Tunze ATO question - is this working properly??

[jkobel]

I have the Tunze Osmolator and for years it has done this which i am just at the end of my rope with:

*sometimes* it will just not read the water level and stop adding RO/DI. This is not too frequent, maybe once a month. The issue is that if I then add water back manually to get to the sensor it will not just pick back up where it left off and continue to add water when the level drops. I need to remember to unplug the unit for about 20-30 seconds after the water level is at the sensor to reset it. Then it will work properly for a while.

Is this thing faulty or working normally and this is just a quirk? When I bought it, this was really the industry standard from what I could tell but that was maybe 7-8 years ago. Now I use an Apex and wondering if the Neptune ATO isn't a better option. Or, is there a totally better option in the market?

Toughts?

 

[ScubaShane]

So if you have some extra money just get something else like the ATK. If you budget reef then completely uninstall it and clean everything with vinegar and replace the hoses. If you still have problems reach out to Tunze and ask about warranty replacement.

 

[Tamberav]

I have the Tunze Osmolator and for years it has done this which i am just at the end of my rope with:

*sometimes* it will just not read the water level and stop adding RO/DI. This is not too frequent, maybe once a month. The issue is that if I then add water back manually to get to the sensor it will not just pick back up where it left off and continue to add water when the level drops. I need to remember to unplug the unit for about 20-30 seconds after the water level is at the sensor to reset it. Then it will work properly for a while.

Is this thing faulty or working normally and this is just a quirk? When I bought it, this was really the industry standard from what I could tell but that was maybe 7-8 years ago. Now I use an Apex and wondering if the Neptune ATO isn't a better option. Or, is there a totally better option in the market?

Toughts?

It is still the best ATO imo. Mine has never done that and is about 7 years old now.

If you go read reviews on BRS you can see the Neptune one has its own host of problems and a much lower rating. It has 3 star and the Tunze has 5... heh. Neptune isn't he best at everything.

Your ATO sounds defective. Basically if it senses the ATO CONTAINER is empty (keeps trying to run the pump and can't get water) then it will stop filling until it is turned off and back on... so I am thinking the problem is something there and not your sensor. Maybe the pump is defective (they are cheap). Unless you are letting the RODI container get too low, then it is working as intended as to not burn out the pump.

 

[Tathamet]

To me it sounds like it’s possibly on the edge and hitting the runtime limit which shuts it down until you reset it. My osmolator nano did this when I was testing out its limits.

When it’s not working properly do you hear the unit make a click sound every once in awhile? I think mine did that when I did the test and left it alone to see if it would turn back on. That or I lifted the float and dropped it back down and it would make the click then and wouldn’t turn back on until I unplugged it and plugged it back in.

 

[jkobel]

It is still the best ATO imo. Mine has never done that and is about 7 years old now.

If you go read reviews on BRS you can see the Neptune one has its own host of problems and a much lower rating. It has 3 star and the Tunze has 5... heh. Neptune isn't he best at everything.

Your ATO sounds defective. Basically if it senses the ATO CONTAINER is empty (keeps trying to run the pump and can't get water) then it will stop filling until it is turned off and back on... so I am thinking the problem is something there and not your sensor. Maybe the pump is defective (they are cheap). Unless you are letting the RODI container get too low, then it is working as intended as to not burn out the pump.

i've replaced the pump recently for unrelated issues. The res never goes dry, this is about the water level in the sump dropping, the sensor not noticing, and then when refilled the sensor doesn't register that either.

 

[jkobel]

To me it sounds like it’s possibly on the edge and hitting the runtime limit which shuts it down until you reset it. My osmolator nano did this when I was testing out its limits.

When it’s not working properly do you hear the unit make a click sound every once in awhile? I think mine did that when I did the test and left it alone to see if it would turn back on. That or I lifted the float and dropped it back down and it would make the click then and wouldn’t turn back on until I unplugged it and plugged it back in.

haven't noticed a click

 

[killer2001]

Make sure the sensor is clean of any salt creep or other residue. Also the wire that connects to the sensor itself needs to be away from the clear optical part, or any wire for that matter, it will interfere.

 

[rossco]

Try taking the sensor and soaking It in vinegar for a bit and wipe it off. Mine would do that from precipitation from my Kalk reactor /ato which was upstream.