What is refrigeration monitoring, and what does it watch?
Refrigeration monitoring is the continuous measurement of a refrigeration system, so that faults are found before they stop the system or spoil the stock. It ranges from a single temperature probe in a cold room to sensors on the compressor, the pipework and the evaporator that follow how the whole system runs. The readings are sent from the site to a server, and you see the status in an app or a browser. That is why it is also called remote refrigeration monitoring.
The simplest form is temperature monitoring: a probe measures the room temperature and raises an alarm when it crosses a limit. It tells you the room has got too warm. The most complete form measures the refrigeration system itself and notices when the compressor is working harder, when a pressure shifts, or when defrosts take longer than usual. Changes like these often start several weeks before the temperature rises.
Maci Intelligence is the second kind. Maci fits its own sensors to the system and uses AI to learn how each system normally behaves. When a signal moves out of that system’s own normal range, the right people are told, along with the likely cause. Maci monitors the system and does not control it: the cooling carries on with the same controller and the same settings.
What is measured: temperature, pressure or current?
Maci Intelligence measures current, pressure and temperature at several points on the system, every minute and again whenever something changes. Each reading says something different about the system, and it is the combination that makes it possible to see a fault coming and point to the cause.
| Reading | Where | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Current | The compressor | Whether the compressor is working harder, running longer or starting more often. A worn compressor draws more current to move the same amount of refrigerant. |
| Pressure | Suction and discharge side | Whether the refrigerant charge is right, and whether the condenser can get rid of the heat. A suction pressure that falls slowly can be a leak. |
| Temperature | Pipework, evaporator and room | Discharge, evaporator and room temperature. Shows an evaporator icing up, long defrosts and how well the room holds its temperature. |
Measuring current makes Maci a compressor monitoring system too. The compressor is the most expensive part to replace, and wear usually shows in its current draw long before it stops. The pressure readings reveal refrigerant leaks, often weeks before the room gets warm. See what the sensors measure and where they sit, and read about early warning of refrigerant leaks.
Maci measures both the air temperature in cold rooms and display cases and the product temperature, so the data can also feed your temperature records. Whether it covers your food safety plan is for your business to judge. Read more about HACCP temperature monitoring.
How early can monitoring tell that a system is about to fail?
That depends on what is measured, and on the fault. A temperature alarm reacts when the room is already too warm. A controller alarm comes when a limit has been crossed or the system has stopped. Maci Intelligence warns you typically 3 to 6 weeks before a breakdown, because most refrigeration faults develop gradually and show in current, pressure and temperature long before the cooling fails.
Faults that can usually be seen weeks ahead:
- A wearing compressor: current draw and discharge temperature climb steadily over several weeks.
- A refrigerant leak: suction pressure falls slowly, and the compressor runs for longer.
- A dirty condenser or a failing fan: condensing pressure and current rise, most of all on warm days.
- An evaporator icing up or a door seal leaking: defrosts get longer and the room temperature swings more.
Some faults arrive without warning, such as a power cut in the building, a tripped breaker or a door left open. No monitoring can see those weeks ahead. What counts then is that the alarm reaches the right person straight away, and Maci also alerts you when the room temperature drifts.
Once Maci is fitted, it first learns how the system normally runs, and then the warnings start. A warning weeks ahead gives time to order the right part and fix the fault on a planned visit. Read more about predictive maintenance for refrigeration, and about what to do if the system has already broken down.
How do you find out when something is wrong?
Maci Intelligence sends alerts in the Maci app, by SMS and by email. Each alert says what is drifting and by how much, how long it is likely to be before it becomes critical, and the likely cause. There are three levels, critical, warning and info, so not everything is treated as an emergency.
You decide who is told, and in which order. If nobody responds within the time you choose, the alert moves on to the next person on the list. Your refrigeration contractor or technician can be on the list as the on-call contact, so a critical alert at night goes straight to someone who can attend.
Read more about refrigeration alarm monitoring and escalation, and about how alerts work in the app.
Is refrigeration monitoring the same as an alarm monitoring centre or a data logger?
No. A data logger measures and stores the temperature. An alarm monitoring centre receives alarms from the system and phones someone on call once something has gone wrong. Monitoring with sensors on the system itself sees the fault developing. The main differences are how early each solution finds a fault, and whether it can say anything about the cause.
| Solution | Detects | When | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature data logger | Room temperature too high or too low | Once the temperature has crossed the limit | Says nothing about the cause |
| Controller alarm | High temperature, high and low pressure, stop | Once the fault has happened | Only reaches a person if it is wired onwards |
| Manned monitoring centre | The alarms the system sends in | Once the fault has happened, plus the time to ring round | A monthly cost, and the same late signal |
| BMS monitoring | The values the controller exposes | Once a limit is crossed | Depends on the make and the set-up |
| Predictive monitoring (Maci) | Drift in current, pressure and temperature | Typically 3 to 6 weeks before a breakdown | Sensors must be fitted, and Maci first learns the system |
Maci Intelligence is not a manned monitoring centre. Maci watches around the clock, alerts and escalates automatically, and the people on your list act on the alert. The solutions can be combined: many keep the controller alarm as a safety net and use Maci to see faults coming. The full picture is in the refrigeration monitoring comparison.
