Tunze Osmolator 3152 HELP

[Fluffeh]

So this ATO was working wonderfully for about a week. absolutely no issues whatsoever....

 

then late last night something strange happened....

 

I woke up around 2:00 AM and went to the kitchen to get a drink. as I am standing there pouring a glass of orange juice, I hear the hum of the pump from the tunze osmolator..... however, it STAYED on. as I stand there half awake, I realize that it shouldn't be on as long as it had been so I walk over to the tank to discover that the water level was WELL PAST the sensor by about 4 inches or so. i quickly unplugged the unit.

 

that almost became my worst nightmare as I had been reluctant to get an ATO (until last week) because I was always afraid that it would malfunction and cause an overflow. The fact that this could've happened last night if I didn't get an urge to drink something at 2:00AM scares me to death. If I didn't get thirsty, I could have woken up to water everywhere.

 

Now I don't know what to do. when something like that happens I have a hard time trusting the product again. I'm pretty sad at this point as it was working perfectly before. but I have absolutely NO IDEA what caused this to happen last night. there are absolutely no snails or anything in that rear chamber that could've caused it to become stuck (which is what i'm assuming had to of happened with the sensor). I tested the unit when I came home from work today, and so far, it seems to be working normally again.

 

does anyone know what could have caused this to happen in my biocube 29??? I'm leaving for vacation next week, and I was relying on this product to top off my tank. Now I don't know what to do. so disappointing

[GTi]

I share your concerns and would only trust an ATO with dual sensors. Some of the Tunzes do and autotopoff.com can do too. I have used both with no problems so far.

 

If you have checked that the float is free to move and seems to be working, there's not a lot else you can do. You could put it on a timer so it can only run a minute every few hours? You need to check that the interval is long enough to maintain water level but not so long as to allow major over filling. That might not be possible.

[Rural]

the manual states:

 

Dosage for aquariums with less than 100 liters (26 USgal.) Delivery setting ex-factory (1) The Osmolator® nano features an electronic monitoring, which stops the metering pump (2) after 1.8 minutes of continuous operation. This avoids an overflowing of the aquarium, for example, in the event that the sensor is blocked. After the time monitoring has elapsed the metering pump will receive a short pulse in a time interval of 10 sec. This indicates an exceeding of the set max. dosing time. After switching the power supply on and off, the Osmolator® nano will be ready for operation again. The maximum dosing time is also exceeded when the storage tank is empty, and the pulses of the metering pump indicate that the tank needs to be refilled. The setting of the dosing pump for aquariums with less than 100 liters (26 USgal.) should also be used for aquariums with an insufficient safety volume. For further information see Safety Volume.

 

Maximum delivery rate during 1.8 min. Dosing time: (1) At a conveying height of 0.80 m (31.5 in.) of the metering pump (water level between the storage tank and hose end in the aquarium) a maximum volume of approx. 1.6 L (0.42 US gal.) will be refilled. (2) At a conveying height of 1.15 m (45.3 in.) approx. 1.5 L (0.4 USgal.). (3) At a conveying height of 1.30 m (51.2 in.) approx. 1.4 L (0.37 USgal.). (4) Maximum conveying height: approx. 2 m (78.7 in.) Caution! These values only apply for the original Osmolator® nano 4x7 mm PVC hose with a length of 2 m (78.7 in.). With a shorter PVC hose the metering amount will be higher. Note: The pump performance data can vary by up to 20%.

 

look on page 26 for how to assemble to get the correct shut off time...

http://www.tunze.com/fileadmin/gebrauchsanleitungen/x3152.8888.pdf

[Fluffeh]

Ok it is good to know that there is a safety function built in. I will have to read that portion of the manual more in depth.

 

The only explanation that I could come up with after searching online, was this from a tunze 3152 post....

 

"The only technical issues we have encountered center around the float and magnet holder. The float is a magnetic switch, the black ring in the float is a magnet and it actuates a switch in the post. It is possible when the glass is very thin, less than 1/8", that the magnet holder pulls on the float, this will be obvious as the float will be angled and not travel straight up and down. Because of this it catches and does not work smoothly, the magnet holder itself can hold the float in place. The solution is generally to add an 1/8" thick shim of rubber or plastic between the outside magnet and the glass."

 

Is this a potential issue with the biocube? The sensor is on the back wall, but I also have another magnet in the vicinity. I wish I would have noticed if the float was angled at all before I moved it last night though.

[Sugardaddy1979]

It very well could be interference from the magnet or that the float wasn't level. I have the nano osmolator myself in the 20 long sump of my 40 breeder. I put a piece of cardboard between the glass and mag net just to be safe. Been using it for a year and never had any issue at all with it.

[smiz]

I had this in my biocube and put a piece of cardboard in front of the magnet to prevent this from happening. Never had a issue!

[PrangeWay]

It should default at the 1.8 minutes.

Also if the float does go bad its a replacement part that is somewhat cheap and very easy to switch out.