It’s Halloween season and most everyone has horror on their minds. In keeping with that theme, we’re having a little fun with the blog this week. While level sensors and float switches are the answer to a number of problems faced by engineers and product teams, there are situations where a level sensor could have prevented an unsightly or dangerous mishap.
In this post, we’ll offer a few hypothetical, downright terrifying things that can happen when you don’t use a level sensor where you should.
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Chemical Processing Nightmares
Immersion heaters for chemical processing can burn out and fail if a system runs low or out of fluid before heaters are shut down. This can get downright dangerous and even become a fire hazard.
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Burnt Motors
In many industrial applications, level sensors work to monitor the level of water in tanks and warn when it’s low. Without them, pumps burn up and stop working due to low water or can cause the pump to cavitate. Depending on what the pump is controlling, the result could be catastrophic.
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Ceiling Damage
Level sensors are also important for the operation of cooling systems and air conditioners in any space. Without a system to monitor and remove excess condensation and water, what results is a nasty, stained and damaged ceiling.
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Flooded Basements
Speaking of interior applications, basement sump systems that overflow when a pump fails to activate by a float switch or if the pump fails, can leave behind a big mess and lead to dangerous mold growth.
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Sinking Boats
This may seem extreme, but issues on boats where working mechanisms fail are actually quite common. In this scenario, the worst case is that the bilge pump fails, there is no sensor in place and the boat sinks because of the bilge overfilling.
While the above terrifying scenarios are only imaginary, take a look at some of the recent news headlines and you’ll find headlines covering various industries – like a popular carmaker who’s engines are failing, food that is being spoiled or contaminated and a bunch of other mishaps and inspection failures. This is the reality for businesses that fail to plan and put sensors to work in their applications.
At SMD Fluid Controls, we want you to enjoy the Trick or Treaters and candy this season without the fear that your application could fail. Get in touch with our engineers for peace of mind. We have OEM and custom solutions to fit a variety of needs. Even if you’ve never thought about level sensors in your application, we can help you find a way to add their accuracy to your build.