• Beverage — BeerBlast™ / BrewBlast™ / N2-GEN™ legacy units, including 1KPH, 3KPH, and 7KPH of this vintage
• Fire protection — N2-BLAST® legacy units: FPS-650, FPS-1250, and earlier FPS-900 builds fitted with this controller
Go by the controller, not the model number. An FPS-900 or FPS-900-RS with a black rectangular controller uses the current-generation procedure instead.
South-Tek built generators of this vintage for both markets — BeerBlast™, BrewBlast™ and N2-GEN™ dispense systems, and N2-BLAST® fire protection generators. Whatever the application, units of this vintage use a square Panasonic FP-e controller rather than the black rectangular controller found on current equipment, and the filter alarm is cleared differently. This article covers that procedure for both markets. Reset the timer every time the filters are replaced, even if the filter alarm had not yet appeared.
First, identify your controller
Go by the controller, not the model number — the same Panasonic controller was used across beverage and fire protection equipment of this era. If you see a square, cream-colored Panasonic FP-e module with a green display and a row of small numbered buttons, this article applies, whether the unit is a BeerBlast™ / BrewBlast™ / N2-GEN™ dispense generator or an N2-BLAST® fire protection generator. If instead you see a black rectangular controller with five keys — legended SET / NXT / − / + / ENT, or the same five keys legended SET / F1 / F2 / F3 / ENT — the unit is current-generation. Use Annual Filter Replacement — FPS-500 & FPS-900 (FRP-007) for fire protection, or Annual Filter Replacement — BeerBlast™ / BrewBlast™ (FRP-001) for beverage. Every FPS-900-RS uses the black rectangular controller, so an FPS-900-RS always uses the current-generation procedure, never this one.
On this controller the display shows run hours and system status, and the buttons you need are the Mode Select button (lower left) and the Filter Change Reset button, the 0 key at the right-hand end of the keypad. The photo above shows the controller face.
What the legacy display shows
| Display | Meaning |
|---|---|
| run | Producing nitrogen and charging the nitrogen storage tank. On a fire protection unit that tank supplies the riser; on a beverage unit it supplies the dispense system. |
| StdbY | The tank is at its cut-out pressure and the unit is idling. It restarts automatically when pressure falls to the cut-in point. StdbY is not off — the compressor is under automatic control and can start at any moment. |
| FILtr | The filter timer has reached 1,000 run hours. Filters are replaced annually or every 1,000 run hours, whichever comes first, so the change may be due on the calendar before this alarm ever appears. On a fire protection unit this alarm is already signalling at the panel. Replace the filter elements first — see Annual Filter Replacement — FPS-500 & FPS-900 (FRP-007) for FPS-900 units, or Annual Filter Replacement — BeerBlast™ / BrewBlast™ (FRP-001) for beverage units; for an FPS-650 or FPS-1250, contact South-Tek for the correct kit. Then reset the timer using Method A or Method B in this article. |
| bOFF | BlastOff® leak detection has tripped. It is an alarm, not a shutdown — the generator keeps running. It means the unit has run continuously for about 9 hours, so the system is either leaking or drawing more nitrogen than the generator makes. Find and fix that first; on a fire protection system that means a leak on the riser side — find it before you clear the alarm. Once the cause is fixed, power the unit off and back on to reset. On a fire protection unit, tell the building owner or facility representative and the monitoring company before you cut power — losing power trips the power loss alarm at the panel — and confirm the panel is back to normal and the unit is back in run or StdbY before you leave. Do not power-cycle repeatedly on an unresolved leak; it shortens the generator's life. |
| LOCK | Controller is locked; the front buttons will not respond until it is unlocked. Press and hold the Mode Select button (lower left) until LOCK clears from the display. |
Method A — reset at the controller face
This is the preferred method — it is done at the controller face with the cabinet closed. Replace the filter elements first. Resetting the timer without changing the filters restarts the 1,000-hour clock on used elements and lets water and oil carry over into the separation media, which damages the beds and ends their life.
- Fire protection units: tell the building owner or facility representative and the alarm monitoring company before you reset — the reset momentarily signals the fire panel. Beverage units need no notification.
- If the display reads LOCK, press and hold the Mode Select button until LOCK clears from the display. (Holding it again re-locks the controller if you want it locked afterward.)
- Press and hold the Filter Change Reset button — the 0 key — for about 10 seconds.
- Keep holding until you hear the audible beep. The beep — not the clock — is the confirmation that the 1,000-hour filter timer and the filter alarm have been reset.
- Fire protection units: confirm the fire panel has cleared and is showing normal, and that the unit is back in run or StdbY, before you leave. Beverage units have no fire panel to check.
Method B — reset at the in-cabinet button
Replace the filter elements first — resetting the timer without changing them restarts the 1,000-hour clock on used elements and lets water and oil carry over into the separation media, which damages the beds and ends their life. Legacy units have a dedicated filter reset button mounted inside the cabinet on the electrical panel. On fire protection cabinets it sits toward the rear wall, roughly centered; beverage cabinets are laid out differently, so go by the button rather than the position. Use Method B only when the controller face will not take the reset, including when the display is locked and will not unlock. If you cannot positively identify the button, refit the cover and contact South-Tek — do not press anything else on the panel.
- Fire protection units: tell the building owner or facility representative and the alarm monitoring company before you reset — the reset momentarily signals the fire panel. Beverage units need no notification.
- Remove the front cover of the cabinet.
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Locate the filter reset button on the electrical panel inside the cabinet.
- Press only that button. With the unit powered on, press and hold it until you hear the confirming beep — normally about 10 seconds. Keep your other hand out of the cabinet, and do not touch, lean on, or steady yourself against anything else on the panel or the pipework.
- Refit the front cover before returning the unit to normal service.
- Fire protection units: confirm the fire panel has cleared and is showing normal, and that the unit is back in run or StdbY, before you leave. Beverage units have no fire panel to check.
If the alarm will not clear
- Check that the controller is unlocked. If the display still reads LOCK, the front buttons are ignored — hold Mode Select first.
- Hold longer. Hold until the beep rather than releasing at a fixed count — the beep is the confirmation, not the clock.
- If the controller face will not take the reset, use the in-cabinet button (Method B) — qualified personnel only, and read the warning in that section before you open the cabinet.
- Confirm the unit is powered on when pressing the in-cabinet button.
- If neither method clears the alarm, contact South-Tek Systems.
Related articles
| Article | Applies To |
|---|---|
| Annual Filter Replacement — FPS-500 & FPS-900 (FRP-007) | FPS-500, FPS-900, FPS-900-RS, FPS-1650 |
| Annual Filter Replacement — BeerBlast™ / BrewBlast™ (FRP-001) | Current beverage systems |
| FPS-650 and FPS-1250 Legacy Overview | FPS-650, FPS-1250 |
| Legacy N2-BLAST Fire Protection Systems Overview | All legacy FPS models |
| BeerBlast™ / N2-GEN™ — Product Overview & Model Guide | Beverage systems |
| N2-BLAST® FPS-500 & FPS-900 — Safety Guidelines | Fire protection systems |