kele’s next-level growth strategy and mission to help our customers win,” said Kele President and CEO Richard Campbell. “His background, expertise, and customer relationships developed over four decades will only accelerate our success in the region.”

Steve Roe will become president emeritus following nearly 46 years with MIControls and the companies that preceded it. Roe became president and majority owner of MIControls in 2007.

“Steve has been a true partner during Kele’s acquisition of MIControls and over the past six months,” said Campbell. “He will play a vital role in this transition.”

Schnarr’s career includes a variety of customer-facing, sales management, and general management roles. Most recently, he was vice president of sales and marketing for Johnson Controls’ Commercial and Applied Ducted Systems organization. Over the years, Schnarr served as president of Johnson Air Products in Portland, Ore., general sales manager of Trane’s Honolulu office, and in branch management with Carrier.

“I am extremely excited about leading MIControls and becoming part of the Kele senior leadership team,” said Schnarr. “I’m looking forward to leveraging the strong reputation of MIControls in the Seattle and Portland markets and supporting our team as we transition to meet future goals. We want to be the best solution for our customers in every facet of the business.”

Schnarr is a US Navy veteran, serving with the submarine force and earning an expeditionary medal and two Navy Commendation Medals for outstanding service as a ship diver and diving officer at sea.

 

Candid Conversations with Kele Suppliers: Dwyer Instruments

Supplier partner Dwyer Instruments visited Kele earlier this month. Dwyer President Mark Fisher chatted with Kele CEO Richard Campbell about few key topics that will interest Kele customers. Watch this brief video and hear the latest on the Kele-Dwyer partnership, solutions for tariffed products, and Dwyer’s new Series IEF Insertion Electgromagnetic Flow Transmitter.

Listen to Dwyer President Mark Fisher discuss updates with Kele CEO Richard Campbell.

  • Kele is in the process of expanding its inventory of Dwyer SKUs to around 2,500 SKUs.
  • Kele has responded to tariffs with a product matching solution on kele.com, complete with direct and functional product alternatives. Dwyer is elevating solutions with no tariffs.
  • Kele recently added Dwyer’s new IEF Insertion Electromagnetic Flow Transmitter, a field-programmable flowmeter specifically designed to offer superior performance paired with simple installation and use.
    • Long life cycle
    • +/- 1% accuracy
    • Adjustable unit fits pipe sizes from 4” to 36”
    • Optional LCD display
    • BACnet and Modbus communication in addition to the standard analog, frequency, and alarm outputs
    • Performance unaffected by temperature, density, or viscosity

Stay tuned for Kele’s next Candid Conversation!

Don’t Be Tardy with Your School Project Bid

With school projects facing a compressed timeframe, here are a few helpful tips to keep in mind:

  • Plan your job now to minimize field work.
  • Pre-package, tag, and stage materials to stay organized and efficient.
  • Time deliveries based on your schedule to keep the project on track.
  • Pre-fabricate, especially panels, so that all you need to do is hang it on the wall.

Kele’s project services and panel team can help you with all of these. Contact us today!

Kele can help you fill your entire BOM

School bidding is in session! It’s time to study up on the project and do your homework on the materials and partner that will help you win the job. Let’s start with some math.

Kele offers 1.8 million parts from 400+ suppliers. With that inventory, we can meet your project needs beyond a last-minute delivery or hard-to-find product. Our support team can walk through a project with you from beginning to end and advise on the most cost-effective and efficient way to imbed parts into the job for your bid. Kele can be your one source!

If you are ready to shop for products on your own, the new product matching solution on kele.com displays alternatives, accessories, and related parts for nearly 1,000 products to make finding what you need much easier. You can see products customers also bought when buying the product you are searching for along with top sellers.

So shop now or contact Kele to complete and submit your bid on time!

Products You Love: A Match Made at Kele

Some products just go together. Now you can find the perfect match for the products you love on kele.com to complete your project! Kele’s new product matching solution displays not only the product you’re searching for but also matching accessories and related products you may need.

