ATO Strong Magnet Warning -- Lesson Learned

[sayitfast]

I recently added a ATO to my little 13.5 Fluval. I purchased the Tunze 3152. For those that don't have one of these it comes with the two magnets that have a piece of cardboard between them. Says right on them "Warning Strong Magnets"... uh ya they are not kidding.

I just had to test them out, and well... I was worried for a minute they were never coming apart again. I suppose I'm the poster child for product warning failures. Next up Hair Dryer in the shower I guess.

I'm I the only one to give in to curiosity?

 

[mcarroll]

Read the whole warning....you can't even get them near each other on the workbench or it's a hazard. B)

A buddy had two snap together on his finger from several inches apart on a workbench. Ow!!! Yes it left a mark!

 

[Waters]

Same thing happened to my wife....she wasn't happy. Somehow, during the screaming, it became my fault the magnets snapped together on her finger

 

[TheEngineer]

Lucky they're small ones. That hurts like a son of a gun, esp if it gets you on a soft spot like the webbing between your thumb and index finger.

 

[AdamNC]

I had mine catch me right of the side of my finger. Left me with a blood blister after I got them apart.

 

[ngvu1]

Twist them slowly and away from the center of each other....The big ones like the magnet for the 6095 or the 61xx are the worst!

 

[Lninwa]

Yep they are wicked strong, my son had to get them apart for me. [emoji15]

 

[Philt56]

I just joined the club too. Geez did they really have to be this strong?just hooked it up after the coral vue Smart ATO magnet wet side rusted out.

Right now I just put both sensors on the large magnet but I see why they say use both. The high warning alarm is really touchy so I need to put that float sensor on the separate magnet so it’s not so close as the level of the other sensor.

 

[Philt56]

Yep they are wicked strong, my son had to get them apart for me. [emoji15]

Can I mail mine to your son?

 

[rocsec1]

Same thing happened to my wife....she wasn't happy. Somehow, during the screaming, it became my fault the magnets snapped together on her finger

Funny my wife always says the same thing

 

[Philt56]

Finally got mine apart. Held one magnet with pliers clamped around the perimeter, then tapped the other one with a hammer and they finally slid enough off center that I could slide them apart.

No more high water warning if I put my arm in the tank or sump or shut off the skimmer. The smart ATO doesn’t warn on high water, only if it pumps water too long.

 

[ca1ore]

Yes strong magnets can be quite dangerous. I bought a couple of really powerful ones from KJ Magnetics. Put them too close and they snapped together. I actually had to put them into my vice (not easy as said vice is also metal) and use vice grips to get them apart. Of course, they ultimately still were not strong enough to work through 1" acrylic.

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

I have a ginormous disclaimer for my magnetic products. I have to print out a full sheet of warnings and include it with every magnet order. Attorney said so.

https://octoaquatics.com/magnet-warning/

 

[corey01]

I have a ginormous disclaimer for my magnetic products. I have to print out a full sheet of warnings and include it with every magnet order. Attorney said so.

https://octoaquatics.com/magnet-warning/

wow thats quite a disclaimer.

who burns magnets? thats a thing? its amazing what you have to warn against anymore.
should just remove all these warnings. in a decade or so this will all just become "common sense" again.

 

[XNavyDiver]

Same thing happened to my wife....she wasn't happy. Somehow, during the screaming, it became my fault the magnets snapped together on her finger

It's always our fault Waters. The sooner you accept this, the happier you will be.

 

[bdejong1112o]

I would also caution when applying to the glass. If it snaps hard enough on thin enough glass i would imagine it could crack it? I know i had one snap onto the tank and it sounded like a hammer hitting it. I now set the magnet away from where the other one is at and slide it into place.

 

[Waters]

It's always our fault Waters. The sooner you accept this, the happier you will be.

Lol, yeah.....I have learned to just accept responsibility right from the beginning to avoid any future conflict related to my next reef purchase.

 

[Sea MunnKey]

Same thing happened to my wife....she wasn't happy. Somehow, during the screaming, it became my fault the magnets snapped together on her finger

Funny my wife always says the same thing

We're not Alone after all

 

[Forsaken77]

Holy crap... I have that overpriced Hammerhead algae scraper by Algae Free and they snapped on my finger when I was trying to put them back in the box. I've never felt such a strong magnet for aquarium use. I'm actually surprised it doesn't crack the glass when cleaning.

They use those rare earth neodium magnets that are super strong, and they use big ones. I have no doubt it could break your finger. I have to store them back to back because if they clamped together normally it would be very difficult separating them. I think the magnet strength is why they're so expensive.

 

[jozer1]

Same thing happened to my wife....she wasn't happy. Somehow, during the screaming, it became my fault the magnets snapped together on her finger

Funny my wife always says the same thing

I think we need to make sure we aren't married to the same wife. Or maybe they're all sisters lol.