1.6 Setpoints and Overrides — Safely

1.6 Setpoints and Overrides — Safely

In this lesson: you will be able to adjust a setpoint, and place and release an override, understanding the consequences. This is the most important operator lesson.

Go carefully

This lesson is where you actually change something — so we will go carefully, because these actions affect real equipment.

Setpoints: the gentle way

A setpoint is a target you send to the controller — for example a temperature target. You enter the new value and confirm it. The controller then works toward that target using its own logic. This is the normal, gentle way to influence the system.

Overrides: seizing control

An override forces an output to a value you choose, ignoring the controller's automatic logic — for example, forcing a fan On, or a valve to a fixed position. It is the right tool to test something, or to hold a state during maintenance — but it takes control away from the automatic system.

To place one, open the point, choose the value you want, and choose a duration:

• A timed override releases itself automatically after the time you set — this is the safe default, because it cannot be forgotten.
• A permanent override stays until someone removes it.

The moment any override is active, the amber banner appears on the Dashboard. That is your reminder that the system is not fully automatic.

The single most important habit

When you are done, release the override back to Auto. A forced output that has been left on — a heater, a fan, a valve — is how you get a comfort complaint or wasted energy. If you are ever unsure, prefer a timed override so it cannot be left behind.

So: setpoints nudge the system toward a target; overrides seize direct control. Use overrides deliberately, prefer timed ones, and always release them when you are finished.

Key points

• A setpoint is a target the controller works toward with its own logic; an override forces the output directly, bypassing that logic.
• A timed override releases itself automatically — the safe default, because it cannot be forgotten.
• A permanent override stays until someone removes it.
• Any active override shows the amber banner on the Dashboard.
• Always release an override back to Auto when you are finished.

Check your understanding

1. What is the difference between a setpoint and an override?
2. Why is a timed override the safer default?
3. You placed an override to test a fan and the test is done. What must you do?
4. What on the Dashboard tells you an override is active anywhere?