Not sure about your current “product relationship”? The solution also provides both direct and functional alternatives. And you can see other top sellers as well as products “customers also bought.”

Check it out with some sample product matches below. Click on any product image and start shopping today to find your product’s true match to complete your project.

Product You Love Typically Required

LMB24-SR
Damper Actuator
Belimo

691-K0A
Transformer
Kele
Product You Love Typically Required
 

RIBT2401B
Enclosed Relay
Functional Devices

HC1084P
NEMA Hinged Enclosure
Hoffman Enclosures
Product You Love Typically Required

1831-1-RA-S
Pressure Switch
Dwyer

A-491
Pressure Tip Kit
Dwyer

 

Product You Love Typically Required

A11A-1C
Temp. Limit Control
Johnson Controls

CC-1G-K
Capillary Mounting Clip
Kele
Product You Love Typically Required

FXP-24
Air Velocity Sensor
Kele

KDP2MD-10-XX
Pressure Transducer
Kele
Product You Love Typically Required

RH1B-ULAC24V
Relay
IDEC

SH1B-05
Socket Terminal
IDEC

Kele Supplier Partners Feature Innovative Products at AHR Expo

As Chief Product Officer Richard Hackney and Product Manager Darrin Brady shared last week, the 2019 AHR Expo at the ASHRAE Winter Conference showcased innovations and trends. Highlights included new sensor technology, plastic enclosures, and data collection among others. This week we recap the event from a different angle.

One of the Kele team’s favorite aspects of the Expo each year is to visit with our suppliers and find out what products are currently center stage, on the rise, or on the horizon. Kele carries many of these today and may add others in the future. Read below to see what some of our valued partners showcased.

Blü-Test – Bluetooth Temperature or Temp/Humidity Testing Probe

Coming to Kele in 2019! The Blü-Test is a NIST-certified temperature or temp/humidity test instrument that communicates via Bluetooth® wireless technology to an Android Smart Phone or Tablet. The free App lets you log the data for easy emailing and insertion into the commissioning report. The wireless communication makes it easy to take readings from difficult locations and the included Probe Clip Hanger frees your hands when taking measurements.

  • Communicates via Bluetooth to Android smart phone or tablet
  • Blü-Test app logs data for insertion into the commissioning report 

Shop BAPI products.

Belimo Sensors and Energy Valves

Belimo sensors offer trusted reliability, easy installation, and seamless integration with major building automation systems and are designed with an innovative screwless snap-on cover housing that allows for easy commissioning and provides NEMA 4X / IP65 protection. The range includes accurate sensors for measuring temperature, humidity, pressure, CO2, VOC, and flow in pipe, duct, and outdoor applications.

The Belimo EV Energy Valve Series is an energy metering pressure independent control valve that optimizes, documents, and proves water coil performance. The Energy Valve measures energy using its built-in electronic flow sensor and supply and return temperature sensors. It also controls power with its Power Control logic, providing linear heat transfer regardless of temperature and pressure variations. Finally, it manages delta T by reducing pumping costs while increasing chiller/boiler efficiency by optimizing coil efficiency.

Shop Belimo Sensors and Energy Valves.

Series IEF Insertion Electromagnetic Flow Transmitter

Coming to Kele in 2019! The SERIES IEF Insertion Electromagnetic Flow Transmitter is an adjustable insertion flow meter featuring electromagnetic technology that accurately and reliably measures fluid velocity in addition to providing several continuous signal outputs. This series is specifically designed to offer superior performance paired with simple installation and use. One unit is adjustable to fit pipe sizes from 4″ to 36″ (101.6 to 914.4 mm) and offers several output options, including selectable BACnet MS/TP or Modbus® RTU communications protocol over 2-wire RS-485 in addition to the standard analog, frequency, and alarm outputs.

Shop Dwyer products.