Can an old refrigeration system be monitored, and does it need modifying?
Yes, an old system can be monitored. Maci Intelligence is fitted to the system you already have, whatever its make or age. The sensors go around the compressor, on the pipework and in the room, and the cooling itself is not changed.
Maci reads nothing from the controller. An older system with a simple controller can therefore be monitored just as well as a new one with an advanced controller. The readings are the same on every system, so you can compare systems across makes and ages.
The sensors are fitted by a certified Maci partner. Service and repairs stay with the refrigeration contractor you use today, and the contractor can have access to the data and be on the alert list.
Can cold rooms, freezer rooms and display cases be monitored with one system?
Yes. If the system has a compressor, Maci Intelligence can monitor it. Every system appears in the same app and on the same dashboard, so a retail chain, a cold store or a facility management company sees every site in one place.
- Cold rooms and freezer rooms, including freezers with long defrosts.
- Refrigerated display cases and counters in shops.
- Process cooling and chillers.
- Cold stores and freezer stores with many systems.
Refrigerated containers with their own refrigeration unit have a compressor too. If the container stays in one place and has power, it can generally be monitored over an LTE modem. We confirm that when we go through your systems.
If you run refrigeration systems for clients, read about refrigeration monitoring for facility management.
Wireless sensors or wired monitoring: what is the difference?
Wireless temperature monitoring usually uses battery-powered probes that send the temperature over Wi-Fi or a radio network to a gateway. They are quick to set up and work well where you only need the temperature in a room or a fridge. The batteries need changing, and the signal can struggle to get out of a cold room with steel panels.
Monitoring the refrigeration system itself means measuring current and pressure, and those sensors are fixed to the system. With Maci Intelligence, a unit on site collects the readings from the sensors and sends them out of the building over your wired network or over a small LTE modem with its own SIM card. With the LTE modem, the monitoring needs no access to the building’s IT network.
So the deciding question is what you need to measure. If you only need temperature records, a wireless probe is often enough. If you want to see faults coming, the system itself has to be measured.
What happens to the data, and can it connect to our own systems?
Data from Maci Intelligence is encrypted in transit and stored in the EU. Maci processes data under the GDPR, and you get a data processing agreement. You own your data and can have all of it handed over. Read more about data security at Maci.
Maci has an API, so alerts and system data can be pulled into your own systems, and a webhook sends the alerts to your system the moment they happen, such as a maintenance system or a reporting tool. See API and integrations.
Maci Service gives each system a QR or NFC tag with its service history, nameplate data and a chat that knows the system’s controller manual and self-help guides in the user’s own language. Maci Service is free. Premium, with the F-gas log, is €39 a month.
How much does refrigeration monitoring cost?
The cost of refrigeration monitoring depends on how much is measured. Wireless temperature probes are cheap per unit. Monitoring with sensors on the system itself costs more to install, because more points and more signals are measured.
The price of Maci Intelligence depends on the number of systems and sensors, and you get a quote after a short review of your systems. Maci Service, with QR tags and service history, is free.
Set the price against what faults cost you today. In Denmark, a typical emergency call-out is about 15 minutes of work and costs about €360 excluding VAT. On top of that come parts ordered in a hurry and stock that has to be thrown away.
Lost stock and urgent parts are not included. Read what a refrigeration breakdown costs. Facility management companies can work it out on their own figures in the savings calculator.
Questions and answers
Can Maci control the system or change its settings?
No. Maci Intelligence monitors the system and does not control it. The controller and its settings stay as they are, and any changes are made by your refrigeration technician.
Is Maci a manned monitoring centre?
No. Maci Intelligence watches around the clock and sends alerts automatically in the app, by SMS and by email, escalating to the next person on the list. Your refrigeration contractor can be on the list as the on-call contact. Read more about refrigeration alarm monitoring.
Do we have to change refrigeration contractor?
No. The sensors are fitted by a certified Maci partner, and service and repairs stay with the contractor you use today. The contractor can have access to the data and be on the alert list.
How often does Maci take a reading?
Maci Intelligence measures every minute and again whenever something changes. The readings are kept, so you can follow the trend over weeks and months, and so Maci can see when a signal slowly moves away from normal.
What if there is no network at the system?
Then Maci’s unit sends the data over a small LTE modem with its own SIM card. The monitoring needs no access to your IT network.
Can the monitoring data be used for HACCP records?
Maci measures both the air temperature and the product temperature, and the data is stored, so the temperature history can be documented. Whether it covers your food safety plan is for your business to judge. Read more about HACCP temperature monitoring.
What is the difference between a data logger and refrigeration monitoring?
A data logger measures and stores the room temperature and can raise an alarm when it gets too high. Monitoring the refrigeration system itself also measures current and pressure, and can see a fault developing weeks before the temperature rises. See the comparison of solutions.