Have an iPhone, and Goulds Pumps? You need to read this.

Normally, the light always flashed green on the Goulds Pump at this Wisconsin food manufacturer. But today, it flashed red. What does this mean? Is it plugged? Running hot? On the verge of catastrophic failure?  The maintenance manager called his contact at Crane Engineering. “What is this light on my pump for, and what is it trying to tell me?” he asked.

The light was from the Goulds Pumps’ i-Alert technology, a condition monitoring device that would detect when a pump was experiencing vibrations or temperatures outside normal operating conditions. When the pump experienced upset conditions, the light would flash red. The maintenance department would then know it was time to check the pump for trouble. When conditions returned to normal, the light would then flash green. At the time of its release, this was revolutionary.

But what if upset conditions occurred overnight during routine processes, then returned to normal for daily operation? What if no one was there to see it temporarily flash red? What if upset conditions were occurring on a pump that was very difficult to get to?

Well, tech savvy maintenance managers, sit up and take notice. ITT Goulds Pumps just released the next generation of i-Alert technology, i-Alert2.

I-ALERT2

The i-Alert2 takes the original i-Alert a step further. Actually far more than a step. More like a light year.

I-Alert2 still alerts you to changes in vibration, temperature and abnormal operating conditions, but the next generation does it wirelessly, from up to 100 feet away, on your iPad or iPhone. The mobile app allows maintenance managers to view real-time and historical data on multiple i-Alert2s within range, so they spend less time collecting data, and more time solving the problems. Other things the app does:

• Loads the pump performance curve
• Generates a machine health report to send via e-mail if needed
• Shows hourly trending for vibration and temperature (for 30 days), weekly averages for up to 5 years

The “Internet of Things” continues to explode in the manufacturing world. With more equipment becoming Bluetooth enabled and interconnected, the ability of maintenance departments to become more proactive is promising. We’re looking forward to seeing more from industry leaders like ITT Goulds Pumps when it comes to condition monitoring and technological advances in the industrial space.

i-Alert2 isn’t just for new Goulds Pumps, it can be retrofitted to any rotating equipment in the field, included with equipment repair, or upgraded to your existing pump.