FGA moan

[Robert Tyrrell]

I use a Kayne 455 fga and so far it's been great, having had it for nearly 3 years now.
My 'moan' is that this year it started behaving oddly and not giving efficiency or ratio readings just before it went in for annual service.
It started behaving the same a couple of weeks after I got it back so I called Kayne and after some deliberation I was told to replace the batteries in the printer!
Over the last couple of months I think that Ive replaced the batteries 4 times, and I don't use it that much. I have done 3 services this week and the new batteries that I put in on Saturday must be flat, again, because the fga wouldn't work properly today and I couldn't complete my service. This means that I have to go back and not only does it not look professional but it means a 20 mile round trip.

Does anyone else have this problem, or do you just carry loads of spare batteries for your printers?
I cannot understand why the fga should behave oddly just because the printer batteries are not 100%

 

[lame plumber]

printer batteries all the time, mine does the same flat batteries and the printout corrupts. Just cold weather and if you knock the on/off switch it flattens the batteries. Either use rechargeable batteries or buy some cheap lidl ones, not a massive issue in my mind

 

[Ch4 plumbing]

My 455 came back from calibration with a letter stating that they had replaced the rechargeable batteries in the printer and a reminder to take it inside when the weather is cold as the cold will deplete the batteries life span.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Sometimes when I insert the plug for the probe (the elec one ) it turns the machine off 😀
And also if I tap the back in a certain spot does the same 🙂

It's just its qurks

 

[Robert Tyrrell]

Sometimes when I insert the plug for the probe (the elec one ) it turns the machine off 😀
And also if I tap the back in a certain spot does the same 🙂

It's just its qurks

Yeah, but its embarrassing when you're at a customers' house trying to look professional 🙂

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Yeah, but its embarrassing when you're at a customers' house trying to look professional 🙂

Can't understand as mines been treated like a princess always kept warm not abused etc

 

[lame plumber]

not sure why you cant complete a service, you can still fill in a service sheet and write down the co/co2 % etc. The art of looking professional is not to cuss n swear when things dont work, just carry on as normal, after all the customer has not got a clue what your up to.

 

[Ch4 plumbing]

not sure why you cant complete a service, you can still fill in a service sheet and write down the co/co2 % etc. The art of looking professional is not to cuss n swear when things dont work, just carry on as normal, after all the customer has not got a clue what your up to.

Ive heard about the plumber who never turns his FGA on but just Hums and beeps himself and makes other strange noises to "impress" his customers.....Tell me that's not you Lame?

 

[lame plumber]

Ive heard about the plumber who never turns his FGA on but just Hums and beeps himself and makes other strange noises to "impress" his customers.....Tell me that's not you Lame?

cant hear my fga as I am always chatting ( to myself)

 

[Robert Tyrrell]

not sure why you cant complete a service, you can still fill in a service sheet and write down the co/co2 % etc. The art of looking professional is not to cuss n swear when things dont work, just carry on as normal, after all the customer has not got a clue what your up to.

I just take the info from the readings on the fga and as it was playing up, I didn't/don't trust it to give a correct reading on CO/CO2 either. I never cuss or swear if it's going wrong but I like to explain what is going on to my customers, and then tell them that they're paying me for my knowledge, the stuff that I've learned over the years of working etc. They don't seem to mind paying then as they feel that they've had a 'Proper' service done 🙂
Oh - and I don't have a service sheet, I do it all on my iPad and then email the certificate to them once they pay, which is also explained to them.

 

[lame plumber]

i cant understand why you dont trust your fga whats behind that, its just the printer failing to print thats the issue surely

 

[scorps]

My kane FGA and printer battery life was crap until they told me to charge the batteries for at least 24 hours ignore the charging light, this applies to all rechargable batteries, ever since they now work for months before they need recharging

 

[newcastle phill]

Mines been ok so far (touch wood)
457 + ir printer
It comes in doors every day tho

 

[Dotty]

cant hear my fga as I am always chatting ( to myself)

That's understandable. You're the only one who will listen to you. ....

 

[Robert Tyrrell]

i cant understand why you dont trust your fga whats behind that, its just the printer failing to print thats the issue surely

That my friend, is what the moan is about. I do t use the printer at all but, apparently, I still have to keep thdbatteries in the printer charged up of the fga won't behave properly and won't display the readings I need.
That's what I don't understand - why do the printer batteries affect the fga display/readout?

 

[Robert Tyrrell]

Mines been ok so far (touch wood)
457 + ir printer
It comes in doors every day tho

So does mine.

 

[lame plumber]

That my friend, is what the moan is about. I do t use the printer at all but, apparently, I still have to keep thdbatteries in the printer charged up of the fga won't behave properly and won't display the readings I need.
That's what I don't understand - why do the printer batteries affect the fga display/readout?

got you. the printer cant affect the fga and its readings, you can still pull all the information off the screen, remember not everyone bothers with a printout, but poor battery charge on the printer just causes it to fail to do a full printout.

My fga gets to sit on my windscreen defrost outlet on cold mornings as I always forget to take it inside, its normally toasty warm by the time we need to use it with any condensation dispersed.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

my antons now 5 year old,it stopped giving efficiency readings ages ago but has suddenly started giving them again,sometimes it wont display anything unless you blow down the tube ,and it rattles like its having a fit at times

 

[lame plumber]

my antons now 5 year old,it stopped giving efficiency readings ages ago but has suddenly started giving them again,sometimes it wont display anything unless you blow down the tube ,and it rattles like its having a fit at times

my kane is 5 years old, still working fine (till I go and use it next week), and servicing is very reasonable, even get 15% off for being a member of another site 🙂

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

my kane is 5 years old, still working fine (till I go and use it next week), and servicing is very reasonable, even get 15% off for being a member of another site 🙂

TBF to anton servicing is cheap and i got a fixed price with mine,its just been used a lot

 

[Robert Tyrrell]

the printer cant affect the fga and its readings, you can still pull all the information off the screen, remember not everyone bothers with a printout, but poor battery charge on the printer just causes it to fail to do a full printout.

The thing is that it does affect the fga. I have spent a lot of time on the phone to Kane about this and all I get told is that I need to change the batteries in the printer. I change the batteries and the fga works again. I don't know why, they don't explain why, and I'd like to know why?

 

[lame plumber]

The thing is that it does affect the fga. I have spent a lot of time on the phone to Kane about this and all I get told is that I need to change the batteries in the printer. I change the batteries and the fga works again. I don't know why, they don't explain why, and I'd like to know why?

well if my printer doesnt get the correct print out I just change its batteries and write down what the fga is reading, if i have ever had to produce a print after changing the batteries, the fga has never given a false reading before the batteries were swapped, i suspect you are getting yr knickers in a bit of a twist over nothing. if you still dont believe us, pop on to gas chat and talk to tom mcc the kane rep, he is a fountain of knowledge and rather good at freebie bits for the kane fgas when you break them.

 

[Robert Tyrrell]

the fga has never given a false reading before the batteries were swapped, i suspect you are getting yr knickers in a bit of a twist over nothing. if you still dont believe us, pop on to gas chat and talk to tom mcc the kane rep, he is a fountain of knowledge and rather good at freebie bits for the kane fgas when you break them.

You could well be correct here lame, although changing the batteries definitely sorted it out last time I had this kind of problem 🙂

Not today though - I tried it on the boiler at home and as I was doing it I noticed that the clear plastic part, where the filter is, wasn't pushed right up against the casing. It was only about a millimetre or less even, but when I pushed it all the way home I started to get efficiency and ratio readings again so I'm a happy bunny - for now 😀
Right - swords cleaned bogu put away, I'm off to bed 🙂