Skimmer setting & Osimilator issues in Compact Kit 16 Sump

[goldfishbowl]

Hi,

I have a Compact Kit 16 sump kit from Tunze. I am experiencing two problems:

1 - I am having trouble setting the skimmer so that it will skim properly. I can get it to work and produce wet skim, but it doesn't remove a great deal of debri from the water and there is always plenty of fine dust like debri floating around. What is the best setting, to get the best skimming from this unit? The skimmer on it is a Comline DOC Skimmer 9010

2 - The ossmilator keeps flooding the sump sometimes till the alarm goes off. For some reason, the sensors on the unit keep firing off? It will fill up to the sensor and stop. Then within a few hours it will ignore the sensor and turn the pump on, filling the sump past the sensor and over the main pane of glass that divides the sump into 2 sections. This then floods the sump and it doesn't work that well. I have tried cleaning the sensor etc. but this doesn't work.

The sump is only about 4 months old.

Any ideas?

Thanks
Stu

 

[rvitko]

I answered your 1st question in your other post.

As for the Osmolator, be sure the drain is entering the compartment next to the skimmer, make sure the flow rate is not much more than 1200l/hr, 1000 would be better. It sounds like air bubbles are accumulating from excessive turbulence. I take it this is a new set up?

 

[goldfishbowl]

yeah its only a few months old. I am using the retro fit option to the tank which has a low fill rate - not sure how much that is?

I had thought about placing a small sheet of perspex in front of the sensor to stop any turbulance. Would that work?

Stu

 

[rvitko]

Try raising the sensor to raise the water level and this will reduce the carry over of bubbles from splashing, I had the same problem with the first CK16 I set up and raising the water level and working with how deep I positioned the drain hose solved it. Just out of curiosity how long does it take the sensor to act up? Does it happen all the time or just once a week?

 

[goldfishbowl]

What tends to happen is the sensor will stop topping up the sump via the Osmolator when the water level reaches the sensor - good I hear everyone shout. Then it pauses a few moments and the sensor will trigger again, but this time with both the amber and green lights lit until it hits the alarm sensor. This will flood the sump above the divide in the tank. As I have strong lighting, water evaporation is quick - resulting in the sump level decreasing back down again towards the sensor. Sometimes the sensor will then behave and not trigger once the water level is reached again - other times it will come back on and partially fill the sump to just shy of the divide in the sump tank.

What I have done this morning, is take a small sheet of perspex and place that in front of the sensor, so there is no ripples or splashes near it. For the moment it seems to be working. Will keep you informed.

Cheers

Stu

 

[rvitko]

Yes, keep an eye on it, if you know about when the cabinet kit was built this would help. Is your optic sensor a green/grey color or black?

 

[goldfishbowl]

Hi,

I am not sure when it was built. I ordered it in September 2006. It's been in place since then. I think the sensor is black - or very dark grey.

I tried the perspex idea, but returned this evening from seeing some friends and the sump was flooded again. So even when the sensor is protected from splashing etc, it still floods.

Any ideas are welcome.

Cheers

Stu

 

[rvitko]

If the sensor is green/grey it may be bad. They changed to black and implemented a new QC procedure in late June. Some of the sensors in the grey/green color were overly sensitive and even a small bubble could set them off.

 

[goldfishbowl]

Is there any chance of getting a new sensor and if so where?

Please let me know.

Stu

 

[rvitko]

I am not in UK so I am of limited help but here I stock spare sensors and replace them, they have to be soldered and their are four very small wires like the kind in a telephone cord. I would contact Tunze UK and see what the procedure is. Given our distance from Europe I have to be able to do some minor electronics work to keep a quick turnaround. It would also be worth testing the unit in a bowl of water to see if the result is any different. One problem is that I think the 230V cabinet kits use a different return pump than our 115V kits. Ours include 1200/2, I think the 230V ones include 1073.03, this pumps much more water and could cause a turbulence issue for the sensor, it may need to be turned down with the valve on the pump. I listed all the possibilities but really a bad sensor, while possible is pretty rare, the new tests just made it virtually impossible. In the US we sell almost 600 osmolators a year and I maybe get a dozen back in a year for problems. I only mention the possibility so you don't pull your hair out if nothing solves it but I would check things out a bit more. Just out of curiosity, do you have any microbubbles in your return water to the tank? Do you know what pump is in your kit?