Brand New 3155 broken.....comes on by itself

[Led Bizkit]

I just received my new Tunze 3155 and it seems that every time I turn it off to feed fish, one hour later it kicks on by itsself until the emergency switch kicks on now you have to listen to the alarm until you empty the sump with some water.

Why does it keep kicking on by itsself one hour after I turn it back on ?

HELP

Thanks in advance

 

[rvitko]

How are you turning it off? The only way to turn it off is to unplug it and then it is impossible for it to come back on unless someone plugs it back in.

 

[Led Bizkit]

hehehe, I guess that was a little misleading. I unplug the controller to feed fish then turn pumps back on and give it a few minutes and then plug the Tunze controller back in.

In roughly 30 min to an hour, it comes on and starts pumping water and wont shut off until the emergency valve kicks in, then the alarm starts sounding.

Now yesterday I plugged it in after turning it off all night so I could sleep in peace, and it filled up properly and 10 to 12 hours later it came on and didnt stop again until the emergency kicked on so not sure what to do about it

Thanks for your help

 

[rvitko]

If it is a brand new unit, they have a strong attraction to air bubbles, it can only detect air or water and cannot tell a bubble from being dry, after a few days of use the bubbles are less attracted but it still should be placed in a location with few or no bubbles. This can be reduced also by rinsing the optic sensor in hot soapy water.

 

[Led Bizkit]

I tried washing it with hot soapy water but 2:30am it did it again

This unit is brand new..........so any other tips? It appears to be a great product if I can get it to work but my faith is fading fast.

 

[rvitko]

Is it possible that it is siphoning because the reservoir is above the end of the hose? For example the reservoir has 18" of water and the hose is clamped to a sump that is 16" high? Are any electronics or magnets near the controller? Is there a heater under the sensor? I have seen either the magnetic field created by a heater or the "mirage" of heat coming off the heater affect the sensor if they are very close. What is the tank size? It may be necessary to turn down the pump speed if the tank is less than 50 gallons. What country are you located in?

 

[Led Bizkit]

Tank size is 120 gallon with a Aqueon Proflex 4 sump. No heaters in the sump but here are some things I have been thinking about this morning after I posted.

1. Reservoir water level could be higher than the end of the hose going into the sump, but the hose is not in the water in the sump. I have watched to see if it was dripping by change but havent seen anything. If the reservoir level is higher than my hose going into the sump and then the sensor kicks on, could that keep the water to continue after the sensor says stop?

2. My Tunze controller is laying next to my controller for my Vortech powerheads and laying next to my controller for my AI SOLS lighting. Could this cause an issue?

3. I had the sensor right where the water flows into the return compartment in the sump at first, felt like possible bubbles interferring with the sensor so moved the sensor to the back wall which now the sensor is above my return pump. So I will move it again to a different spot.

4. Do I need to place the hose into the top of the tank (5 feet high) instead of the sump?

I live north of Dallas in Frisco so I am pretty close to ya.

 

[rvitko]

1) Correct, after the pump shuts off water will siphon until the level is the same in the reservoir and the hose end.

2) This could also be a cause, try moving things away and please mount them, laying in the stand is generally a recipe for disaster, if any of these electronics get wet, they are toast.

4) This is the ideal in most cases, I would clamp it to the overflow box and then the freshwater will mix on the way down to the sump. Be careful that the hose is above the water surface, if it touches or is submerged you can get a backsiphon that drains the tank water into the reservoir.

 

[Led Bizkit]

Well I filled up the reservoir last night and plugged everything in.........and it started pumping as it should since the water level was low. Then it stopped as it reached it proper level and the water was still coming out of the hose slowly.

So it appears this is and was the issue. I did move the hose much higher on the sump wall and so far no emergency shut off alarm

I slept good last night

Thanks for your help

 

[jasimek]

Why are you turning it off when u feed?

 

[grcforce327]

Why are you turning it off when u feed?

Ditto!

 

[Led Bizkit]

So my pistol/goby and CUC get to eat. Been doing this for over 35 years