Knowledge hub
Control panels, explained properly
66 articles written by our engineers. No marketing, no jargon for its own sake. Pick a topic or scroll through the lot.
Standardising a control panel platform: how OEMs take cost and lead time out
Equipment makers who order panels every month usually order too many variants. How to design one platform with option blocks, what it saves, and how to move a range across to it.
21 August 2026 · 4 min read
Free-issue controllers: how it works and what we need from you
Sending your own Trend, Distech, ISMA or Tridium controllers to be fitted into a panel: what to send, when, how it is labelled and tested, and who is responsible for what.
14 August 2026 · 4 min read
What's inside a BMS outstation panel
Power supplies, surge protection, a network switch, the controller and the terminals: what each part of a BMS panel does, and why the bits around the controller matter as much as the controller.
7 August 2026 · 4 min read
How to write a BMS points list that gets an accurate quote
A points list is the one document that turns a BMS panel enquiry into a price and a drawing. What to put in it, what to leave out, and a template to start from.
31 July 2026 · 4 min read
Telemetry costs explained: SIM, data, texts and the Dashboard
No subscription for alerts, so what do you actually pay to monitor a pump station remotely? Every cost of a Telemetrix panel, with worked examples for one station and for fifty.
24 July 2026 · 4 min read
Adoptable pumping station control panels: what the water companies require
How a panel for an adoptable sewage pumping station differs from a standard one, what United Utilities, Severn Trent, Anglian Water and the other authorities look for, and how to avoid a failed handover.
17 July 2026 · 4 min read
UKCA and CE marking on control panels: where things stand
Which mark a control panel sold in Great Britain and Northern Ireland needs, which regulations sit behind it, what the Declaration of Conformity is, and what a buyer should check.
10 July 2026 · 4 min read
What a control panel test certificate should include, and what to ask for
Every panel should leave the factory with a test certificate. Here is what a proper one records, what the tests mean, and the questions to ask a panel builder before you order.
3 July 2026 · 4 min read
BS EN 61439-2 for panel buyers: what the certificate covers, and what it doesn't
The standard every UK control panel should be built to, explained for the person buying the panel rather than building it. Design verification, routine verification, Forms, and the questions to ask.
26 June 2026 · 5 min read
Showing 9 of 66
Every article, by topic
Motor starting and protection
- Why does my pump keep tripping? A diagnostic checklist
- Why single phase motors need capacitors
- How to run a 3 phase motor on a single phase supply
- How to wire the control terminals on an Invertek Optidrive Eco (ODV-3)
- Motor starting methods: DOL, star/delta, soft start and inverter
- Star/Delta motor starting - why is it so misunderstood?
- Replacing failed inverters
- Capacitor Sizes
- Inverters no longer break the bank!
- Transformers: A Quick Guide
- What's the full load current of the motor?
- Relays - the things you always wondered
- What you are doing wrong with overloads
- Why do stepping relays fail on pump control panels?
Panel build and standards
- UKCA and CE marking on control panels: where things stand
- What a control panel test certificate should include, and what to ask for
- BS EN 61439-2 for panel buyers: what the certificate covers, and what it doesn't
- IP ratings explained: IP55, IP65 and IP66 for control panels
- Kiosk or wall-mounted? Choosing an enclosure for an outdoor pump station
- Should you gland both ends of SWA cable?
- The dangers of emergency stops, and why they don't always do what you think
- Replacing control panel components
- Why are multiple earths on the same stud banned?
- Wiring diagrams: eating spaghetti for breakfast
- Form 4 or Form 2 enclosures, what does it mean?
- Best switchgear enclosure options in the UK
- Do you need surge protection in your panel? Here's what you need to know.
- Functional Safety Training - Should you do it?
- Mild steel vs polyester glazed enclosures: what’s the difference?
- Common control panel mistakes
- The end of earth blocks in panels
- What Isolators actually do (and installers don't know!)
- Do control panel enclosures need to be metal? The law.
- Wago lever terminals – a new era for control panels
- Electrical symbols: electronic filters
Wastewater practice
- Telemetry costs explained: SIM, data, texts and the Dashboard
- Adoptable pumping station control panels: what the water companies require
- The high level alarm has gone off: what to do
- Wiring a Basix pump control panel on site: supply, pumps and floats
- Duty/standby, duty/assist and duty changeover explained
- How to specify a pump control panel: the six things we need to quote it
- Why wastewater pumps should be deliberately over-sized
- Why do single phase pumps block more often than three phase pumps?
- Why sewage pits need ATEX rated equipment
- Why did a 72 million litre flood happen in a non-floodplain?
- Telemetrix - remote pump monitoring
- Webinar: introducing Telemetrix, remote monitoring built into the panel
- Remote Motor Monitoring - Where is the industry?
- Troubleshooting a dual pump panel fault
Building services and BMS
- Free-issue controllers: how it works and what we need from you
- What's inside a BMS outstation panel
- How to write a BMS points list that gets an accurate quote
- Data centre cooling for Vera Rubin, Nvidia's new CPU and GPU platform
- Analogue vs. Digital Signals
- Building Management Systems (BMS): what are they and how do they work
- Cutting BMS panel build times by 50%
Got a question these articles do not answer?
Our technical team is on the phone Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm. Or book a free CPD or training session.