I live in a building with 85 apartments in East London.
Our water system has 3 high capacity pumps (each pump is 7.5KW) providing water pressure to the entire building.
The 3 pumps are controlled by an electrical panel. 1 pump has sufficent power to provide water pressure to all 85 apartments.
There are 3 pumps for resilience and back up purposes.
The current electrical panel is supposed to rotate the use of the pumps as well as control the output of the pump in service using an 'inverter'.
Current electrical panel has a fault -- the 'inverter' is no longer working, nor is the rotation of pumps in service. This means that 1 pump is now on all the time at full power.
Contractors (WILO and City Pumps) have suggested:
1. all new pumps and control panel for £18,000 plus VAT;
2. keep existing pumps and install new control panel, repair 1 of the pumps for £12000 plus VAT -- new control panel costing £10,500 plus VAT; or
3. repair existing control panel (new inverter and associated bits) for £2000 plus VAT, and repair 1 of pumps as no.2.
New control panel will have 3 'inverters', and will be able to use all 3 pumps in low power mode to manage water pressure better, and to save electricity (apparently).
Apparrently, new pumps are not as well made as the current ones (which are about 15 years old).
Am no engineer, but the old pumps sound fine to me.
Am inclined to go for option 3.
I am staggered by the cost of the inverters and control panels.
Any thoughts, suggestions or comments (such as alternative suppliers) would be most welcomed.
Our water system has 3 high capacity pumps (each pump is 7.5KW) providing water pressure to the entire building.
The 3 pumps are controlled by an electrical panel. 1 pump has sufficent power to provide water pressure to all 85 apartments.
There are 3 pumps for resilience and back up purposes.
The current electrical panel is supposed to rotate the use of the pumps as well as control the output of the pump in service using an 'inverter'.
Current electrical panel has a fault -- the 'inverter' is no longer working, nor is the rotation of pumps in service. This means that 1 pump is now on all the time at full power.
Contractors (WILO and City Pumps) have suggested:
1. all new pumps and control panel for £18,000 plus VAT;
2. keep existing pumps and install new control panel, repair 1 of the pumps for £12000 plus VAT -- new control panel costing £10,500 plus VAT; or
3. repair existing control panel (new inverter and associated bits) for £2000 plus VAT, and repair 1 of pumps as no.2.
New control panel will have 3 'inverters', and will be able to use all 3 pumps in low power mode to manage water pressure better, and to save electricity (apparently).
Apparrently, new pumps are not as well made as the current ones (which are about 15 years old).
Am no engineer, but the old pumps sound fine to me.
Am inclined to go for option 3.
I am staggered by the cost of the inverters and control panels.
Any thoughts, suggestions or comments (such as alternative suppliers) would be most welcomed.