I want to take advantage of my dead 6105's warrenty.

[pheinzig]

Its 6 months old, been cleaned monthly. The power head is in really good physical shape, but I came home last week and the motor is dead. I took it apart and cleaned it just to be safe, but its still dead. Nothing. Since its still under warranty, I would like to have it returned and a new one sent in its place. I have a digital copy of my invoice from the dealer, so I can send that to whoever needs it. I went to the tunze official site and sent an email but haven't gotten a response. Its been 4 business days.

I also have a 7096 wave maker, I don't think its the culprit...but Im just throwing it out there just to see what your thoughts are. I don't mind also shipping it in as well...since it fits in the 6105 box.

I appreciate your help in this issue.

 

[rvitko]

I did get your email and I responded- Tunze@sbcglobal.net would be the sender, attached is my reply to you hotmail account on the 3rd of June-

Paul,

Please first check the following, at about 4-6 months if not cleaned the magnet and propeller will generally be fused to the titanium axle by lime deposits. The magnet and propeller assembly must spin freely on this axle or a safety shut down is engaged. Remove the prop and magnet from the shaft and check that this assembly is not stuck. Clean any lime deposits with vinegar or citric acid and a soft bristle brush (tooth brush).

If this does not solve the problem, we do not use RMA numbers. Simply send it in and the bad component will be replaced, provided the cause is not water damage to external components, this will either be the motor block 6105.100 or power supply 6105.240. Please include a return address and phone number.

Tunze USA
305 Victor St
Austin, TX 78753

Roger Vitko
Tunze USA

 

[pheinzig]

Looks clean, spins freely. I suspect the power supply is ok, because the wave maker lights blink in pulse mode when you plug them in. Just to be safe, I will send it to you for your inspection. Thanks for the help, local guys have recommended your services. Im pleased that you will be able to help me.

Ill mail off the 6105 tomorrow. Would you like to have me mail the wave maker in as well? It will fit just fine inside the box, so its no extra trouble.
Im pretty darn sure the wave maker is fine...the pump wont work with or w/out it plugged in. Im almost positive the magnetic motor is whats the problem. I would suspect a short in the wiring where it connects...but I'm not about to pull anything apart. Especially w/o any kind of permission ^_^

 

[rvitko]

It is very unlikely the 7096 is related to the issue, I don't see a need to send it, if it connects to your computer it is 99% sure to be fine.

What I have seen in the last year as prime culprits are the fused magnet to shaft and the assembly needs to be removed to check this, the shaft should be held steady and the prop and magnet need to spin, it can look clean but be locked in the small crevices, I had two such repairs yesterday and just a thorough inspection could have prevented the downtime. Just trying to spin it while installed does not reveal anything, with the cover removed the tension is released so the shaft can spin, in actual assembled operation the shaft is locked still and the magnet must spin on the shaft. A good test is, if the shaft cannot be slid out of the magnet, that is the problem.

The likely connection issue is a power supply with a short tip, the tip only inserts half the length it should so contact is weak or intermittent, this is a defect of the power supply. This can also happen if the power socket gets pushed back. You can open the cover, nothing voids the warranty in this area except cut or water damaged connections.

It is not impossible it is the motor but the honest truth is, since 04/10 production I have seen 2 defective motors, they are pretty rare, but if that is the case, the motor 6105.100 will be replaced with a new one. In early 2010 the motor coil was substantially improved (thicker windings, double the insulation) and the driver electronics were further shielded and this has really eliminated most issues. A break in the cable is a possible issue, the cable house 5 very small wires.

 

[pheinzig]

The shaft spins free and smooth on the magnet as you described to be ideal.
Ill double check the tip on the power supply, but if its bad...then the wave maker shouldn't be operating when I plug it in. Correct? Because my wave maker lights blink as if in operation.

 

[pheinzig]

everything physicly looks fine. Ill send in the pump and power supply.
Should arrive next Monday or Tuesday. Thanks.

 

[rvitko]

OK, we have new motors and power supplies in stock turnaround will be 24hrs and we ship back by UPS.

 

[pheinzig]

You get a chance to look at it?

 

[pheinzig]

Got your message, it wasn't totally clear because of a poor quality of recording(not your fault). But it sounded like salt corrosion in the plug and/or a short in the power supply? Salt corrosion I get, its in an aquarium room and I get about 5 gallons a day evaporation. I have salt creep all over the place.

But it doesn't make sense...if the power supply was bad, then why did the control box light up as if it were active when I connected it to the pump? At any rate, were you able to fix the issue, and is it being returned to me?

Thanks,
Paul

Also you said something about the pumps switch was set to minimum. Thats because the first thing I did was disconnect it from the wave maker and move it up and down. If it was left inthe low position...thats just from me playing with the knob and not returning it to the orrigonal position.

 

[rvitko]

My findings would be consistent with what you describe. The power supply was marginally functional, it put out 7-8V DC. This could light a controller though dimly, but would not run the pump which requires at least 10V. Outwardly, I noticed the power supply you sent in had a salty crust around the connection for the 115V figure 8 AC cord. I opened it to inspect further but found no intrusion of saltwater into the actual power supply. In an extremely humid environment, the life span of these power supplies will be shortened, you will need to find a way to reduce the humidity and salt creep the power supply and pump connection block is exposed to, extreme salt air will lead to arcing, shorting and failure. These external electronics are made to work in normal household environments with 40-60% humidity, as you approach 90% humidity the life span of the power supplies is shortened dramatically. As soon as I tried a new power supply and turned up the potentiometer the pump ran normally and used the rated 28W of power.

 

[rvitko]

It was sent back by UPS with a new power supply on Wednesday, you should get it next Wednesday.

 

[pheinzig]

The humidity issue has been addressed, we are building a new "Aquarium room" that will be specifically for housing our collection. Beefy ventilation is one of the key aspects. Its likely the major damage was over the winter, we had an excessive amount of condensation on the doors and windows, I installed a fan that runs 24/7 and within a day the condensation ceased. But perhaps the damage was done already...or it just recently was pushed over the edge. At any rate, is there a catalog that I can shop from and order a spare PSU so Im not left hanging if this happens again? I didn't see anything on the tunze site.

And thanks again for your help.

 

[shawnz28]

Tunze.com has a spare parts listing/catalog on the left menu if you know the part numbers you want (all parts are always listed int he manual). If you need a part and dont know the number use the search on the site for the model number of the item in question (ex 6105) this will bring up all parts tagged for this model. You want part 6105.240

 

[pheinzig]

thx

 

[rvitko]

FWIW, these power supplies usually last about 3 years, they are a consumable component with a finite life, but, this was the first premature failure I have seen since we switched from 6101.240 to 6105.240 and I suspect with the humidity issue solved, you won't encounter this again soon.