Please need help, operating sensor not working properly, it is in my sump, for a 155 gallon tank, it is placed in the last chamber. The sensor keeps reading low level even after it keeps pumping water until it is under water. The safety sensor is kicking off the pump but I cannot imagine this is the way it is suppose to work.
Operating sensor on Osmolator not working
- Thread starter grtmmt
- Start date
There are three possibilities, please check and let me know-
1) microbubbles will stick strongly to a new sensor, I would first try rinsing the sensor in hot soapy water and then make sure it is placed in area free of microbubbles. Plastic by nature repels water and attracts air, this is also the reason new skimmers don't work well. It takes a few days to break this problem or a hot soapy rinse will break this problem immediately.
2) Make sure the pump is really running and it isn't a siphon. If you aren't pumping up to the tank and you don't hear the pump running the whole time or see the yellow pump on light, it may be that the controller works but the set up is wrong so water is siphoning after it shuts off.
3) It could have a defective sensor. I am sorry if that is the case, the sensor was recently changed and we had an unintended potential flaw, some sensors have the LED's installed in such a way that they are too sensitive to bubbles and disturbance and can only work in freshwater tanks, they have a very narrow field of view. This has since been solved and in this case the best solution is to exchange the controller directly with us to be sure the replacement has the new sensor that has been checked for this problem.
1) microbubbles will stick strongly to a new sensor, I would first try rinsing the sensor in hot soapy water and then make sure it is placed in area free of microbubbles. Plastic by nature repels water and attracts air, this is also the reason new skimmers don't work well. It takes a few days to break this problem or a hot soapy rinse will break this problem immediately.
2) Make sure the pump is really running and it isn't a siphon. If you aren't pumping up to the tank and you don't hear the pump running the whole time or see the yellow pump on light, it may be that the controller works but the set up is wrong so water is siphoning after it shuts off.
3) It could have a defective sensor. I am sorry if that is the case, the sensor was recently changed and we had an unintended potential flaw, some sensors have the LED's installed in such a way that they are too sensitive to bubbles and disturbance and can only work in freshwater tanks, they have a very narrow field of view. This has since been solved and in this case the best solution is to exchange the controller directly with us to be sure the replacement has the new sensor that has been checked for this problem.
I really want to make sure the issue I have is not micro bubbles, the system has been in place now a day, the saftey sensor is kicking off several times which is keeping the water level in my sump fairly level. The operating sensor is in the last chamber of my sump, there are 2 pumps in this chamber as well as a return from my refugium which creates bubbles. How long does the unit need to be rinsed in warm soapy water? Are there creative ways to stave off the micro bubbles?
Even the soapy water rinse won't solve a microbubble problem. The sensor detects either A) I am in water, or B) I am in air, from that perspective a bubble and being out of the water are one in the same. The soapy water rinse solves the problem of the random bubble sticking to the sensor, but if many bubbles are present the only solution is to move the sensor to a bubble free area. Most commercially made sumps have a dam with a sponge that prevents bubbles from reaching the final chamber (bubble trap). Slowing the flow through the sump and raising the water level in the sump also help as bubbles then have more time to rise out. I would do the following, the next time you see it kick on, wipe your finger under the sensor, if this stops the flow of water, you will know it is sticking bubbles. If the bubbles are not severe and not visible when looking into the sump, then the sensor has a defect and we should replace the controller, an occasional bubble shouldn't set it off, but a steady stream of accumulating bubbles will, I would say if you see a lot of bubbles in the sump and some even are returned to the tank, then this is the real issue and a new controller won't solve it.
Similar threads
