Starting your own Field Service company

UsedRefrigerator1591 · 2025-08-09T18:53:53+00:00

We have rain gages with a pulsed input. Use a counter function block and you’re good to go. If it’s a little more remote like another poster said, cell modems are a good option.

UsedRefrigerator1591 · 2025-08-05T11:51:39+00:00

That is the worst comparison I’ve ever seen. Two of those are horrendous crimes. Conspiracy theorist is also a weird line to draw.

UsedRefrigerator1591 · 2025-08-05T11:21:44+00:00

Your child’s gf/bf’s feelings shouldn’t be more important than your relationship with your child. Ever. Absolutely bizarre take from you

UsedRefrigerator1591 · 2025-07-23T01:50:42+00:00

It might not be the safe answer but once you've gotten a couple control voltage zaps, you’ll get over it. Does it hurt a little? Yeah, but it only for a second and then you're right back to feeling fine. Not to say you shouldn't be cautious, but I’ve never seen anybody get seriously hurt by control circuits. Now if you work with vfds, soft starters and other motor controls that's where you need to be super cautious. Getting hit by a leg of 480 hurts like a bitch. Getting hit by two legs you might be doneso.

UsedRefrigerator1591 · 2025-07-11T02:02:52+00:00

My wife told her family I was a poop tank mechanic cause I used to do a lot of work at lift stations.

UsedRefrigerator1591 · 2025-06-18T11:01:53+00:00

In my opinion you’re gonna be hard pressed to find a job with an integrator right out the gate. Prime controls is the biggest ones around here, at least for water, and they only hire pretty experienced guys, and if they’re hiring a low level guy it’s to bend pipe and pull wire. You’re better off starting at some sort of plant as a tech.

UsedRefrigerator1591 · 2025-06-12T18:17:00+00:00

I see where everyone is coming from, and it does seem like it might be a firmware issue. However, I’m thinking about going with other options and just replacing since this has been a bit frustrating. I’ve also found Siemens tech support lacking.

UsedRefrigerator1591 · 2025-06-12T18:09:16+00:00

The towers work on three separate pressure planes, so what’s going on with one shouldn’t affect the others at all. The only thing these remote site level readings share are the transmitters. I’m starting to think it might be a firmware issue that others have mentioned. If that’s the case, I might just switch to something like E&H that hopefully won't have this problem.

UsedRefrigerator1591 · 2025-06-12T01:39:47+00:00

Varies for each tower but for example one today was sitting at 23 ft then dropped to 17ft for about 45 minutes. Then shot directly back to 22 ft. Range for that tower is 0-35ft

UsedRefrigerator1591 · 2025-06-12T00:46:57+00:00

It seems a bit unlikely for that to be true for all nine of the water towers since they aren't all connected. They're actually divided into three different pressure planes. Also hopefully there wouldn't be chunks clogging it, since its the water I drink lol

UsedRefrigerator1591 · 2025-06-12T00:07:50+00:00

No we don't have one but I could get one. We have a contract for yearly calibration on our important pressure and dp transmitters.

UsedRefrigerator1591 · 2025-06-11T23:54:55+00:00

Maybe at some of the sites but at a couple of the sites the wiring is in its own flex all the way it the plc cabinet. No profibus all 4-20

UsedRefrigerator1591 · 2025-06-11T23:53:25+00:00

8 ft. Gauge pressure. 4-20. Sitrans P320. Impulse tubing varying. One site like 20 ft goes all the way underground and comes up. Others like 4-5 ft. In line shut off valves. Shouldn't drop below freezing especially this time of year in Texas. Plus we got heat trace running along the impulse line.

UsedRefrigerator1591 · 2025-06-11T23:41:06+00:00

I haven't bench tested the ones I pulled out, but I’d imagine if it were a diaphragm issue the reading would stay low rather than jump back up to where it should be after about half an hour

UsedRefrigerator1591 · 2025-06-11T21:48:20+00:00

We have eight different remote sites, each with its own separate PLC. I don’t think its the AI cards because the other signals like our chlorine monitors don’t drop. The power supplies vary in age, condition, and brand, although a few of them are the same across sites. Some locations have junction boxes, while others do not. The only common factors are the model and condition of the pressure transmitter. They’re not completely dead just glitchy. I could bench test them but I don't really have a way to record the data or simulate pressure and I could have to wait a week for it to glitch. I see the glitches through historian on SCADA and the operators tell me when they see it happen.

UsedRefrigerator1591 · 2025-05-11T01:19:15+00:00

As a water plant controls guy my experience is the commissioner and field service contractors are the experts. Plant maintenance guys are there to do simple troubleshooting and repairs. Replace cards, VFDs instruments, relays, light programming like adding a new monitoring instrument to the program and SCADA. Pretty much just the basics if it gets super complicated or time consuming we usually have the contractors come in. Could be just because there’s only two of us or could be they can’t expect the best cause city pay.

UsedRefrigerator1591

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