Osmolator filling too much

[jimrawr]

I just received my Osmolator today. I made the connections and set it up in my sub in the return chamber. The unit is turning on when the water level is still high, and then it fills far too much. The optical sensor will be totally submerged and its still going. I have the secondary sensor connected to another magnet and about 3 inches higher than the optical because right now the alarm is constantly sounding.

What could be the problem here? Its like the optical eye isnt able to correctly read the water height.

 

[jimrawr]

I think this may be happening because the osmolator is in the return chamber with my skimmer, micro bubbles are building up on the sensor.. How is this avoidable? I cant move my skimmer anywhere else, and I also cant put the sensor anywhere else

 

[Mandragen]

where is your osmolator control unit mounted and where is it plugged in? do you have any large ballasts or is it close to anything causing electrical interference? I had this problem and moving mine was the solution.

 

[jimrawr]

Well I have T5s only so no large ballast, and the control unit is on the outside of my stand so not directly near anything really..

 

[Mandragen]

what is it plugged into?

 

[shawnz28]

Like any new plastic bubbles attract to the plastic of the sensor. This usually limits itself after a few days. Though if you skimmer puts out a fair amount of bubbles it could be a problem. In worse case if you have no way to move it and it continues to be a problem you may have to build a wall or small secluded section in your sump for the sensor. One that is in the same section with walls that do not touch the bottom, sorta like a baffle around it to keep the bubbles away.

My other thought is does it stop as soon as it hits the second sensor as it could also be a siphon or a combination of the two? How much water is contained in three inches in you sump?

 

[jimrawr]

Well its definitely not a syphon as the water is on the floor and the tubing into my sump is a bit higher than the pump in my top off bucket. It just happened again, the alarm sounded and I had to go and remove about 2 gallons of water. I can visually see all the microbubbles attaching onto the sensor. I dont know what building a wall would do as the bubbles would still find there way in there I believe, unless I just cant visualize how exactly to keep them from entering a section that I create around the sensor. This seems like a bit overboard for this.. I may just return this and use my old ato system

 

[jimrawr]

what is it plugged into?

Its plugged into my Apex controller

 

[shawnz28]

I would give it a day or two and see if it starts to subside as the bubble issue is very common when new. Also I would take the sensor out and give it a wash in hot soapy water, this tends to help with the bubbles when new as well.

Lastly I know you said you dont have a siphon and I might be reading it wrong but make sure the output of the hose is higher than the water level in the reservoir not the pump in it.

 

[Mandragen]

Mine was plugged into my apex as well. plug it in some where else. I'm almost certain that's your issue

 

[rvitko]

I would try rinsing the optic sensor in hot soapy water, this will eliminate a lot of the attraction of bubbles, you can discern if it is caused by bubbles by simply wiping your finger under the sensor during an overfill, this would wipe away the bubbles and get it to stop, if it keeps running there is another cause. The controller will not work properly if there is a source of electromagnetic interference and many controllers and ballasts can emit enough interference to cause problems, using a different plug will generally solve this issue.

 

[scarface70706]

i am having the same issue with similar setup. i have the proflex model 3 and a reef octopus xs 160. ive tried almost every spot in the third chamber as possible. i followed every step above and in the sticky on this subject. if this problem doesn't get resolved by tonight im sadly to say i will be returning it and getting my money back. this is ridiculous; why put such a sensitive eye on a product that is going to be in a aquarium. i was told that this ATO is the best one out there but im having so much trouble due to overflow issues.

 

[rvitko]

Can you walk me through your issue? I have seen two posts from you but in neither do you describe what exactly is going wrong.

 

[coral2002]

i am having the same issue with similar setup. i have the proflex model 3 and a reef octopus xs 160. ive tried almost every spot in the third chamber as possible. i followed every step above and in the sticky on this subject. if this problem doesn't get resolved by tonight im sadly to say i will be returning it and getting my money back. this is ridiculous; why put such a sensitive eye on a product that is going to be in a aquarium. i was told that this ATO is the best one out there but im having so much trouble due to overflow issues.

Roger is great helper. PLease share your issue with us. Mine is on the way and will set it up next week.

 

[scarface70706]

hmmm wired i posted last night with pictures but they arnt on here any more. im sorry i forgot to state that im having the same problem as the OP. the eye sees that the water is level, yellow light turns on to fill, yellow turns off and green stays steady, then green shuts off and then yellow which starts to fill my sump and then it over fills my sump to the point were the eye is completely under water. the float switch gets pinned and the alarm sounded. i followed all the steps in the sticky and nothing fixed the problem of over filling.

 

[scarface70706]

ah crap i know what i did wrong. sorry my fault i posted in a different thread. thinking it was this one sorry rvitko. but yea the other post with the pictures is how i have my eye set. i tested it by taking two cups of water out to simulate evaporation and it filled accordingly and stopped. you said were i have it might give off a false reading which might effect its accuracy. i would move it to the side above my mag drive but im worried it will go back to how it use to be. why is the eye so sensitive to bubbles?

 

[rvitko]

The possibilities in order of likelihood would be:

Bubbles sticking to the sensor, the sensor needs to be in a location with relatively few bubbles, an occasional bubble is not a big issue but a steady stream is. Especially when new the sensor attracts bubbles, this is due to plastic by nature repelling water and attracting air. A rinse in vinegar and hot water or hot soapy water will greatly reduce this as will just a few days in saltwater.

The sensor is near a reflective surface, it uses infrared light and something highly reflective, a glossy white or metallic surface, can interfere.

The sensor is defective, and is not responding properly and we should replace the controller. I would rule out the first two options. The best way to rule out the first one is if it is bubbles, it will stop running within 10 seconds if you wipe the sensor with your finger when it is under water (wipe away the bubbles) if it still continues, we know it is not bubbles but a defect.

 

[rvitko]

It basically uses infrared light and an infrared receiver, when water is touching the sensor, it bounces the light back and shuts off, when air is present, whether dry or bubbles, the light goes on and doesn't bounce back. It can only detect air vs water so whether dry or a bubble it cannot tell the difference. The best location is the last chamber near the return pump since this is where the water level tends to drop first. How big is the sump and tank and how strong is the return pump? The key may be slowing down the flow through the sump a bit.

 

[scarface70706]

i have a proflex model 3 sump with a mag 9.5 as a return to my 90 gallon display. (total of 115 gallons if that helps) there are micro bubbles from the skimmer in the third chamber but since i washed it with hot soapy water a 3rd time it seams to be running fine. i tested it by simulating water evaporation by taking a cup of water out. it filled accordingly and stopped which is good since i was having a problem with it over filling and triggering the float switch. as of right now i have the eye and float on two different mags. should i keep them on the same mag to save space? if i put them on the same mag i was also considering moving the eye away from the overflow wall to right above my mag9.5 so the water flowing over doesn't interfere with the float switch. the reason being i put the eye on the devider was to have the water flowing past the eye to sweep away the bubbles that will attach to it which causes it to foul out. any other suggestions?

ps: thank you for the time and help help RVITKO. its so hard to find good customer service now days. keep up the good work buddy!

 

[rvitko]

Thank you!

Regarding the magnets, in general for sump use, most people are better off using the two magnets only because on one magnet, the alarm will sound every time you put your hand in the tank so the idea is to move the float just high enough that you don't get an alarm every time you move something or work on the tank. You can also open the controller and disable the alarm, the manual explains this process, it would still light up and shut down, just no noise.

You might try valving the pump down a little, not sure on the head height you are pumping to, but you could have 400-500 gph through the sump and may even see a little better performance from the skimmer and the slower flow gives bubbles a chance to rise out and not get carried through the sump so far.