Osmolator slowly tops up past optical cut off

[tgunn]

I've got an osmolator that I'd been running since 04/04/2009. It's been working flawlessly until recently and I figured I'd post here to get some ideas of what I might look for to get it working again.

The other night I was woken up by the screech of the high level alarm; I unplugged the osmolator and looked at it again the next day. Sure enough the water was at the max level float valve. I drained back the water and plugged the Osmolator back in. The top off pump remained off and everything seemed to be working well. The next night I woke up to the alarm again. I unplugged and checked the optical sensor the next day. It was pretty dirty so I used a Q-tip to clean away the crud. I replaced and everything seemed to be fine; I heard it top off a couple times before I went to sleep. Last night I way woken up by the alarm again.

Does anyone have any recommendations of what I should look for here?
It doesn't immediately overfill -- seems to work fine for a while and then presumably during the night it must decide to keep on going.

Thanks!
Tyler

 

[rvitko]

Have any new electronics or magnet holders been added within a couple feet of the controller? I would soak the optic sensor in vinegar for 4 hours and wipe it off with a soft cloth but I don't think a sensor problem is likely, though maybe debris is helping bubbles cling, typically dirty sensors stay in the off position, only bubbles or air can activate the optic sensor, scratches may also do so.

 

[tgunn]

Have any new electronics or magnet holders been added within a couple feet of the controller? I would soak the optic sensor in vinegar for 4 hours and wipe it off with a soft cloth but I don't think a sensor problem is likely, though maybe debris is helping bubbles cling, typically dirty sensors stay in the off position, only bubbles or air can activate the optic sensor, scratches may also do so.

I will give it a vinegar soak tonight.
I have recently moved my titanium heater into the same compartment as the top-off sensors; previously is was in a neighboring compartment. This is a Solana all-in-one tank so it'd be a horizontal move of around 8". If this is the problem then moving it back where it was could solve the problem.

I'll give those two things a try tonight and see if it helps.

Thanks for the tips!
Tyler

 

[rvitko]

I can think of three ways the heater could cause this, heaters do generate a weak magnetic field, if you look closely they create a mirage effect from the rising heat and this may influence the sensor and they also cause dissolved gasses to exit solution if there is a super saturation so bubbles may also be a culprit.

 

[tgunn]

I can think of three ways the heater could cause this, heaters do generate a weak magnetic field, if you look closely they create a mirage effect from the rising heat and this may influence the sensor and they also cause dissolved gasses to exit solution if there is a super saturation so bubbles may also be a culprit.

The heater being culprit starts to make more sense in my mind now that I think of it. The tank has only been doing this at night, which is pretty much the only time my heater runs.

Thanks,
Tyler

 

[tgunn]

Update:
I cleaned the sensor with vinegar and moved the heater to another compartment a week ago and I have not had a single problem since.

Thanks for the tips and feedback!
Tyler

 

[tgunn]

Update

Update

It seems my osmolator is still tending to overdo it when topping off. It'll run fine for a few days and then suddenly start to run more frequently until the water level eventually reached the high level cut off float. It's strange; the water will raise up to the optical sensor, and the pump will stop. Then a few minutes later it'll top off a bit over the optical sensor. Perhaps an hour later it'll do it again, and continue until the high level switch is it.

What do you think I need to replace to get this to work properly again?

THanks!
Tyler

 

[rvitko]

It is difficult to say, I only handle the US warranty, you would need to contact your dealer or Xenia for service, it should be tested and repaired as needed, my best guess is the capacitor for the optic sensor needs to be replaced.

 

[tgunn]

It is difficult to say, I only handle the US warranty, you would need to contact your dealer or Xenia for service, it should be tested and repaired as needed, my best guess is the capacitor for the optic sensor needs to be replaced.

I've emailed the shop I got it from to see what they say.
Who is Xenia? A user on here?

Thanks,
Tyler

 

[rvitko]

The Tunze distributor for Canada

http://www.xeniainc.com/

 

[tgunn]

XeniaInc service

XeniaInc service

The Tunze distributor for Canada

http://www.xeniainc.com/

FYI for those of you in Canada, BEWARE of XeniaInc; they're definitely giving the legendary service of Tunze a tarnished name!!!!

I've been trying to get XeniaInc to arrange my warranty repair since December 29; 2 months later I'm STILL trying to get them to arrange service. They either take forever to respond to an email, or don't respond at all. My osmolator has stopped functioning completely at this point and at this rate the warranty will be expired before I can get a replacement.