2/22/2017. Cost!! It s an investment! Take Care of It! TEST KIT: INSTRUMENT SPECIALTIES INC ST. JOHNS PKWY. SANFORD, FL

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1 THE FOLLOWING PRESENTATION IS COMPLIMENTS OF: INSTRUMENT SPECIALTIES INC ST. JOHNS PKWY. SANFORD, FL TEST KIT: It s a precision instrument for measuring pressures, pressure differentials and is manufactured to be within +/- 0.2 psid. All valves on the test kit have standards for flow per the manufacturer. The hose and filters have a direction of flow. (So there is a right/wrong way to install hoses). KITS ARE SENSITIVE TO TEMPERATURES. (COLD (FREEZING TEMPERATURES) AND HEAT (THERMAL EXPANSION)). Cost!! It s an investment! Take Care of It! Handling, Shipping and Transportation WHEN TEST KITS ARE RECEIVED FOR CALIBRATION: Appearance and overall condition of the test kit. For example: is there any moisture or condensation behind the plastic lens face, are there any valve stems bent from being dropped. Inspect hoses and change filters - are the hoses showing signs of deterioration and or dry-rot. How dirty are the filters. Flow through control and bleed valves (are there any obstructions.) Leaks- tubing, hoses, valves, diaphragm.any fitting or connection can be the source of a leak. Final and last check is gauge accuracy +/- 0.2 psid. 1

2 WHEN TEST KITS ARE RECEIVED FOR CALIBRATION: Appearance and overall condition of the test kit. For example: is there any moisture or condensation behind the plastic lens face, are there any valve stems bent from being dropped, and are the hoses showing signs of deterioration and or dry-rot. WHEN TEST KITS ARE RECEIVED FOR CALIBRATION: Inspect hoses and change filters 2

3 WHEN TEST KITS ARE RECEIVED FOR CALIBRATION: Appearance and overall condition of the test kit. For example: is there any moisture or condensation behind the plastic lens face, are there any valve stems bent from being dropped, and are the hoses showing signs of deterioration and or dry-rot. Inspect hose and install new filter elements. Check flow through the control and bleed valves (are there any obstructions?) Pressure Test for Leaks- tubing, hoses, valves, diaphragm.any fitting or connection can be the source of a leak. Final and last check is gauge accuracy +/- 0.2 psid. KIT CONDITION Tool Storage Plumbing Store Warehouse Boat Anchor And its definitely not used for putting under the tire to get unstuck at the mud hole.although there have been several come through that have looked like it. HOSES Two Things.. Condition and Orientation OK..LETS MAKE IT 3 THINGS Hose Color Condition: 3

4 Orientation DOES IT MATTER???? Only if you re not paying attention to detail! Correct ORIENTATION As previously mentioned there is a direction of flow indication on the filter housing Incorrect FILTERS 4

5 Or Maybe this will Help Reinforce the Need for Filters & Filter Maintenance. The Importance of Flushing cant be Overstated! The Cost of a Major Repair! 5

6 VALVES: CONTROL & BLEED VALVES: CONTROL/BLEED Valves: flow through the valves should not be< 0.4 psi if it is, then the valve needs to be replaced. On average most test kits have 1.5psi or greater flow rate. VALVES: CONTROL/BLEED Notice the condition of the test kit in the next slide. This particular gauge had a reading of 0.3 psi. Do you think this valve has an obstruction? 6

7 VALVES: CONTROL/BLEED The kit looks in fairly good shape. However it was missing a filter in one of the hoses. Now we have a situation where it financially impacts you. VALVES: CONTROL/BLEED ACCURACY: The Test Bench is calibrated every 6 months for accuracy The Test Kits are calibrated to within +/- 0.2 psid Avoid Costly Repairs CONCERNS: Too many are using the inside of the test kit as a storage unit (tools, parts, brass fittings). It s not good to have 10 lbs. of brass banging around inside the unit; plus you re paying for additional shipping weight. The hoses are not being replaced soon enough; dry-rot and age/deterioration of hoses play a big role in erroneous readings resulting in premature failure of the backflow assembly. Kits are not being exercised enough (example: 2-5 years without calibration, water still in kits or dried out in an uncontrolled environment.) This leads to internal corrosion, scaling deposits, rubber o-ring deterioration and ultimately costly repairs. LAB NOTES: Customer name Kit information Valve Obstruction Test Type of Test/Repair Note section: Observations Kit condition upon arrival, leaks found during calibration etc. Recommendations Hose replacement, line pressure gauge replacement (things that don t affect accuracy) Comments Repairs made after authorization has been obtained. 7

8 SHIPPING TEST KITS FOR CALIBRATION SHIPPING TEST KITS FOR CALIBRATION Remove old labels and packing slips from your shipping box. Example; a box came in with a packing slip listing a MW 830 with a serial number of xx xx a County agency and inside the box was an MW 845 with a different Serial number and company name different than the one on the packing slip. (Someone had left an old packing slip on the box) For faster returns stick a business card or a hand written note with the company name, address, phone number and contact name inside the kit or box. So many times there s nothing and the shipping label is the only thing we have to go on and it s from UPS or the shipping store. Warranty Issues Repairs should only be done by authorized manufacture repair centers For Several Reasons: Warranties may be honored as opposed to becoming voided due to unauthorized repairs. Test kit repairs can be updated when improvements have been incorporated into the repair. 8

9 THE EXTRAORDINARY 9

10 THE UNUSUAL THE UNUSUAL 3 complaints in 6 months with issues of water spraying out the back side between the two body halves. (Remember test bench uses only 15 psi) Irrigation contractor and two Fire sprinkler contractors. Irrigation contractor- reports high pressure on potable side because of extremely low area. One of the Fire Sprinkler Contractors was using the two hose method. I suspected high pressure trapped on the downstream side. Details on each case were sketchy at best However, we can only imagine what kind of pressures the kit was subjected to in the field. Remember Mid-West working pressure is rated at 200 psi. We conducted a small test in the lab and increased pressures, the kit started showing signs of leakage (all incidents happened to be on the backside leaking between the two body halves) STORAGE (AFTER TESTING) Open all valves and drain water from the test kit. Be aware of extreme temperatures and store accordingly. Transport It s a precision instrument use care. LONG TERM STORAGE Open all valves and use compressed air to blow all water from the kit (You don t need much pressure) Store with all valves open and in a stable environment. LIFE EXPECTANCY Depends on how well the kit is taken care of! We regularly have kits come in that are 25 (+) years old. We ve also seen kits that are 3 years old showing signs of premature failure because of neglect. 10

11 Contact Information: INSTRUMENT SPECIALTIES INC ST. JOHNS PKWY SANFORD, FL SCOTT CAUSSEAUX SR. SERVICE TECHNICIAN