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FREE By Mark McCollum, Panel Technician
Spring has finally sprung, which means
youre gearing up for the busy season
ahead. We would like to share some
control panel installation tips to help
make your busy spring season go
smoother.
First of all, no matter how smooth your
installations go, please remember that
SJE-Rhombus has a knowledgeable
Customer Service team with highly
skilled and friendly Technicians to
answer your questions and walk you
through any tough troubleshooting
issues. Next, lets cover some common
installation questions and tips on the
standard SJE-Rhombus Build-A-Panel
control panels.
QUESTION: Once the panel is wired
and I am ready to test the system, I lift
the start (lead) float, but the panel
doesnt run on the pump.
SOLUTION: This is one of the most com-
mon problems we see. These control
panels (with the exception of the Model
115 pump switch panel) require the
stop
float to be lifted up along with the start
(lead) float, because the stop float
enables the start float.
QUESTION: Does there need to be a
separate 120 VAC circuit pulled for the
control/alarm circuit?
SOLUTION: Yes, with the exception of
our three phase panels. The reason you
shouldn't pigtail off the pump incoming
power is that if the pump seizes or kicks
off the service panel breaker, you would
never know you have a problem. The
alarm circuit would also be dead, so
keep that control/alarm power
separate
from the incoming pump power.
QUESTION: I am having some trouble
installing a duplex system. Any tips?
SOLUTION: Here are several tips to help
you ensure you have properly installed a
duplex system.
A SJE-Rhombus Publication
The Installer Friendly Series panels offer
installers an easy, affordable way to install
and operate pump control systems.
Jake started at SJE-Rhombus in January of 2004 as a
Panel Customer Service Technician. With a background
in electronics, Jake was previously a service manger for
both electronic and appliance repair. Jake feels coming
to work for SJE-Rhombus was a great decision.
I get a great deal of satisfaction from helping out our
customers. Getting a thank you at the end of the con-
versation, knowing that even in a small way, I helped
that customer is what I work the hardest for."
Jake moved to Detroit Lakes in 1995 with his wife, Tracy, and two children, Brock and
Stephanie. Brock, age 17, will be going to Basic Training for the National Guard this
summer and then off to the University of North Dakota for Engineering. Jakes
youngest child Stephanie, age 15, is a freshman at Detroit Lakes High School.
Jake enjoys spending time with his family. When he's not doing that, his favorite
thing to do is scuba diving, and he is also an instructor for scuba as well. Jake says
it's a good excuse to get away to somewhere warmer during those cold Minnesota
winters. His other love is driving his motorcycle whether its for a couple of blocks
or some longer trips which he does several times a year.
Meet Jake Jacobson
Panel Technician, Central Region
PO Box 1708
Detroit Lakes, MN 56502
4
Send us your installation photos
for a
FREE
t'shirt or cap!
See insert for complete details!
Vol. III Issue 1
Spring 2005
In This Issue...
Common questions
and tips for control
panel installations to
help you through the
busy spring season
ahead, including: Wiring Questions Duplex Systems IFS panels
See pages 1-3 for details...
SJE-Rhombus hosted
the second annual
Panel Training School
April 1 - 2, 2005.
See page 3 for details...
Meet Jake Jacobson,
Panel Technician for
the Central Region.
See Page 4 for details...
SJE-Rhombus wants
your SJE product
installation photos!
Learn how you can
get a FREE tshirt or
cap.
See insert for details...
www.sjerhombus.com
Send us your installation photos using
SJE-Rhombus products and we will
send you a FREE tshirt or cap! See
the insert in this newsletter for com-
plete details.
Its A Snap!
Send Us Your
Installation
Photos
Control Panel Installation Tips to Help
You Through Your Busy Spring Season
...continued on page 2
SJE-Rhombus hosted Panel
Training School in April 2005.
I have had about 15 - 20 years
experience with your products, and
I still learned a lot about panels,
switches, etc. that was well worth
the time and effort spent.
Dave Patterson,
Hydronic Distribution Edina, MN
Everyone at SJE-Rhombus took
really good care of us. They made
us feel right at home. They made
things easy to understand.
Pat Armstrong
Hugh M. Cunningham, Inc. Dallas, TX
I really enjoyed the training and the
whole time spent with you. I was
really impressed with how friendly
and happy everyone was to have us,
including the shop floor workers.
Brock Garis,
All State Septic Bangor, PA
I came away with a better appreci-
ation of the applications and quality
that SJE-Rhombus provides.
Greg Ravenhorst,
Walker Pipe & Supply Walker, MN
See page 3 for more details...
2
3
Panel Installation Tips
... continued from page 1
If you are using one breaker for
the incoming pump power for both
pumps, it needs to be sized for the
possibility of both pumps running
at the same time. There is a lag
function on our duplex panels that
will kick on the idle pump (this
function is done with the third float)
if the level in the tank gets too high.
A misconception with the duplex
systems is that the floats are pump
specific. They are not. The stop
float is just that, the float that turns
off which ever pump was called to
run. The lead float is the float that
turns on which ever pump happens
to be called for at that time. The
system will alternate the pumps
with these two floats.
Our three phase systems work
much the same when alternating.
The incoming power for these are a
bit different. First and foremost
there is only one incoming power,
either 208/240/480 VAC or in some
cases 600 VAC. The most important
thing on these is the multi-tap
transformer that is provided in the
control panel. When you open the
panel for the first time, you will
notice a wire hanging loose with a
tag and a piece of heat shrink on the
end. You need to determine what
the incoming power is going to be,
cut the heat shrink off the end of the
terminal, and then attach
the wire to the appropri-
ate tap on the trans-
former. This transformer
steps down the voltage
from 208/240/480 VAC to
120 VAC. If you put the
tap wire on the wrong
terminal you could dam-
age the circuit board. If
the lights on the board or
the beacon seem dim,
you most likely have the tap wire
placed on the wrong spot on the
transformer.
NOTE: on the 600 V
VAC three phase
panels, the transformer in these pan-
els are n
not tthe m
multi-ttap ttype, so you
will not have to worry about putting
that wire on the right connection.
QUESTION: How can I tell if my
pump needs external seal fail cir-
cuits or external thermal cutout
circuits?
SOLUTION: Sometimes the litera-
ture from the pump(s) you are
installing doesn't always find its
way to the installer. Generally, the
seal fail and thermal cutout circuits
are easily identified by a
simple
continuity check. Usually, the seal
fail circuit is normally open and the
thermal cutout circuit is normally
closed.
If you have a control panel that
has these options (option 5A or 5E),
but your pump does not require
these, you can call us and we will
guide you through the wiring to
make it work. When calling us,
there is some basic information we
will need to help us identify your
panel to get you taken care of quick-
ly. All the information you need can
be found on the ratings label.
Generally, the 3 x 5 white ratings
label is located on the inside of the
panel door. You can identify this
label by looking at the bottom for
our name and logo.
The information we will need is the:
Model number - located in the
upper left corner of the label
Schematic number - in a field just
to the right of the model number
Part number - located on the bot-
tom right corner of the label
Getting this information before you
call will help us get your questions
answered quickly and accurately.
QUESTION: I have seen your new
Installer Friendly Series panels
advertised. What are they?
SOLUTION: SJE-Rhombus works
hard to