RIBR24D and RIBRL1C DIN Mount Relays

The Functional Devices RIBR Series are DIN-mounted 10-amp pilot control relays. The Functional Devices DIN Rail Mount Relay in a Box>sup>® features a removable socket relay for easy replacement as well as a 10-amp contact rating and comes in 10-30 VAC/DC or 24 VAC coil voltages. These multi-coil voltages are suitable for a wide variety of applications and also eliminate the need to have multiple relays on the job. Made in the USA to UL 916 and backed with the quality guarantee you have come to expect from the RIB relay products.

Shop RIBR24D now.

Shop RIBRL1C now.

Diamond Actuators

Coming to Kele in 2019! Honeywell’s new Diamond Spring Return Actuators are the newest actuators available. They provide powerful performance from a compact and intelligent package for fast and easy installation. Key features:

  • 27 lb./in. torque
  • Compact size is perfect for VAV and Unit Ventilator applications.
  • Drive dampers up to 4 square feet
  • Offers modulating actuators operating on 2-10 Vdc with and without feedback
  • Available as standalone units for damper applications and together with Honeywell VBN and VRN series control valves up to 1¼ inch size

GLAS® Smart Thermostats

Coming to Kele in 2019! Johnson Controls invented the room thermostat more than 135 years ago. With family health and comfort, and energy savings in mind, Johnson reinvented it with GLAS. The smart thermostat can help create an efficient and comfortable space, and its clean translucent interface reimagines any space. Designed with arrival anticipation and occupancy detection, the GLAS provides smart scheduling, air quality data, and energy savings information with mobile access to all via the GLAS app.

Lux Thermostats

Coming to Kele in 2019! Johnson Controls’ acquisition of Lux Products Corporation last year adds Lux smart thermostats—the KONO, GIO, and BRIO—to the Johnson Controls product line.

Shop Johnson Controls products.

EFAMS Air Measuring Station

Coming to Kele in 2019! Ruskin’s EFAMS electronic fan inlet air measurement station utilizes thermal dispersion technology combined with low-pressure drop aerodynamic sensors to measure the airflow at the highest velocity point in the system. This lower pressure drop equates to lower cost of operation over the life of the building when compared to other fan inlet devices. The Ruskin EFAMS features and benefits:

  • Can be retrofitted into existing systems where space does not exist for traditional air measurement devices
  • Includes a minimum of two sensors, a router and transmitter box with LCD display showing both temperature and air flow velocity or volume in either FPM, CFM, Meters per second, or Liters per second
  • Easily field configured for any size fan
  • The transmitter box provides two isolated 4-20 mA analog linear signal outputs representing measured air flow and temperature, and shares the same platform as the EAMP (electronic air measurement probes)

TDP05K Series Temperature Monitoring Probe 

Ruskin Advanced Thermal Dispersion Air Measurement brings advantages like a five-year warranty, advanced wireless feature, low power consumption, and simple daisy-chain wiring. Multiple velocity and temperature points on one or more probes installed in the duct or plenum are averaged to arrive at air measurements.

Shop Ruskin products.

Viconics Room Controllers

The Viconics VT8350 Series fan coil room controllers make smart energy management much easier. Designed for new construction and retrofit projects, the room controllers dramatically decrease project delivery costs by reducing installation, configuration, and commissioning time. No complex software or tools are required to customize functionality in order to meet your applications requirements. The room controllers provide all the advanced features and monitoring functions required by modern building automation systems in a simple compact enclosure. The VT8350 Series is specifically designed to provide exceptional temperature control of multi-speed fan coil units. All models can provide advanced occupancy routines and automatic energy savings during occupied periods without sacrificing occupant comfort. When compared to traditional building automation controllers, the VT8350 Series fan coil room controllers provide unmatched return on investment. For more advanced needs, custom LUA script programming available. (-LS models)

 Shop now.

