Tunze 5017 with problems - help!

[BobbyZuma]

Hi Roger,

I'm the happy owner of a Tunze 5017 which has been working flawlessly for about a year. Now it has a problem: when I connect power to it, the yellow LED comes on and it activates the pump for ~2 secs, immediately shutting it down afterwards. After about a second, the cycle repeats (yellow LED + activation for 2 secs, then shutdown). This goes on for a few minutes and after that the controller displays a blinking red light (as if there was no water in the reservoir).

I checked the water sensor and there was a bit of calcium buildup on it - I cleaned it but it didn't make a difference. After that, I did the "disconnect the pump and hook it up to a 9v battery to test it" - the pump does seem to push water and stays on when I do that.

Any ideas?? I'm leaving on vacation for a week this Friday, so a quick response would be highly appreciated...(of course this had to happen now!)

Thank you and best regards,

 

[rvitko]

When you clean the sensor I would soak it in vinegar for at least 2 hours and be careful to never scrape it or scratch it. Just soak and wipe with a soft towel, it may be there is still some mineral haze.

The battery test is only conclusive if the pump does not work, this definitely means the pump is dead. If the pump works it could be using more power than the controller will allow. The board has a circuit breaker, if the pump needs more than 1200mA it kills it. This is a safety feature as without it the pump could use all the available power and prevent the safety features of the board from running properly, the board would have no power to cut things off. Any corrosion to the wires or past history of the 4 screw connection block getting wet would point to this being a cause, corrosion of the wire or terminal block will increase the resistance and raise the power draw past this threshold. The wires will wick in water and they turn black as a result and this can extend several inches into the insulation, you will need to cup back the ends of the wires and strip the to check for this and I would do so if the screw terminal has any rust or white or green crust on it. The screw terminal can be had at any radio shack, it is called a European Terminal Connector.

The too low light does not necessarily mean the reservoir is empty, it only means the controller tried to run the pump for 10 minutes and a top off was not registered. It then shuts down as a safety, the logic being that your tank may be leaking and adding more water is not going to help things.

 

[BobbyZuma]

Hi Roger,

Thank you for your response in the forums. I did soak the sensor for 2 hours in vinegar as you suggested... it looks perfect now. However, I'm still having the problem.

The sensor appears to be working properly. If I touch the water surface with it it will mark "Level", and if I lift it it will try to activate the pump - it will go back to green "Level" if I put it in contact with the water. The problem is that the activation of the pump only happens for a second or so. I am uploading a video so you can see what is happening (still 20 mins to go).... here is the link: http://youtu.be/1scxUcNiwu8

By the way, I checked the connector between the wires of the pump and the controller and there is no water/rust there. Also, the controller itself looks perfectly ok with no buildup of any substance or water damage of any kind.

Thanks for your help!

 

[BobbyZuma]

Hi Roger,

Thank you for your response in the forums. I did soak the sensor for 2 hours in vinegar as you suggested... it looks perfect now. However, I'm still having the problem.

The sensor appears to be working properly. If I touch the water surface with it it will mark "Level", and if I lift it it will try to activate the pump - it will go back to green "Level" if I put it in contact with the water. The problem is that the activation of the pump only happens for a second or so. I am uploading a video so you can see what is happening (still 20 mins to go).... here is the link: http://youtu.be/1scxUcNiwu8

By the way, I checked the connector between the wires of the pump and the controller and there is no water/rust there. Also, the controller itself looks perfectly ok with no buildup of any substance or water damage of any kind.

Thanks for your help!

 

[rvitko]

It has to be something with the circuit I describe below-

"The battery test is only conclusive if the pump does not work, this definitely means the pump is dead. If the pump works it could be using more power than the controller will allow. The board has a circuit breaker, if the pump needs more than 1200mA it kills it. This is a safety feature as without it the pump could use all the available power and prevent the safety features of the board from running properly, the board would have no power to cut things off. Any corrosion to the wires or past history of the 4 screw connection block getting wet would point to this being a cause, corrosion of the wire or terminal block will increase the resistance and raise the power draw past this threshold. The wires will wick in water and they turn black as a result and this can extend several inches into the insulation, you will need to cup back the ends of the wires and strip the to check for this and I would do so if the screw terminal has any rust or white or green crust on it. The screw terminal can be had at any radio shack, it is called a European Terminal Connector. "

Since the connection looks OK, I would lean toward a break in the wire, the 1200mA PTC having some sort of short or damage, or the pump itself being on the way out. Unfortunately, I will need to get it back to try to diagnose this with certainty. Can you send it to us with a note including return address and phone number? Include the pump, power supply, and controller.

Tunze USA
305 Victor St
Austin, TX 78753

 

[BobbyZuma]

Ok - sending it to you...

Ok - sending it to you...

Sounds good Roger - thanks for the help. I will be shipping it to you today.

Best regards,

 

[BobbyZuma]

Checking status

Checking status

Hi Roger,

I sent you the 5017 last week as per our conversation. Any chance you could confirm receipt of it yet and provide any status?

Thanks!!!

 

[rvitko]

My daughter was born on Friday and I have not been into the office since Wednesday, I suspect it is likely there, I do plan to stop in Thur or Fri and knock out a few repairs and try to get the rest done ASAP next week when I return full time.

 

[BobbyZuma]

Still not working!!

Still not working!!

Hi Roger,

Congratulations on your daughter! That is fantastic news!

I wanted to follow up with you on my Tunze 5017, because we have not-so-fantastic news there. I got it back, thank you for replacing the sensor, but it still does not work properly.

Here is what happens: the sensor does detect the water level properly and triggers when the water level goes below the desired level. At that point, the controller turns on the pump, but only for a fraction of a second - and it turns off (pushing only a few drops of water out). This cycle repeats (on for a fraction of a second, off for a full second) many times (more than 15 minutes). During this time, only the yellow led is turning on and off. Finally, after that long time, the red blinking light comes on and there is no more pumping action.

What do you want me to do? Ship it again back to you??

Thanks!

Roberto

 

[rvitko]

In general this will be due to a pump that is failing or a corroded pump connection. My notes only mention controller work, generally I would note testing the pump if it was included, I honestly don't recall. What is happening is due to a high resistance, the pump is using more power than the 1200mA limit the controller will allow and a sort of thermal contact is seperating and stopping the pump after it gets hot, it cools down and makes contact again, but the high resistance causes the cycle to repeat. If the pump is more than 2 years old, or the pump connection has any salt creep or corrosion, this is likely the only issue.

 

[BobbyZuma]

I understand and agree. There is no pump connection salt creep or corrosion. I think I have a failed pump. I bought it on February 26, 2011 (can send you the invoice if you want)... is it still under warranty, and if so, can you replace it?

Or do I need to buy a new one? (and if so, from whom?)

Thanks!

 

[rvitko]

Can you email me the invoice- Tunze@sbcglobal.net?

 

[BobbyZuma]

Just sent it to you.

Thank you!