Tunze Osmolator 3155 Shorting out?

[SunnyB]

I purchased a Tunze Osmolator 3155 on 06/04/2013 from BRS. It had performed perfectly until today. There seems to be a short in the control unit.

I can tap on the controller and the unit will flicker on and off. Also if I touch the power supply cord near where it connects to the controller it goes on and off. That causes the pump to be triggered on and it pumps the normal "just on" amount of water in the DT and then when it shorts and goes off and on again the same thing happens. Thus, my water levels in the sump are slowly rising and this is triggering the alarm.

It took me a while to figure this out. Clearly the power supply cord isn't connecting correctly inside the controller. Seems like the connection is faulty.

The pump is working fine and the sensors are clean.

Sure hope this is covered by the warranty!?

Thank you.

 

[rvitko]

Check the power supply tip, all it takes to ruin it is for it to land briefly in saltwater while plugged in. This reverses the plating process and essentially corrodes it in seconds. What you want to check is the inner part, this should be shiny nickel plate just like the outer shell, the inner is the positive. I would be almost certain this is the cause and a new power supply will solve it if the female receptacle on the controller was not damaged as well. If it is not water damage related as described above, it would be covered under warranty, but I have never seen such an issue not be related to getting the power supply tip wet.

 

[rvitko]

This image shows a normal one on top, and a corroded one bottom, it will be green/ white or brown inside instead of the shiny nickel plate.

 

[SunnyB]

I know for a fact that this power plug has never been exposed to water. It is mounted on a wall about 2 feet from the tank. The plug is shiny and not corroded whatsoever.

I still think the problem is a bad connection inside the controller but maybe it could be a problem in the cord of the power supply. ????

With that being said, can I purchase a new power supply from Amazon or will that void the warranty? They are only about $20 with free shipping and it would be worth it just in case this cord is the problem. The cost of shipping it back and forth would probably be near that.

If I can't get one from Amazon due to warranty issues could you send me a link to purchase one?

If that doesn't fix the problem, I will contact you again and make arrangements to send the controller back for a warranty repair.

Thank you!

 

[rvitko]

You can certainly order one from Amazon and try that, or you could send in the power supply and controller and we could check it out first and if it is a warranty issue we would certainly take care of it. Your only cost if it is a warranty issue is sending it to us.

 

[SunnyB]

I think it would be best for me to send it and let you check it.

I travel all the time and REALLY depend on this to work correctly and top off my reef while I am out of town.

Could you send me the address where to send it to and the estimated time the repair will take?

Thank you for all your help!

 

[rvitko]

Generally I complete a repair within a day of receipt, worst case it takes 2 days if I have a higher number of repairs than I can handle in a day. Just be sure to include the controller, pump and power supply and a note with your return address and phone number.

Tunze USA
2121 Cole Springs Rd
Buda TX 78610