8ft Eye-Hye® SmartLevel™ Remote Level Indication System: Now in Our Product Demo Display Area
- Aug 10, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: 11 hours ago
We've been hard at work getting our PDD (Product Demo Display) Area set up on the third floor here at Clark-Reliance — and the first demo brought up was our 8ft Eye-Hye® SmartLevel™ Remote Water Level Indication System. It's the first of many demos we'll be adding to the space, giving visitors and customers a hands-on look at the technology behind our instrumentation rather than just a spec sheet.
The Hidden Problem: Probe Fouling
Remote level indicators that use conductivity-based probes to sense water level in a boiler's steam drum are effective, reliable instruments — but like any component in continuous contact with boiler water, the probes are subject to mineral buildup and residue accumulation over time.
Why This Matters
A probe that's gradually accumulating scale doesn't necessarily fail outright — it can continue producing a reading even as accuracy degrades. This creates a genuinely difficult operational problem: how does an operator know when a probe needs cleaning if the system is still displaying a level reading? Without a clear signal, probe blowdown maintenance often happens on a fixed schedule regardless of actual probe condition — either more often than necessary, or not often enough if fouling happens faster than expected in a particular water quality environment.
How Eye-Hye SmartLevel Solves This
The Eye-Hye SmartLevel Boiler Indication System adds patented technology that intelligently monitors the condition of its own probes — the same probes sensing water level in the boiler's steam drum.
Self-Diagnostic Function
Rather than simply reporting a level reading and leaving fouling detection to chance or fixed maintenance schedules, the system actively monitors probe condition. When probes require cleaning to remove residue and mineral buildup and maintain accuracy, the system's smart technology unambiguously notifies the control room or other remote locations that a probe column blowdown is necessary.
Simple Visual Indication
The notification method is intentionally simple: if the blue light on the indicator is illuminated, a blowdown is needed. This removes ambiguity from the maintenance decision — rather than operators guessing whether current probe condition still supports accurate readings, the system tells them directly and unambiguously.
Why Condition-Based Maintenance Beats Fixed-Schedule Maintenance
This self-diagnostic capability represents a meaningful shift from fixed-interval maintenance to condition-based maintenance for probe-type level indication:
Fixed-Schedule Blowdown (Traditional Approach)
Blowdown performed on a set calendar interval regardless of actual probe condition
Risk of unnecessary maintenance if probes are still clean
Risk of degraded accuracy if fouling happens faster than the schedule assumes
No direct feedback on whether the interval is appropriate for current water quality
Condition-Based Blowdown (Eye-Hye SmartLevel Approach)
System directly monitors probe condition and signals when cleaning is actually needed
Maintenance performed based on real probe state, not a calendar assumption
Adapts automatically to changes in water quality or fouling rate over time
Reduces both unnecessary maintenance and the risk of operating on degraded readings
Why This Matters for Boiler Safety
Probe-based level indication plays an important role in overall boiler water level monitoring, often working alongside direct-reading gage glass and other instrumentation as part of a complete, code-compliant level indication system. If a probe's accuracy degrades due to unaddressed fouling, it can undermine the reliability of that particular instrument within the broader monitoring picture — even though the drum's actual water level hasn't changed. Self-diagnostic technology like this closes that gap by ensuring probe condition itself is monitored, not just assumed.
Why We Built the PDD Area
Seeing this kind of self-diagnostic behavior explained on paper is one thing — watching the blue indicator light respond to actual probe condition on a working display is another. That's the thinking behind the Product Demo Display Area: giving customers, engineers, and visitors a way to see how our instrumentation actually behaves, not just read about it. The 8ft Eye-Hye SmartLevel system was the first setup in the space, with more product demos being added over time.
System Configuration
The Eye-Hye SmartLevel system is available in various lengths to match different boiler drum configurations, with 8-foot units among the configurations used for larger steam drum applications requiring extended-range level sensing.
Applications
Eye-Hye SmartLevel systems are used in:
Power Generation: Steam drum level monitoring on utility and industrial boilers
HRSG Installations: Remote level indication across multiple drum configurations
Any Facility Using Probe-Type Level Indication: Where condition-based maintenance reduces both unnecessary service calls and the risk of undetected accuracy degradation
Learn More
If you're ever at our Strongsville, Ohio facility, ask about seeing the Product Demo Display Area in person. For more information on Eye-Hye SmartLevel remote level indication and how self-diagnostic probe monitoring fits into your boiler's overall level indication strategy, contact Clark-Reliance's Reliance boiler trim team.
📧 sales@clark-reliance.com📞 +1 (440) 572-1500