The Viconics VT8650 Series provides programmable and application-specific room controllers with customizable screen colors. The VT8650 room controller is a rooftop, heat pump, and indoor air quality controller suitable for commercial and high-end hospitality markets. The room controllers dramatically decrease project delivery costs by reducing installation, configuration, and commissioning time. No complex software or tools are required to customize functionality to meet your applications requirements. The room controllers provide all the advanced features and monitoring functions required by modern building automation systems in a simple compact enclosure. For more advanced needs, custom LUA script programming available. (-LS models)

Shop now.

Kele’s goal is to always have best product inventory possible to help customers win! Shop now or call us if you see a product you need for your next project.

A Leak Detection Checklist for Water and Chemical Risk Mitigation

Provided by RLE Technologies

Kele offers a variety of products from RLE Technologies, including the LD2100 Web-Accessible Leak Detectors. RLE published the following leak detection checklist and user guide for guarding your facility against catastrophic water damage and downtime. Read on to learn more. 

Every facility has unique monitoring needs based on its susceptibility to water or chemical leak damage.

RLE Technologies presents a leak detection checklist to help safeguard your business against the possibility of severe water damage and its consequences for your business. This checklist will help you identify threats and problem areas in your facility, consider your best solutions, and be proactive in averting a disaster before it happens.

After all, the correct monitoring and notification system can help prevent facility downtime, and the cost of the wrong system or no system at all can be startlingly high. Don’t be the one to pay that price.

Download the checklist here.

Want to dig deeper? Check out the accompanying checklist guidelines below.

RLE Technologies Featured Product

The RLE Technologies LD2100 Web-Accessible Leak Detectors monitor up to 5000 ft (1524m) of sensing cable. The LED display provides basic information about alarm conditions, while a browser offers a convenient way to configure the unit, access and acknowledge alarms, and view alarm logs. Output communications include a Form C relay, SNMP, Modbus and BACnet. SMTP allows for direct email alarm notification which can be routed to cell phones, PDAs, or other wireless devices. Shop now.

LEAK DETECTION CHECKLIST GUIDELINES

Section 1: Identifying Threats & Their Sources

Let’s start by taking a more in-depth look at why each item on the list could be considered a threat and what you need to be on the lookout for. These are, particularly the spots where a small amount of damage can quickly become a very large problem, unless you catch it early.

No facility can be served by one long, single pipe, and anywhere two (or more) pipes meet, leaks are possible. Time and wear can deteriorate and break the seals and, left unchecked, small leaks can become big leaks and cause significant damage.

Failing or freezing pipes
Frozen fluids expand with enough force to crack plastic, copper, or even steel pipes. When that frozen water thaws, the resulting leaks can cause damage not only to the pipes and fittings but also to the walls around them. (P.S. This isn’t just external pipes; if your heating system goes down, any pipe runs the risk of freezing.)

At-risk water supply or return lines
There are a number of risks that your pipes may encounter: freezing, water hammer, age, physical damage. Think about the environment that surrounds your pipes and what dangers exist. For example, be aware of the pipes that feed into overhead sprinklers. Those sprinklers are prone to damage and are a weak spot in your water system.

Uncapped sprinkler lines
Like we said, these things are dangerous. Though it’s infrequent, when repairs are made to overhead fire suppression systems, sprinkler heads can be left uncapped. The result is an open water line that can spew a tremendous volume of water very quickly. Know where your sprinklers are and be aware of any maintenance they undergo.

Clogged drains
Drains that don’t drain aren’t only a danger to the rooms they’re in but also to the rooms adjacent or below. Note drain placement when you’re surveying your most critical rooms and facilities and consider what might be seeping or dripping into them.

Leaky roofs and small drips
Common sense tells you that a faulty roof is going to be a leak problem. It’s pretty much unavoidable, but it’s up to you (and your leak detection system) to catch it before it becomes a catastrophe.

