So here I am reminiscing about a birthday celebration I attended last night and The Mamas and the Papas jumped in my head as I flashed back to the 60's and 70's for a minute or two. One of our staff cruised by my office door with a used sensor over his shoulder that was in need of evaluation. Since I like examining equipment that has been working in the field for extended periods of time, I got up and followed it to the test area where we examined the unit. It was a SiloPatrol SMU that was produced in 2004. Upon removal of the cover, a small amount of white powder spilled out on the bench. After seeing the powder and knowing the SMU was sent in because of a Motion Error, we directed our attention to the wiper seal and discovered that it was packed hard in gypsum powder to the extent that the 3/16" SS cable could not travel freely through the wiper. So, finding out what I wanted to know was accomplished I then returned to my desk. "What does this have to do with dead leaves and a dark Autumn sky?", you ask. It got me thinking about a similar unit I worked on a couple of years ago in the dead of winter with 22 knot winds and temperatures in the high minus teens. If the maintenance staff at that facility had performed a preventative maintenance inspection in November, I probably would not have been getting frostbitten fingers in January. (It is difficult to thread a 3/16" SS cable and a compression sleeve and thimble with heavy gloves on.) So to conclude, If you are the proud owner of any brand of plumb bob style continuous level sensor, you might want to think of getting someone aloft to check everything out before the snow flies. And if you live where it is hot by 10AM, you still might want to pull a PM to check for worn parts so you can order them and change them out before your system actually breaks down. I almost forgot to mention that we do have part kits to allow the owners of our original SMU design to convert over to the new wiper seal compartment that eliminates the necessity of cutting your cable to change out a worn out or clogged wiper seal.
Greg DeRudder
Product Manager
gderudder@monitortech.com
Technorati Tags: level sensor level measurement bin level indicator level control solids level indicator
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