Osmolator 3155 problem

[NicoleC]

I am trying to set up my Osmolator 3155. However, the yellow LED lights up and the pump runs, even if the green level LED is lit and the optical sensor has water contact. The float switch, however, works and will trigger an alarm and stop the pump if it is raised too high.

Even if I deliberately drop the optical sensor lower, the pump does not stop.

I tried switching the wires at the cable clamp -- there were no instructions specifying if the beige or blue wires had to match up with the red/black or black wires. This didn't change anything.

Have I done something wrong installing this, or do I have a defective unit?

[rvitko]

The pump will run for about 10 seconds after a fill is registered and the green LED comes on. This is deliberate and allows a slight overfill to prevent the pump from rapidly cycling on and off. The wire polarity does not matter. Please check that it is not the normal 10 second run time.

[NicoleC]

Roger,

Thanks for the input. I can verify it only runs for a short while (more like 15 seconds than 10). However, the pump starts even if there is a level LED.

Is it normal operating to turn on the pump and run for a few seconds whenever the pump is plugged in?

[rvitko]

Yes, when power is first connected it does a sort of self diagnostic as the board energizes. It should run the pump for just a few seconds

There is a range, it runs from 8-15 seconds. On the original versions it turned off instantly and every few minutes it was turning back on, Mr. Tunze had one in his office on a small plant tank and was so annoyed by the start up and stop he added this delay about four years ago.

One last thing to note, new optic sensors are very finicky. Plastic, being made of oil, repels water, it takes a few days for this to be overcome by a surface film of microbes and minerals. For the first few days the sensor will behave erratically and the slightest air bubble will turn the pump on, you can alleviate this by rinsing the sensor in hot soapy water. This removes most of the waxy film on the sensor. It generally is not an issue in less some bubbles are present.

[NicoleC]

Hmmm. Sounds like this may be another fine Tunze product I get to lose money on. My power is not very stable here and even with good backup batteries there are brief dips when the power fluctuates which will trigger the pump. (I tested that, too.) On a stormy night this will mean a awful lot of FW getting dumped into my nano. But we'll see.

Thanks for your help, Roger.

[rvitko]

It may be something we can solve, keep me posted, let it run through a few days and get back to me. One thing that can help with power fluctations is an old fashioned coil power supply, it dampens the fluctuations better than those electronic power supplies and I could send one if needed.

[mcarroll]

Nicole (and all):

Just a point of clarification for my own future good as I'm shopping the Osmolator right now.

When you say this unit kicks on after a power dip "even when on backup batteries", do you mean an American Power Conversions (APC) type unit that would commonly be deployed for computers?

I ask because the switchover from commercial power to battery power in those units is (commonly) suspposed to take place in around 2-4 milliseconds, which is pretty fast.

If I'm describing your equipment accurately, this tells me the Osmolator electronics are *extremely* sensitive to power dropouts.

I have an APC line conditioner on my computer equipment that I can hear kick off at least once per day, so power brownouts/overages aren't as uncommon around me as I'd like them to be. Should I anticipate similar issues in using an Osmolator?

Thanks in advance for any guidance!

-Matt

[NicoleC]

Matt,

I am not using a line conditioner on the tank, although I am familiar with them. My battery backup is not quite that elite -- I choose to spend money on longevity instead. So yes, it's roughly comparable with a office quality APC device, but not a high end data center device. I have an identical battery unit on my cable modem and wireless router and they do not cycle when the battery kicks in.

After running this for about a week I can say that *sometimes* it triggers the osmolator and sometimes it doesn't. At this point, I think I can live with it. We haven't had a bad storm yet, though. I do have the safety float switch set to be pretty close to the optical sensor as a precaution.

In all other respects it's a very sweet device that works flawlessly for me.

[mcarroll]

Interesting!

BTW, none of my APC equipment is high-end data-center stuff -- all consumer grade.

The line conditioner is more or less a UPS without a battery - just a box of large capacitors I think, so it eats the brownouts and spikes instead of my equipment or UPS's. I did have to mail order it cuz it's unusual, but it wasn't expensive.

My UPS's themselves are one Belkin 1500v, one APC Back-UPS 750v, both purchased at local big-box retailers. If/when I install a UPS for the 38 gallon reef it'll probably be similar to one of those units.

I'm not trying to boost or dog any brands of UPS here, but would you mid for reference sharing the make/model of the unit you're using on the tank?

Thanks!
-Matt

[NicoleC]

I have several Cyberpower 1285AVR's. They are comparable to APC's, and will run my tank for about an hour and a half, which is plenty of time to drag out the generator if needed.

[mcarroll]

Very interesting, so it at least seems likely I'll run into the symptom you have sooner or later...not a big deal but worth being aware of.

BTW, if anyone cares now or down the road, here's a link to APC's current version ($60) of my line conditioner....they call it a Voltage Regulator now and it looks more modern (plastic case vs. metal on mine), but still has the same stats from what I can tell: http://www.apc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=67

Good luck and thanks for the info!
-Matt

[rvitko]

In the case of the Osmolator, just switching to an old coil pack power supply can be a big help, the copper coil type transformers do have a sort of cushioning effect compared to the modern electronic power supplies that we use now. It is probably a cheaper solution if you continue to have problems, I will even swap you out as we have some of the older coil type power supplies in stock still. They won't help with major fluctuations but minor peaks and dips are dampened.

[mcarroll]

Excellent suggestion! I'll keep that in mind as well in case it's needed - a 3155 is on my "short term" purchases list!

Thanks to all!
-Matt

[NicoleC]

Roger, is there a downside to using the copper coil transformers?

[rvitko]

They use marginally more power but mainly they are bulky and heavy and cover a few outlets on a power strip.