Problems with Doser 2.1 as ATO

VJV · Jul 17, 2018

Hi, last week, before going on vacations (BIG mistake), I decided to buy some level sensors to setup my Doser 2.1 to perform ATO with a spare pump head.

My evaporation is currently around 2,8Litres per day, so well below one gallon.

It seems to work well for one day or two, but than all of a sudden it decides to stop working. I caught it as the water level drops my probes become exposed to air and I start getting PH, conductivity etc values all off.

The Doser 2.1 continues to work well and it is dosing the balling solutions well enough. After unplugging the unit from the wall the ATO function resumes for a few days only to stop again.

My max on time is 10minutes, which should be enough for 400ml. This should more than cover the ATO on time ...

I will now have to drive 250km back home and buy an ATO as my housekeeper will not be around next week to do it manually.

Help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Kind regards

Support@GHLUSA · Jul 17, 2018

Hard telling from here, without you see what's going on.
It could be hitting run time if you have it configured, could be a slipped line, a kink, any number of items. PM me when you can, and we'll see what we can figure out.
What part of the world are you in?

VJV · Jul 17, 2018

Marco@GHLUSA said:
Hard telling from here, without you see what's going on.
It could be hitting run time if you have it configured, could be a slipped line, a kink, any number of items. PM me when you can, and we'll see what we can figure out.
What part of the world are you in?

This has happened before I came on vacation as well. There was apparently nothing wrong with the tubing nor with the dodger, which was still dosing balling. It simply stopped working after 1 or 2 days. My max on time is set to 10 minutes. My daily evap are 2800ml so 10min should be plenty enough for each individual time the optical sensor is triggered...

I am sure this must be user error at some point but can’t work out what it is...

Vinny@GHLUSA · Jul 17, 2018

I would increase the Max on-time to 12 minutes.

Allowing 10 minutes for the ATO to dispense 400ml assumes the specific pump is providing 40ml/min. Since each setup will vary from tank-to-tank, it is possible that the pump is providing 39ml, 38ml, or less per minute. In which case 10 minutes is not enough time for the motor to complete the ATO task.

When you return, double-check the flow rate per minute (calibrate if necessary) and adjust the max on-time.

VJV · Jul 17, 2018

Vinny@GHLUSA said:
I would increase the Max on-time to 12 minutes.

Allowing 10 minutes for the ATO to dispense 400ml assumes the specific pump is providing 40ml/min. Since each setup will vary from tank-to-tank, it is possible that the pump is providing 39ml, 38ml, or less per minute. In which case 10 minutes is not enough time for the motor to complete the ATO task.

When you return, double-check the flow rate per minute (calibrate if necessary) and adjust the max on-time.

Thanks Vinny. I did calibrate the pump and it is dispensing the 40ml/min that it should. I will try to provide more info but there is not much else I could add. Could it be a defect of the doser 2.1?

Support@GHLUSA · Jul 18, 2018

@VJV Can you send me a PM with your Name and Contact number, as well as the Time Zone you’re in please?
Let’s see if we can’t pin this down for you..

-marco