Troubleshooting boundaries

Purpose of this guide

When equipment alarms, trips or stops, the first response on site shapes everything that follows. This guide sets out what a site team can safely observe and record, and where site action should stop. It does not give repair procedures. Repairs and internal checks are carried out only by qualified people, because the equipment carries voltages and stored energy that can cause serious injury.

Safety comes first

If there is smoke, a burning smell, visible damage, arcing, or any risk to people, follow the site's electrical safety procedure immediately. Isolate the equipment only if it is safe to do so, permitted, and within the responsibility of an authorised person. Do not open covers or touch internal parts.

What the site team can safely do

Observe and record

• Note the indications and readings on the front panel, exactly as shown
• Record the date and time the problem started and whether it is continuous or intermittent
• Note what was running at the time, and whether anything changed recently: new loads, supply work, a generator changeover, building work
• Record the condition of the surroundings: room temperature, ventilation, water, dust

Check external conditions

• Whether the incoming supply is present, using the site's own instruments and procedures
• Whether upstream protection has operated
• Whether the ventilation openings are blocked

Identify the unit

• Read the product identity and serial number from the rating plate

Where site action stops

Stop and request service if any of the following applies:

• The fault needs covers to be opened or internal parts to be touched
• Protection has operated more than once after being reset by an authorised person
• The equipment makes an unusual noise, smells of burning or is hotter than normal
• Readings are outside the normal range recorded at commissioning
• You are unsure what the indication means

Do not bypass protections, change internal settings, or replace internal parts on site without qualified service. These actions can hide the cause, create a hazard, and affect the warranty.

Symptom, observation and cause

When reporting, keep what you saw separate from what you think caused it. "The output reading fell to 190 V at 14:20 when the chillers started" is a useful observation. "The stabilizer is faulty" is a conclusion that the investigation may or may not confirm. Clear observations lead to a faster and more accurate diagnosis.

After a supply event

Many reports follow a supply event: a grid outage, a generator changeover, lightning in the area, or work on the local network. Record the event and its time if known. Do not repeatedly reset and restart equipment that trips after such an event; repeated restarts can turn a minor fault into a larger one. Report the event and the indications seen, and leave the equipment isolated if it does not restart normally.

Requesting service

Use the service request form. Give the product identity and serial number, the current condition, and a description of what was observed and when. See requesting service support for what happens after the request is sent.

What the investigation does

Qualified service separates the reported symptom, the observations and measurements, the likely cause and the confirmed cause, and records the action taken. Recurring issues are returned to engineering; see service feedback and improvement.