Trident Reading Low Alk

[Gophish1982]

Well, I finally got a WORKING TRIDENT! For months I went back and forth with Neptune about how the trident wasn’t testing anywhere NEAR where all 3 of my manual Alk tests reported. I would test with Hanna, salifert, and LaMotte. They would all read 8.5 (+/- 0.1) yet the trident would sometimes read as low as 7 depending on which of the many methods I tried to calibrate it. I tried calibrating with neptunes solution and it would always read .6-.8dhk lower, when I calibrated with fauna Marin solution or the results of my manual tests on my tank water the trident would always report 1.5 lower then the given (known) values during calibration. Finally they had enough of hearing from me and sent me a brand new one. I just got around to setting it up, waited the 48 hours, then did a calibration with my tank water and results from my manual tests. They numbers FINALLY STUCK and now it reads exactly as my manual tests do! I’m beyond thrilled for myself, but feel the pain of you guys that are still having problems. My original trident was purchased and shipped from BRS. This one came from Neptune directly. The only thing I changed during the set up was I mounted it about a foot lower. Not sure if that did anything. I’m still convinced there is a bad batch of them out there and that was why my first one had so many problems.

 

[Browser]

Same alk problem here....
@Gophish1982 , what was you previous height placement and where did you placed the new Trident now?

 

[Gophish1982]

Same alk problem here....
@Gophish1982 , what was you previous height placement and where did you placed the new Trident now?

It was previously at 37” and now it’s at 23”, but honestly I still think they had a bad run of them.

 

[Browser]

It was previously at 37” and now it’s at 23”, but honestly I still think they had a bad run of them.

Thank you for the info. I changed the reagents today, made a reset to factory defaults and restart, as proposed in the other similar thread, and I am now calibrating with tank water to hanna readings..... This is my last hope...

 

[Gophish1982]

Thank you for the info. I changed the reagents today, made a reset to factory defaults and restart, as proposed in the other similar thread, and I am now calibrating with tank water to hanna readings..... This is my last hope...

Good Luck! I tried a reset as well and nothing helped. I’m happy to say with my replacement, it’s still reading VERY close to the Hanna/Salifert results I used to calibrate it with.

 

[NorthBayReefer]

Mine reads about 1.2KH below the Hannah all the time. It is consistent but I wonder if there isn't a hardware "maintenance" kit Neptune could offer to get these units working right. My problem is only with the Alk. I cleaned the cuvette as well as full disassembly and cleaning twice now as this was a unit I purchased used. Been running on my tank for three months and two full reagent kits and Alk has never read correctly.

 

[areefer01]

Mine reads about 1.2KH below the Hannah all the time. It is consistent but I wonder if there isn't a hardware "maintenance" kit Neptune could offer to get these units working right. My problem is only with the Alk. I cleaned the cuvette as well as full disassembly and cleaning twice now as this was a unit I purchased used. Been running on my tank for three months and two full reagent kits and Alk has never read correctly.

What makes you think it isn't working right? Mine works great. The post isn't about me though but rather making a point how multiple people can use the same piece of equipment yet have completely different experiences.

I noticed you said yours has been running for three months so this doesn't apply to you. However you said offer a maintenance kit. There is one - an optional self service kit.

 

[OfficeReefer]

I'm slowly considering getting an ION Director from GHL, that way I can be sure it's more on point and I get nitrate viability.

 

[areefer01]

I'm slowly considering getting an ION Director from GHL, that way I can be sure it's more on point and I get nitrate viability.

It may be a viable option if it is released and depending on what your budget is. The only drawback that I can see is that it no longer offers phosphate. Nitrate is really not that important but I know it may be to some. One of those things I guess. I would have preferred phosphate.

 

[vetteguy53081]

What makes you think it isn't working right? Mine works great. The post isn't about me though but rather making a point how multiple people can use the same piece of equipment yet have completely different experiences.

I noticed you said yours has been running for three months so this doesn't apply to you. However you said offer a maintenance kit. There is one - an optional self service kit.

Not all are accurate and have issues. I went through two before the third one finally read correctly (there was a known manifold issue). I do notice though many with issues are dealing with used units and there are service intervals recommended that are often not done

 

[areefer01]

Not all are accurate and have issues. I went through two before the third one finally read correctly (there was a known manifold issue). I do notice though many with issues are dealing with used units and there are service intervals recommended that are often not done

Care to reference "known" manifold issue? My point is that you are using one, I am using one, and both of us have difference experiences. I'm not saying you or anyone else is wrong. We see similar points raised with say Salt mixes. I find it interesting.

I can't speak for who is reporting issues as I don't have that data. I know I went through the manual service option and provided some feedback based on my experience.

 

[NorthBayReefer]

What makes you think it isn't working right? Mine works great. The post isn't about me though but rather making a point how multiple people can use the same piece of equipment yet have completely different experiences.

I noticed you said yours has been running for three months so this doesn't apply to you. However you said offer a maintenance kit. There is one - an optional self service kit.

I know it's not working right because I too have used multiple sources to check my readings. I didn't think to include all supporting story...
I bought the Hanna control vials to check my checker and it's spot on. I tested my water the same day I sent out an ATI sample and it was very close to the Hanna. My LFS (not sure what kit they used but not Hanna) matched my Hanna readings. By "matched" I mean within a point or two.

I know they have a service kit, but no mention there is an upgrade to address this issue. Hate to buy it and perform the service on a Trident that cannot be fixed and reads relatively accurate Mg and Ca.

 

[areefer01]

I know they have a service kit, but no mention there is an upgrade to address this issue. Hate to buy it and perform the service on a Trident that cannot be fixed and reads relatively accurate Mg and Ca.

Because it is a service kit and not any form of an upgrade. The suggested service is anywhere between 18 and 24 months if I recall correctly. If yours isn't falling in that window then I would suggest opening a ticket.

As I noted above there are others who have different experiences. Hard to say what drives them - maybe display water chemistry, location, placement, environment? Not sure. I use ATI when I run an ICP test. I collect water from the sump for a manual test (Hanna nitrate, phosphate, alk), fill the ICP samples, then let the trident run a combined test. Results come back within reason. I've even run a test using the calibration solution and results are close. No wide swings.

What reagents are you using if you don't mind me asking.