10 second default on Tunze 3155?

[Reefahholic]

Why does this ATO want to dump 10 seconds of RO water into my sump every time I cut the power and turn it back on?

I mean really? I’m glad my GHL doser doesn’t have this incredibly annoying feature.

Please give me instructions on how to stop this form happening. I have to cut the ATO off for various task’s quite frequently. I rather my salinity not drift.

 

[jlbrew3]

Following. I too would love to be able to stop this if anyone has figured it out.

 

[Reefahholic]

Following. I too would love to be able to stop this if anyone has figured it out.

I don’t know much about this ATO so I’m all ears for a solution.

 

[Cell]

Probably to make sure it is primed after a loss of power. Not aware of any work around.

 

[Reefahholic]

@Tunze

 

[rvitko Verified Sponsor]

There is no work around, in general the Osmolator is intended to be always on and this is why we provide a second magnet for the float to be in a higher position or the ability to disable the alarm, you can also adjust pump speed to reduce how much water is added. This fill is part of a preprogrammed start up cycle, it enables the installer to verify the pump is properly connected and functional and primes the pump and tubing so it is ready to run.

 

[I.AM.MR.MIKE]

Except I have never had the pump self prime if my top-off runs dry and I refill it. Always have to suck start it. Still the best though!

 

[Tcook]

Except I have never had the pump self prime if my top-off runs dry and I refill it. Always have to suck start it. Still the best though!

That's because there is an air bubble in the intake if you let the resevoir go dry. You need to tip the pump upside down after filling.

 

[I.AM.MR.MIKE]

That's because there is an air bubble in the intake if you let the resevoir go dry. You need to tip the pump upside down after filling.

I 3d printed a holder for the motor and it uses suction cups to hold it to the bottom of the reservoir so only option is to suck start it or never run dry. The little motors are too light and noisy to leave loose. I also do not like how it runs the pump every time it is turned off then on since I do that 3 times a day through Apex.

 

[I.AM.MR.MIKE]

Here is a tip, I polish the optical sensor with toothpaste when it starts to malfunction.

 

[rvitko Verified Sponsor]

As Tcook said, anytime the pump has been out of water, the best practice is to invert it while submerged to release the trapped air that prevents it from priming. Generally the pump is best installed suspended by the hose and cord, this avoids the hard surface contact that creates noise.

 

[alabella1]

So, someone gave me this tip and I've been using it since. Any times you have the ATO turn off, such as maint. or feed mode, etc etc. Set it to NOT turn back on for 1 hour once normal operation resumes. The thinking here is that in that hour or so, enough water would evap that the 10 seconds of run wouldn't hurt as bad.

 

[homer1475]

if you turn the pump all the way down(from inside the control box), it only dumps about a 1/2C of water on priming. Not enough to really matter much unless your running it on a pico.

 

[BroccoliFarmer]

Why does this ATO want to dump 10 seconds of RO water into my sump every time I cut the power and turn it back on?

I mean really? I’m glad my GHL doser doesn’t have this incredibly annoying feature.

Please give me instructions on how to stop this form happening. I have to cut the ATO off for various task’s quite frequently. I rather my salinity not drift.

You seem to have a pretty decent sized tank. Anything more than a pico, maybe a nano, this would be a non event. You would get the same fluctuations based upon different water tension / eye and at what level the evaporation causes the ato to kick off.

 

[Reefahholic]

You seem to have a pretty decent sized tank. Anything more than a pico, maybe a nano, this would be a non event. You would get the same fluctuations based upon different water tension / eye and at what level the evaporation causes the ato to kick off.

I just do not like the pump dumping a lot of fresh water into the tank every time I need to turn it off/on. The most fundamental part of a successful reef starts with salinity. I’d prefer it not deviate at all in any way big or small if I can help it.

 

[rtparty]

How small is your tank that having the ATO run for 10 seconds is causing massive salinity swings?

I have run the Tunze ATO on 50g, 120g, and now a 250g system. Never once has it been an issue to have the ATO run when I power it back on.