Neil McCarry, Director at NM Controls, explores some of the ways that the latest technology can help to avoid those undetected disasters.
As with all KNX installations that I undertake, I’ll always talk about the seamless ‘interoperability’ between the 500+ manufacturers’ products.
Although it’s the back end where most of the clever magic takes place, the front end kit usually steals the stage, showcasing the many fantastic switch and touchscreen options available. A good example of this is the device showcased in my pictures – the Zennio UK Z35 capacitive touch panel – which is deployed in many hotel room settings.
Critical thinking
One thing that is not normally in the forefront of discussions are the many devices that are used for the management of critical functions within properties, to provide energy management, safety systems etc.
These devices will just sit there in the background waiting for something to happen before jumping into action when called for, automating the required actions within a room/building such as reducing heating ‘set-points’ or signalling a water leak, as the featured device is doing here.
This water leak detector from MDT technologies GmbH is a very robust device, ideal for installation in areas such as bathrooms and boiler rooms – anywhere that has a requirement for leak detection.
A ‘true’ KNX device
The MDT SCN-LSEN1.01 has all the required parameters that you would expect, such as ‘auto reset’ when dry or my preferred option – reset via manual intervention (the maintenance team, for example). We also have ‘cyclic’ sending of alarms to ensure this is not missed.
When Hitesh Vaghela, who represents MDT technologies GmbH in the UK, first introduced this device to me I was delighted to see that this was a true KNX device powered directly from the KNX bus. With no other components required, such as PSU, it is a very easy addition to the installation – whether it’s a new or retrofit requirement.
If you look more closely at the images you’ll see the sensor pre-alarm and the touch panel in its normal state showing the thermostat. The sensor then activates (local red LED indication) and the touch panel indicates via a ‘pop up’ message that a leak has been detected. This can be cleared from the screen but would re-activate as the sensor is sending the alarm cyclically.
Of course, by utilising the Zennio UK ZBMS server we can send an e-mail notification to the maintenance team, so the client is always covered.
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