Primary plumbing walls
These so-called “wet walls” are one your facility’s biggest vulnerabilities. It’s a wall that carries your main water lines, draining to most kitchens, bathrooms, and other wet rooms. No water damage to a wet wall is going to remain small for long, and the effects of freezing, water hammer, or physical damage will grow at exponential speeds. Know where they are and keep a close eye on them.

While you’re at it, think about the placement of your water-bearing equipment too. Icemakers and their ilk can be trouble.

Windows improperly installed or located
Like a leaking roof, there’s not much you can do to prevent these, but you can spot and monitor them before they become a more serious problem.

Faulty construction
Ditto. The dangers here are varied: roof leaks to windows to primary water line failure. Apart from thoroughly checking out your contractor, you can’t stop it from happening. You can only mitigate the risks with an effectively placed leak detection system.

Fluid/water hammer effect
Caused by improperly installed plumbing, water hammer effect is the rattling of pipes against the walls, shaken by the force of fluids flowing through a pipe. Listen for it when you shut off a faucet quickly, abruptly halting the water’s momentum. Hammer effect itself doesn’t cause leaks, but it does cause wear and tear on your pipes over time. Catch it quickly and you’ll save yourself a lot of potential damage.

Any number of things can go wrong with a storage tank: failed walls, overflow, valve malfunction, sabotage, and more. One small weakness in one large tank can mean a huge release of fluid, very quickly.

Nearly all HVAC units use fluids to operate, and a supply line failure can cause a significant leak. This is another highly common cause of damage that can be quickly caught with the right leak detection equipment.

Section 2: Encapsulate Areas of Concern

This section doesn’t require much in the way of extra explanation. Once you know what you’re looking for (that’s what Section 1 is for), we want to make sure that you’re looking at your whole facility for those potential problem areas.

Know your weak spots. Where in your facility would water damage cause dangerous downtime or other operating problems? What equipment is particularly susceptible to water or chemical damage?

Then, make sure you’re thinking of your building in 3D. What’s above and below your most critical areas, like your IT room? Do you have raised floors or suspended ceilings? What’s hidden from sight but accessible to insidious little streams of water?

Know where the water comes from and then think like water. Where would you go?

Get a map of your building or make a list of all the spots that absolutely must have some kind of leak detection. If you’re afraid you won’t be able to afford a comprehensive solution right away, prioritize them based on where damage will do the most, well, damage. What rooms or pieces of equipment are critical to your facility’s uptime?

Once you’ve got your list, think about what kind of problems are most likely to affect each area. Is the potential for fluid damage isolated to one spot or is it a more general threat?

Section 3: Determine the Best Solution

Once you know what you’re facing, it’s time to start figuring out what your ideal leak detection system would look like.

Identify your long-term leak detection goals
Start by thinking about the big picture of what you want your leak detection to accomplish. What are the big things that can be affected by potential fluid damage? Do you want to reduce risk? Increase facility uptime? Ensure that the resources you provide your customers are always available? Reduce insurance costs?

Keep these in mind while you’re choosing your system. They will affect the decisions you make.

Establish your immediate needs
This is the natural outcome of that list you made or map you marked. What sensitive spaces are most in need of protection and what are their most common vulnerabilities? What do you need right now?

Consider future scalability
Whether you can’t afford a whole system right away or whether you foresee a future where you’ve expanded or want to tie multiple facilities into a unified solution, scalability is a concern. Think about the capabilities of any system you’re considering.

Can you add wireless leak detection for outbuildings or other remote locations? Will it be easy to retrofit additional leak detection when you’re ready to expand? Can you nest your leak detection controllers to report to central units as you grow? Can you branch a leak detection cable to easily add extra arms?

Understand your budget restrictions
As we’ve said before, if you’re leak-detecting on a budget, focus on the primary risk areas first: storage tanks, wet walls, and A/C units. Protect the heck out of those soft underbellies. You can go back and add broad protection later.

