Tunze Osmolator Help

[dunc101]

Hi,
I am having trouble with my Tunze Osmolator coming on for about 2-3 seconds on startup (the yellow 'pump on' and 'low level' light) and then goes off and then continuously blinks about once a second or so. Could this be an indication that the pump has gone bad or is the wiring bad? I mainly just want to know if this is how the controller reacts if the pump has gone bad or not because I have a fairly unique set up.

I have a relay in between the controller and 2 pumps to create an automatic water change system. I have 1 pump in fresh water, and another pump that I use for automated water change which houses salt water (in this case is the when the above scenario occurs). The pump in fresh water behaves normally (controller comes on and stays on just fine). The problem indicated above ONLY happens when I turn the relay on in order to pump in salt water instead of fresh water.

I have had this set up for about 3 months or so and have not had any issues until tonight.

Thanks!

 

[dunc101]

Quick update. I noticed that the controller works just fine when the relay is turned on as long as the 'pump' does not need to pump new water (the green level and 'to high' lights appropriately turn on). It seems to only flash like I mentioned in the first post whenever it tries to pump new water.

 

[rvitko]

It depends on the age, units made since late 2011 have a microprocessor based system and the blinking light means you are at the threshold of top off being needed, for example the water is just lapping the sensor and may contact it briefly and fall away if the surface of the water is not smooth. It waits 5 seconds and blinks during this time. On older units, it doesn't have this 5 second blink, but the same occurence can give a blinking appearance to the LED's but not steady or rhythmic. A faulty pump or corroded pump connection is another possibility, especially on an older unit. If that is the case it should be rectified immediately as running in this condition can overheat the board and cause unrepairable damage. If you see any corrosion on the contacts, replace them, you can test the pump with a 9V, this test is only conclusive if the pump does not work, then you have a dead pump. If the pump works, it can work on the battery but not on a controller because the controller limits how much power it can use, so no firm conclusion can be drawn from this.

 

[dunc101]

OK. Thanks Roger. I will try testing with a 9v and get back to you.
The unit is right around 1.5 years old so sounds like it was bought in late 2011.
As for the water level, it was about 3 inches below the sensor at the time and when I switch the relay off, the FW pump would turn on and pump water just fine. It wouldn't surprise me if the wiring has gone bad from corrosion or something to the SW pump. Thanks for the input.

 

[dunc101]

I just wanted to update and say that I fixed the issue. The problem was something was in the pump and causing it not to spin up. I tested with a 9v battery and noticed that the pump was not working. I hit it a few times and noticed some "gunk" come out of the pump. After that, everything worked fine!
Is their any type of "filter sponge" spare part that you can buy for the pumps to prevent junk from getting in the open part of the pump at the bottom?

 

[rvitko]

I would just keep the pump suspended off the bottom and only run it in clean RO water, it is unusual for the pump to gunk up unless used with calcium additives and then you just have to expect a shorter life for the pump.