KE2therm controller

[caheiman30]

My work has one installed at one of the 16 stores that we work in and it was a simple change of wires down to the coil then ran conduit out from the coil to the controller. I have a feeling that we will be adding one to the other 15 stores that we work in.

[itsiceman]

We put one in and I am very pleased with the control and consistent temps. Went from 4 mechanical defrosts a day to one a day on my first trip back to check opp. Saw 3 defrosts in 5 days this time

[pablok]

What does the install cost look like on one of these?

[ryan1088]

What does the install cost look like on one of these?

You aren't going to get that kind of info. There's too many variables. They are a really good product though. Visit their website for more information than you can possibly digest.

[engineerdave]

Here's another one. This is one half of a Walk-In Freezer at a local branch of a nation-wide drug store chain. This used to be on a Defrost Timeclock, 4x30. In 5 days time, that would've been 20 defrosts, heating the box for 10 hours. Impressive, no?

[itsiceman]

Here is a shot of the 3 in a week
Had some sort of blip I didn't hear about too.

[engineerdave]

Nice!

[ryan1088]

You guys suck! The box I put two on isn't tight enough to get that great of results.....

[itsiceman]

Not sure what great results means but if it has to do with defrost frequency and saving money I belive the defrost cycles are down the list of where this control saves money or if that has anything to do with what results you were looking at. I believe it goes pump run time, evap fan run time then defrost.

[ddalberto]

We have put a few of these in with great success. Well worth it. The factory support was great when we had a question about adding a second coil sensor.

[defrostmadness]

-10 F freezer in Phoenix

[itsiceman]

Is that bumping on the Min. defrost .... I forget what it is. Also FWIW when you guys are doing those screen shots the web address is being shown. Guess it doesn't matter if they aren't connected to the web.

[cavalieri85]

Won't box condition affect results. I wonder if circumstances can affect return on investment. What is the initial up front cost compared to conventional setup with grasslin timer and an etc. what data can I use to bring to my boss to convince him to give this a shot. Is there any concrete data.

[cavalieri85]

Does ke2 therm out perform beacon system

[ryan1088]

Won't box condition affect results. I wonder if circumstances can affect return on investment. What is the initial up front cost compared to conventional setup with grasslin timer and an etc. what data can I use to bring to my boss to convince him to give this a shot. Is there any concrete data.

It absolutely will. The one I have them on has one reach in display door that is all jacked up. The torque master is broke and we have one on order, but in the meantime the door doesn't shut all the way. A lot of defrosts, although a lot of them only being 20 minutes or so.

Setup costs all depend on how much wire you have to run, how many evaporators, and how much conduit. Pm me and maybe we can discuss it further and give you the name/phone number of the guy who I dealt with who was awesome.

[engineerdave]

....what data can I use to bring to my boss to convince him to give this a shot. Is there any concrete data.

Go check out www.ke2therm.com and look for their ROI generator. Supply it with as much info as you can about whatever customer you have in mind. That will give you a reasonably close idea, but as Ryan1088 mentioned, each install has it's own set of dammits. Tread carefully when Estimating this or anything else. Good luck!

[defrostmadness]

Minimum Defrost is every 2-1/2 days. There was 3 coils in the freezer. Two coils were defrosting 2 times every 5 days. The third coil was doing all the work and defrosted 5 times in 5 days. This proves a valuable point - if a coil isn't doing any work why should it be defrosting?

[BDOLIN]

Thanks for your interest and confidence in the controller.
Here a few comments and answers on the KE2Evap controller. Defrostmadness is correct that the controller will force itself into a defrost every 21/2 days (60 hours). This is more of a diagnostic defrost to check its calculations and make sure there have been no radical changes to the evaporator. As you can see from the screen shot, it is short and does not affect room temp very much.
Itsiceman had a comment about where the energy savings come from and where does defrost reduction enter in to it. Yes, fewer defrosts mean that less energy is used for defrost and less compressor energy is used for re-establishing room temp. but it goes deeper than that. The control works to minimize defrosts by "consuming" frost essentially as it forms. The controller will turn off the compressor and use the fans to sublimate the frost, reclaiming the energy the compressor has used to make the frost. This is always effective and since the ice goes directly from solid to vapor it will absorb about 1300 btu/pound without actually melting into water which would be impossible in a freezer.
The fact that the defrosts are spaced out so much indicates that almost all the frost is used for cooling, the compressor is off a lot of the time and and active defrost is not needed. Energy is saved on comp run time, fan off time, latent energy reclaim and little external heat needed for defrost.
That also addresses defrostmadness' comment. It is not that the coils are not doing work, it is that the system uses the frost for additional cooling so defrosts are not needed very often.
I hope that helps.

[BDOLIN]

One last comment on the IP address. Each controller has a unique IP address but they are in the 10.10.xx.xx format. 10.10. numbers are non-routable meaning they cannot be directly addressed from the internet. In a local network any browser can find them by using that address but you will not be able to see them by just typing in the 10.10.xx.xx from an external location. Just as in your home, a computer must go thru a router to get to the outside world. The KE2 controllers are connected to a router which is connected to the internet. To see the controller, browse to the router IP and use it to get to the controller IP.
When connecting directly to the controller with a laptop or other computer, often you will need to tell the computer to look for the 10.10 number. IP addresses are like phone numbers and the 10.10 number is an area code. Many laptops must be told to look for a 10.10 area code. This is about a 30 second setup and any child can do it. In fact, it is so easy, even an adult can do it! Check the KE2 website for the bulletin on "Changing the Static IP Address".

[itsiceman]

IOW A bolt on supercharger