With the broader protections, you can also start simple: put in zone leak detection that can quickly tell you when there is a leak, even if it can’t tell you the exact location. The best systems will allow you to go back at any time and easily add a distance read controller to pinpoint the exact location along any length of cable. RLE systems provide this capability.

Don’t be discouraged. You have options. Leak detection is not an all-or-nothing proposition.

Calculate the cost of doing nothing
This is a common scenario we’ve encountered in our long years of leak detection:

There’s a small leak under a raised floor. It goes unnoticed for a few days. It isn’t until Friday night, when everyone’s left the building, that the drip grows to a gush, weakening the barrier between this level and the floor below. The gush quickly escalates into a waterfall, which not only floods the room beneath but also spreads into adjacent rooms. Before long you’ve got a mess below and small-drips-destined-to-grow in the rooms on either side.

No one knows anything is wrong until Monday morning. By then, the damage is done and catastrophic: equipment destroyed, room off-limits until the property damage is fixed, business lost, and morale lowered in the hubbub.

Or, your scenario could look like this:

There’s a small leak under a raised floor. It hits a length of leak detection cable. Less than 10 seconds later, an alarm goes off, telling the designated monitoring personnel where the leak is, to the inch. Even if nobody is there to hear it, the system sends a text message and email to the person who can solve the problem. He grabs a roll of paper towels, mops it up, finds the source, and fixes it.

Which would you prefer?

Determine the best warning system and interface for your team
The checklist gives you some good tips for this. Here are a few other considerations:

  • Check with your insurance company. Some offer rate discounts for facilities with leak detection in place.
  • Check the response time of the equipment you’re considering. Minutes – and even seconds – do matter.
  • Think about the ease of installation and use. Is the user interface easy to set up and interpret?
  • Make sure you’re choosing the right cable for your circumstances. If chemical leaks are a high risk, you may want corrosion-resistant cable. If rats like to nibble on your cables, keep an eye out for rodent-resistant cable.

Shop RLE Technologies leak detection products here.

AHR Expo Recap from Kele Product Team

Several members of the Kele team took in the ASHRAE Winter Conference and AHR Expo last week in Atlanta. Once again, the event delivered on its promise to be a source of ideas and showcase the future of HVACR technology. The team was constantly on the lookout for products and innovations that will help us serve our customers even better and give you a competitive advantage.

Kele Chief Product Officer Richard Hackney offered the following takeaways:

The 2019 expo was another great show, and BIG as always!

The continuing evolution of sensor technology was evident nearly everywhere. Numerous sensor manufacturers presented their portfolios, and the differences in their offerings and available options were interesting. “Combo” measuring devices were a definite highlight—think one device with two or more points of measurement (gases, particulates, compounds, etc.) to provide air quality metrics and/or management.

In general, devices are quickly migrating to plastic enclosures with features that enhance mounting, display views, and human interface.

Although there was less buzz this year about the Internet of Things (IoT), more and more product options are becoming available with wireless technology, data collection, and small LCD displays.

Most exciting was the opportunity to meet with so many Kele suppliers and talk about how we can grow together and provide better solutions for Kele customers.

Product Manager Darrin Brady shared:

As Richard mentioned, data collection was a highlight. In fact, data in many forms was the major topic in the BAS section of the expo. Whether it be from water flow, air flow, or sensing devices, data can be measured for communication back to head end-controller devices. Then the data can be used to measure and bill customers, manage costs, and anticipate maintenance on the product or system.

Using I/O devices to do the same was also popular. In particular, I/O devices such as gateways—small building controllers that do not require proprietary configured parts and will communicate on open protocols—were a standard feature at suppliers’ booths. It seemed as though everyone had some type of small controller.

Other prominent sightings worth noting:

  • Protocols such as BACnet, Modbus, Lonworks, and Enocean were present in many products. Devices that communicate are becoming the norm.
  • Thermostat aesthetics with app friendly operation for both residential and commercial use. The look of these devices is a prominent feature.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks on new product rollouts from Kele partners!