Secondary School Inverter Failure

Challenge

When a secondary school called us with a failed Armstrong pump, we knew we had to act fast as this meant they were running on just one main heating pump. If this sole heating pump failed, the school would have been without heating and unable to accommodate staff and pupils. In order to avoid a disastrous school closure, our engineers attended the site promptly to assess the problem and recommend a custom-fit solution for our customer.

Upon arrival, we identified the issue with the inverter, not the pump itself. As the inverter was no longer fit for purpose, the system required a replacement inverter to get back up and running. But a like-for-like replacement was not a viable option at the time due to a lack of availability – so our first challenge was finding an alternative inverter to support the existing pump system.

Solution

In order to get the pumps up and running again, we specified a Grundfos CUE 2 IP 55-rated inverter which would prove to be the ideal solution for the job. Our specialist team supplied and installed the high-performance inverter on the wall next to the pump. We were able to carry out an efficient installation by disabling and bypassing the existing motor mounted inverter on the pump, rerouting the cabling via the new inverter and then finally reconnecting it directly to the motor.

To complete the successful installation of the inverter, our electrical engineers programmed the inverter to match the parameters of the existing system. To ensure the system was fully operational, we made sure all electrical and mechanical connections were in place, tested the pump and ensured the complete system was fully operational for years to come.

Result

As a result of our rapid solution, we successfully saved the school the cost of unnecessarily replacing the complete pump system. Our prompt response meant that the second pump was up and running before it caused any major problems with the heating system. Most importantly though, no teaching time was disrupted and the school was able to run as usual while we got to work on repairing and optimising the heating system for years to come.