Many times, when specifying replacement switches I&E technicians may feel most comfortable replacing “like-with-like”, and stick with a mechanical switch.
Users may be acclimated toward electromechanical switch maintenance and may not be fully aware of the hidden maintenance costs vs. those associated with an electronic switch serving the same function.
Electromechanical switches
Electromechanical switches are built from an array of moving parts including mechanical switch contacts, adjustment screws, plungers, springs, and more, leaving little room for error before a switch fails.
Many ways a switch can fail include, but are not limited to sticking parts due to media buildup; shifting set point adjustments from vibration or temperature changes; or contact corrosion over time.
Regular maintenance
If a permanent failure occurs, then the replacement of the mechanical switch will include costly downtime
Regular maintenance is required to detect these issues. These maintenance hours can be costly and multiplied by the number of mechanical switches present at a site, add up quickly.
If a permanent failure occurs, such as corroded contacts, then the replacement of the mechanical switch will include costly downtime in addition to the maintenance hours.
Electronic switches
Electronic switches, on the other hand, do not contain any moving parts that wear over time, and since all set point adjustments are programmed electronically, calibration is less affected by vibration and temperature changes. Also, contact corrosion is no longer a concern because there are no physical contacts in electronic switches that use a solid-state relay.
And with smart, electronic switches, if faults do occur, the display will show an error code explaining which error had been detected. This identifies the specific device with the problem and identifies what the I&E technician needs to fix to reverse the fault and get the switch operational.
ONE Series
The user would install a mechanical dampener with an electromechanical switch, to prevent these false trips
United Electric Controls’ ONE Series smart, electronic switch can help keep maintenance and costs to a minimum. Pressure spikes can often cause erroneous setpoint trips. These unwanted trips interrupt the process and might even trigger maintenance requests.
Typically, the user would install a mechanical dampener in line with their electromechanical switch, to prevent these false trips. An I&E technician needs to maintain two mechanical products.
Features
One of the features of the ONE Series smart, electronic switch is the Filter mode that will electronically dampen pressure spikes to prevent any erroneous trips. This is now achieved with one device and saving the maintenance on two mechanical devices.
There are other maintenance-friendly features included, such as Plugged Port mode and Window mode. In conclusion, there are many ways upgrading to the ONE Series could help cut unnecessary, hidden maintenance costs when using electromechanical switches, and in addition, increase reliability and performance efficiencies.