Tunze Osmolator malfunction?!?!

[Mandragen]

So last week on Thursday my ATO from autotopoff bit the dust after running flawlessly for over a year. I decided to break down and replace it with the osmolator. The tunze product came in yesterday, it was installed while reading the directions, even though they were a bit hard to understand with the german/english mix if word meanings. I checked the product to make sure everything was working properly, it was connected to one of the ports on the EB8 of my Apex. Everything seemed in working order, woke up this morning to find that it had malfunctioned somehow and run the entire ATO reservoir dry and into the tank. Seriously this thing wasn't running for 12 hours, there has to be some explination because I've heard nothing but good things from this company, although this is my first experience. I didn't have any time to work on it before I left for work.... anyone got any ideas???

 

[rvitko]

The main culprit that comes to mind is a siphon. If you are pumping down hill, which means the water level of your reservoir is above the end point of the hose, after the pump shuts off, water will continue to siphon until the water level of the reservoir equals the end point of the hose. This is why the manual shows sensors in the sump but top off hose to the tank, gravity prevents the siphon from occuring. In general, even if the optic sensor were to fail, the float switch should shut it off, and if that were to fail a 10 minutes safety shut down should stop it and roughly 3 gallons can be pumped in 10 minutes. It is possible there is a defect, but this is very rare as the factory tests every osmolator 3 times, the bare sensor, the finished board and the final controller. Another possibility is there is a magnet near the controller which directly actuated the electronics and triggered the pump. The optic sensor can be defeated by a lot of bubbles or a reflective surface. The float switch can be defeated if improperly installed on the magnet holder as it is a magnetic switch, it has a special position when properly installed where it is shielded from magnetism, the 10 minute safety is reset if the unit is switched off, so any switching of the Apex of the outlet would add an additional 10 minutes of run time if both sensors failed. This is the only other possibility that would come to mind is a perfect storm of defeating every safety, but this would be very, very unlikely.

 

[Mandragen]

Well I will check all those things whan I return home. It is pumping into the sump with the TO tank right next to it, but everything is up hill, the water level was definitely not above the opening of the tubing.

The float switch might have shut it off, as it was that high and not higher. Out of everything that you listed there I think bubbles on the optics to be the culprit, how often does this situation occure, is it common?

 

[rvitko]

The optic sensor only "sees" two scenarios, "I am in water, turn off" or "I am in air, turn on" it makes no differentiation between bubbles and being out of water. When brand new any plastic actively repels water and attracts air, plastic is made of oil and hydrophobic by nature. This is most of the break in process of any new skimmer as well. Over a few days, bacteria and algae colonize the plastic and prevent this extreme hydrophobic property, a rinse in hot soapy water will also greatly reduce this effect. However, you still must keep bubbles in the sensor chamber to a minimum, a few stray bubbles now and again are no problem, but a constant stream is an issue.

 

[Mandragen]

There isn't a constant stream of bubbles I made sure of that when reading the directions. But, when I checked this morning it appeared as though there were many microbubbles on the sensor.

 

[rvitko]

Try rinsing the optic sensor in hot soapy water, this will break some of the surface tension, I learned that from a guy who worked in stage lighting where they use water cascading over color changing lights to produce effects, this is critical to having the water flow smoothly on a new light rack instead of just beading up and it works on the optic sensor as well.

 

[Mandragen]

will do thanks

 

[Mandragen]

It wasn't the bubbles.... Ok, here is the latest and I could really use some help.

I fixed everything yesterday and it seemed to be working, then all of the sudden while I was down near the tank I heard the pump cut on and I let it run for a minute or so. As I watched it it was pumping water in without signs of stopping. I shut off power to the unit and then cut the power back on and things were good for a few minutes. A couple minutes later I was laying in bed and I heard the alarm go off, the darn thing pumped a couple gallons in there for the second time! I've got to go out of town for the weekend and that's not got me feeling too great today.

So what do we think it is? Is it because of it being plugged into my Apex and maybe the power is intermittent, which I've never had any issues with anything else plugged in at all? Or, maybe this whole theory of a magnet somewhere causing issues, but I don't have a lot of options to place this control unit because it's a stand and everything is in/on the stand....

 

[rvitko]

Can you PM me a number to call you at so we can walk through some things? Ideally you would need to be at the tank when we talk. My number is 512-833-7546, if you don't get me, leave a message, I will call back.

 

[Mandragen]

Thanks for the conversation and you have been very helpful, will let you know when I return home of the "test" results.