A building manager in Phoenix said they'd rather have old relay logic than a new controller

I was working on a call at a 1980s office tower last week. The manager told me he's had three new controller boards fail in two years, but the original relay panel ran for thirty with just cleaning. He said the new stuff is too complex to fix on site. I see his point about reliability, but I also think we have to move with the tech. What's the better path forward, keep old systems alive or push for full modernization?

2 comments

2 Comments

michaelw263d ago

Ever try a hybrid system with simple relays backing up a basic controller?

stella_roberts3d ago

Honestly, is three boards in two years even that bad? That's a tiny sample size. Could be a bad batch from the factory, or maybe the install was rushed. New controllers do way more, like save energy and spot problems before they blow up. The old relay might be simple, but it's also dumb. It can't adapt. Maybe the real issue is picking better brands and training guys to actually understand the new stuff, not just swap parts.