TB: 23-01

Date: Monday, January 16th, 2023

Product Lines Affected: GS Series II Product Line

This technical bulletin outlines two important and inter-related changes to the GS (S2) product line:

- New Stainless steel elbow implementation

- New software release (V5.10.1.14)

As these changes are related to product safety, please review both changes carefully.

GS Series 2 units, designated GS (S2) on their spec labels, manufactured between March 15, 2020 and January 31, 2022 and equipped with a blue silicone exhaust elbow below the tank. Date of Manufacture is identified on the bottom right of the nameplate, as show in the image below:

Figure 1. Spec Label and Date of Manufacture

As part of our commitment to provide continuous design improvement of our products, we have made a safety related change to the GS (S2) product affecting the exhaust system.

Units manufactured between March 15, 2020 to January 31, 2022 feature a high-temperature silicone exhaust elbow. This component is found on the bottom of the water tank and shown below in Figure 2 (item 370):

Figure 2. GS (S2) Silicone Elbow

The silicone exhaust elbows found on these units are considered consumable and require replacement every 8000 hours of operation (~4 seasons). Operation of the silicone elbow beyond 8000 hours could result in failure of the elbow and subsequent leakage of exhaust emissions into the space where the equipment is installed.

- Units manufactured between March 15, 2020 and February 11, 2021 do not include a service reminder specifically related to the silicone elbow.

- Units manufactured February 12, 2021 and later include both a warning and error to prevent operation beyond the 8000 service interval.

To eliminate this maintenance requirement, we have replaced the silicone elbow with a permanent stainless-steel elbow, which is NOT consumable, and will NOT require replacement every 8000 hours.

In addition, we have discontinued production of the high-temperature silicone elbow spare part and replaced it with the permanent stainless-steel elbow. 

Therefore, once the consumable silicone elbow has been replaced with a stainless-steel elbow, no further replacements of this component will be required.

The change in exhaust elbow material has resulted in a change to the GS Series software related to the current exhaust service warning (W29) and exhaust service fault (E29). This warning would activate to alert operators that the 8000-hour exhaust elbow interval was approaching, while the fault would activate if no action was taken within the 8000-hour window. The existing service password is used to reset the fault.

W29 and E29 are no longer required with the permanent stainless-steel elbow. When installing the stainless-steel elbow, a special password is provided to eliminate the Warning and Fault.

The most recent GS Software, GS Firmware V5.10.1.14, includes the following changes:

- Support for W29 and E29 to disable password

- General update of BACnet points to be consistent with other Condair Integrated Controller products

To update units in the field, please see instructions below:

- New kits, described in Table 1 below, will provide you with the new stainless steel exhaust elbow along with installation instructions

- Replace the silicone elbow with the new stainless steel elbow following instruction (PN 2599667) provided

- A software update may be needed to remove the 8000-hour fault. See next section for software update instructions

Table 1. GS Exhaust Elbow Kit Part Numbers

The above kits include the include all necessary upgrade components (all items in Figure 3), including the new Stainless Steel Exhaust Elbow (item 1)

Figure 3. Stainless Steel Exhaust Elbow Kit

Older models may require a software update to the latest version; GS Firmware V5.10.1.14

This software update file can be found on our website HERE.

To perform the required software update, please reference document PN 2575150 – Uploading Firmware Updates to the Integrated Controller which can be found HERE.

Note: please use a high-quality USB stick when performing the software update. Connection issues have been observed using some promotional grade USB sticks.

Failure to replace the consumable silicone exhaust elbow can result in material failure and exhaust leakage from the GS series unit.

Exhaust leakages can cause carbon monoxide exposure and serious injury. We are therefore requiring that updates to the equipment are performed, and in some cases registered, as per the options below:

1. Units manufactured between March 15, 2020 and February 11, 2021

Agents will be contacted directly with a list of affected units and sites. This equipment requires immediate:

A) Upgrade to the new Stainless Steel Exhaust Elbow and then
B) Upgrade to the newest software release.

Condair requires that all affected units within the above manufacture dates are registered once the software update has been released. Registration can be done HERE.

2. Units manufactured between February 12, 2021 – January 31, 2022

At the next scheduled service interval, or when W29 appears, and are required to:

A) Upgrade to the new Stainless Steel Exhaust Elbow and then
B) Upgrade to the newest software release.

Condair requires that all affected units within the above manufacture dates are registered once the software update has been released. Registration can be done HERE.

3. Units manufactured between February 1, 2022 – Present

Already have permanent stainless-steel elbows.  At the next scheduled service interval, it is recommended that they are:

A) Upgraded to the newest software release.

For questions concerning the above information, please feel free to contact the Product Manager undersigned.

Best Regards, 

Marlee Spiegelberg, P.Eng. 

Condair Ltd.  

____________________________________ 

Marlee.Spiegelberg@condair.com