Cut Fire System Servicing Costs with Portalevel® liquid level indicator

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Using a Portalevel® to service your fire cylinders can save 50%* of your servicing costs. Happy customers tell us how much they save when using our ultrasonic liquid level indicator instead of manual weighing of cylinders.

We appreciate that servicing costs vary due to system size, location, room characteristics e.t.c, so to clarify, the below are examples from customers across different countries, market sectors and system sizes sent to us in April 2020. All figures in USD.USAExample 1

Comparison figures are based on 2 servicers manually weighing 5 cylinders @4 hours each x $95.00/hr = $760.00 minimum.

  • On a land based standard fire suppression servicing inspection (based on 5 cylinders) estimates show that using a Portalevel® can cut 50% of servicing costs
  • Compared to manually weighing it is estimated at a saving of $330 for per each 5-cylinder system.
  • In just 11 uses of the Portalevel® instead of manual weighing, the unit pays for itself and begins making you profit and cutting your cost.
  • Over a 10 year period, the Portalevel® MAX could save you $29,000 or more (based on using it for 10 services a year, saving $330 each time).

Example 2

Comparison figures based on a team of 2 service technicians manually weighing 500 cylinders per month.

  • On a land based standard fire suppression servicing inspection (based on 5 cylinders) estimates show that using a Portalevel® can cut 50% of servicing costs.
  • If you are servicing 500 cylinders per month the total cost of labour for manual weighing is $76, 000.
  • Portalevel® will save 50% on labour costs, you could save $38,000 a month on servicing fire suppression systems.

*Data from US Fire Protection Company, accurate of April 2020.A ship may have up to 600  x 45 kg 720 psi CO2 cylinders measuring approximately 1800mm in height and 250mm diameter. They are installed as the key element of a marine gaseous extinguishing fire suppression system.

Each cylinder will take a two-person marine servicing team 15-20 minutes to shut-down, dismantle, weigh for CO2 contents-verification and re-install.

  • This equates to a minimum of 200 and a maximum of 300 man-hours of work purely on the contents monitoring aspect of 600 x 45 kg CO2 cylinders.
  • A labour cost of USD 10,000 – 15,000

With ABS Type-approved Portalevel® MAX Marine, RINA-certified Portamarine® or ATEX Zone 1 Approved Portalevel® MAX Intrinsically Safe each CO2 cylinder can be contents-verified in-situ in 30 seconds to 2 minutes minutes per cylinder , without any shut-down, dismantling, weighing or re-installation to an accuracy of +/-1.5mm on each 1800mm high cylinder

  • This equates to a total time taken to contents-verify 600 45 kg cylinders of 300 minutes to 1200 minutes or 5-20 man-hours

Assuming a labour rate of USD 50 per man-hour the:

  • Manual method labour cost is USD 10,000 to 15,000
  • Portalevel® method labour cost is USD 250 to 1,000

For those operators requiring individual cylinder content weights for their maintenance records, Portasteele® Calculator is available in a  simple tablet design to convert liquid level readings to agent weight readings then able to record, store and download the results.CHINA

Example given by customer.

  • Marine servicing in China, for system of 220 cylinders for a cape size vessel (bulk carrier or tanker), using a Portalevel® saves USD800 per inspection against using manual weighing
  • In just 4 uses of the Portalevel®, the unit pays for itself and begins making you profit and cutting your cost.
  • Just 5 inspections a month saves you $4000 a month, $48000 a year

*Data from Chinese Marine Surveying Company, accurate of April 2020.ITALY

Example by customer.

  • Compared to cylinder sizing, using a Portalevel® saves 60% of the time requested to weighing a cylinder.
  • A standard rate for 200 cylinders weighing would be $2170. With the use of ultrasonic devices quotes are something like $1085.
  • In just 4 uses of the Portalevel®, the unit pays for itself and begins making you profit and cutting your cost
  • Just 5 inspections a month saves $5425, saving $65100 a year

*Data from Italian Marine Surveying Company, accurate of April 2020.

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Coltraco Ultrasonics
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