Why Invest in Automated Fault Detection and Diagnostics?

A typical enterprise building is made up of layers of equipment and systems that work together on an interconnected basis to provide climate control to the desired level inside the building. The BAS system pulls together the operations of all of these systems and so can be thought of as similar to a Russian nesting doll; the largest doll is the building, the next doll represents the various systems, the next doll is the core system components like the air handling units, and the smallest doll is the specific device or terminal unit at a specific location like a VAV box.

For years, HVAC system maintenance involved in-house expert technicians responding to occupant complaints or spending their day manually sorting through and searching for relevant HVAC components to verify operational efficiency. They had to determine what system was experiencing issues, which specific component was malfunctioning, and where the problem was located. This time-consuming process took hours to accomplish and as a result often forced the facilities staff into a reactive mindset and work flow, reacting to the building and its occupants’ problems.

AFDD streamlines and in essence reverses the process by continuously monitoring the building system components and the BAS, detecting when elements operate outside of set parameters and immediately flagging abnormal operations. This allows technicians to repair minor issues before they develop into major problems, and to do this proactive work more efficiently because technicians know which device and what to target for their repair or adjustment.