Dimmer rack (Colortran ENR rack) got wet. Repair or look for something different? Suggestions?

[John Noah]

In Florida, we just finished having catastrophic flooding, and unfortunately water got into the units. It was making lights begin to flicker on, on its own.
The Colortrans D192 ENR has been with us since 96 and hasn't shown any sign of kicking the bucket up until possibly now. Armed surplus dimmers and possibly new main board controllers, does it make sense to keep the rack and do repairs, or is it a good time to upgrade? Waiting for flooding to stop can do a full evaluations. We would need close to about 144 dimmers. Doing some homework it looks like ETC sensor 3 has a very good used market for replacement parts.

 

[RickR]

If insurance will pay for it you will never have a better time to replace the system. A 30 year old dimmer rack is very near its end of life. Colortran systems aren't easy to repair. ETC would be a top choice.

This also a good time to consider a revision to a hybrid LED system! You may not need 144 dimmers.

 

[cbrandt]

I like being prepared for the repairs if that is what it comes down to. But insurance is going to have an AWFUL lot to say about what you can do, and what is worth doing. You may actually be doing yourself a disservice by limping it back alive. Giving up the insurance money that would come for replacement just to limp it along for a few more years.

 

[derekleffew]

The Colortrans D192 ENR has been with us since 96 ...

D192 and ENR are two very different animals. D192 modules are gray metal. Based on the date, I suspect yours are the later ENR, gray or black plastic modules.

Luckily, there are still quite a few vendors who could help you. Lite-Trol is the best-known and most-recommended. Also https://goknight.com/categories/lighting-controls/colortran-enr.html and https://www.controlbooth.com/wiki/Collaborative-Articles:Service-and-Repair-Vendors .

I don't think I'd install Sensor 3 without a comprehensive look at the entire lighting system, up to and including moving to all LED fixtures and not re-installing a dimmer rack at all.

 

[jonliles]

I like being prepared for the repairs if that is what it comes down to. But insurance is going to have an AWFUL lot to say about what you can do, and what is worth doing. You may actually be doing yourself a disservice by limping it back alive. Giving up the insurance money that would come for replacement just to limp it along for a few more years.

That is wholly dependent on the type of policy you have. Property insurance often has two values 1) replacement cost 2) depreciated cost (Actual Cash Value) . If the interruption to the facility is significant and it impacts business enough, it is often cheaper to replace than to repair the unit. You insurance broker should help you navigate the claim, and I would absolutely do the claim and then start filing for grants as well.

Property insurance is what I do. Let me know if I can help.

 

[John Noah]

D192 and ENR are two very different animals. D192 modules are gray metal. Based on the date, I suspect yours are the later ENR, gray or black plastic modules.

Luckily, there are still quite a few vendors who could help you. Lite-Trol is the best-known and most-recommended. Also https://goknight.com/categories/lighting-controls/colortran-enr.html and https://www.controlbooth.com/wiki/Collaborative-Articles:Service-and-Repair-Vendors .

I don't think I'd install Sensor 3 without a comprehensive look at the entire lighting system, up to and including moving to all LED fixtures and not re-installing a dimmer rack at all.

Sorry you are correct, its the ENR series, our system has 192 dimmers total. Our surplus of parts actually came from goknight and a really cool guru out in Canada.

Our saving grace rightnow happens to be that we have a decent amount of LED fixtures to get by with for now for stage. The idea was to get more a LEDs and a distro to assist with power because I didn;t like the idea of powering our movers and such off of constant power modules since I saw it as a protentional failure point with the ENR...but I'd be more open to doing that with a newer system.

While I also believe this would be a great time to grab some LEDs as well, we do have a few things that would still need dimmers

 

[Jay Ashworth]

That is wholly dependent on the type of policy you have. Property insurance often has two values 1) replacement cost 2) depreciated cost (Actual Cash Value) . If the interruption to the facility is significant and it impacts business enough, it is often cheaper to replace than to repair the unit. You insurance broker should help you navigate the claim, and I would absolutely do the claim and then start filing for grants as well.

Property insurance is what I do. Let me know if I can help.

In a case like this, would Replacement Cost insurance also cover the electrical contractor bill to swap racks, or is that policy dependent?

 

[jonliles]

In a case like this, would Replacement Cost insurance also cover the electrical contractor bill to swap racks, or is that policy dependent?

We normally build in some labor costs as part of the Replacement Costs.

 

[derekleffew]

While I also believe this would be a great time to grab some LEDs as well, we do have a few things that would still need dimmers

And for that a $100/4way showbox dimmer from China, or a Bak-Pak (discontinued by Strand; here's the ETC link to a similar product: https://www.etcconnect.com/Products.../Distributed-Dimming/ES750.aspx?LangType=1033 ) $600 single dimmer.

 

[SteveB]

Migrating to a Sensor rack gets you ThruPower modules, which can be set to dim or be a relay for the LED’s. You can’t do that with a repaired ENR system. I would be pushing for a rack replacement.

 

[EdSavoie]

I know (at least here in Canada) there are still some options for ENRs, goknight being a prime one for parts. I'm aware there are at least a few integrators who can rebuild an existing dimmer card into a straight power card, which functions irrespective of the state of the dimmer brain. Not sure if goknight offers to do this or not.

A new rack would be the preferable option here for sure though.

By the time you have an electrician to unwire and wire the new rack, would it not also make sense to have him make some circuits straight power? Less flexible than removable cards, but probably cheaper if it means you can buy a dimmer rack with sufficiently fewer circuits?

 

[John Noah]

Wow, I just did a clean out with a shop vac of the Colortran ENR and this thing is just built tough. Seems like mostly everything is up and working. I'll let a few lights burn a little to see what I'm working with. There still is some damage but at least it will buy me time to make a decision on what to go with.

 

[EdSavoie]

The airflow sensors are the primary Achilles heel in ENR racks AFAIK.

If you *do* intend on keeping these, I'd give (the control cards especially) a good check for crusty mineral deposits, and maybe try the 7 second airflow check detailed elsewhere on the forum.

 

[EdSavoie]

(while unpowered with the disconnect switch in the open / off position) You can pull out several cards at a time and visually verify the card contacts are in good condition, and that the bus lugs aren't corroded. It should go without saying, but probably best for your health to not touch them. Use two hands and make sure you're pulling cards straight out to remove them. They're a lot more brittle than they were in 1996. (Ask me how I know)

A reminder that a full ENR 96 rack (assuming the feed requirements are identical to ours) is a giant three phase 400A arc flash waiting to happen if mistreated, and should be respected accordingly. Don't work live, don't make unapproved modifications, have an electrician do any required wiring repairs.

 

[John Noah]

While I'm still pushing for an upgrade, what else could go wrong with an ENR rack besides the actual controller modules? I know there are "blades" (not sure if thats the proper term) inside the rack that the dimmer modules connect to, but I think thats pretty much it. I know constant power cards are also made for the machine but I wonder if they are pure sine?

 

[TimMc]

While I'm still pushing for an upgrade, what else could go wrong with an ENR rack besides the actual controller modules? I know there are "blades" (not sure if thats the proper term) inside the rack that the dimmer modules connect to, but I think thats pretty much it. I know constant power cards are also made for the machine but I wonder if they are pure sine?

Those are "buses" for power, and "back plane" for control, telemetry, and other control uses.