Ac2 Problems

[Bugzme]

I have an ac 2 that I have nothing but problems with! I had problems with the x-10 controlling my electronic ballasts so I bought a dc-4 to run my lights, It did for 2 weeks and now it doesn't respond to commands! When things work out its great but when it doesn't it's scary! When things aren't working all the readings (temp,orp,ph ) all go crazy. I believe the Neptune is a good product but I think more testing should be done. better suppot and personal contact should be available!
Just my 2 cents!!

[Bugzme]

I just walked in and it had everything off including my main return pump. So basically I'm not using the neptune control at all. I love paying $1000.00 to be automated and have to run everything by hand! What's up Neptune?

[clp]

Please call 408-578-3022, and I'll helpl find out what is wrong. I'm in the office and have been all day, not sure what what we can do to have better support/personal contact. Have you checked the fuse in the DC4? Perhaps it is blown?

Curt

[dhoch]

Let me just say that so far in my experience their technical support is excellent... Available much of the time you just need to email or call and they will respond.

Dave

[Bugzme]

Nothing blown! Now the darn thing is running! Who in their right mind would trust some thing like this with thousands of dollars in coral in their tanks? Not me!!

[clp]

Please call when you are in front of your controller, and I'll go over your setup with you.

Curt

[Bugzme]

If I unplug the power supply and remove the battery will I need to recalibrate my orp and ph?

[clp]

No. The calibration constants/program are stored in nonvolatile memory (EEPROM).

Curt

[Bugzme]

Curt, I did what you told me and now it's really going crazy. Like the temperature is accurate but the neptune won't turn on the fans and the temp is high enough for them to be on.

[clp]

Please email me your address, serial number of the controller and DC4, and I'll send you the cable as we discussed.

Curt

[Bugzme]

Pm sent! thanks curt

[plaz]

Curt,
What cables helped this situation? I thought the DCs were all that were needed.

Also, what happened with Durso's model?

Trying to decide on whether to get a system or not. We wanted it so we didn't have to worry while are away (both travel). I don't mind testing it on a small tank for a few weeks. But after that, I need to know that it is reliable. I keep reading about systems that seem to work fine and later have problems. Can you fill us in on the root causes?

Thanks!

[clp]

I'm still working with bugzme to get to the bottom of his problem. He has been sent a new AquaController to DC8 cord to see if this resolves the problem.
If you are referring to Durso's DC4HD, the manufacturers analysis is inconclusive. To me it looked like water damage, but I was told that wasn't possible... We have added a load test to our manufacturing process assuming that the problem was caused by part defect.
The vast majority of most customers problems are user errors during setup, configuration, etc. Of course there are some component failures, etc. but they are very infrequent.
Overall I think that our products are very reliable, and will give years of trouble free operation. Unfortunately, the flexibility of our controllers results in some complexity in configuring it. If your VCR is still flashing '12:00', then our controllers are definitely not for you. :-)

Curt

[plaz]

Thanks Curt!
I totally understand setup issues and am not concerned with getting past that learning curve (the forum has always given good feedback for your customer service and people are always willing to help with questions).

My concerns were totally related to issues "popping up" long after setup was complete and all was tested. In particular, the cutting on or off after it worked fine for several weeks.... and of course any overheating or melting issues!

When will the testing begin? If we order, how/when can we be assured we will get a unit that has gone through the extra tests?

[kattner]

Hey Plaz,

I've have ACII and ACIIIPro, DC4HDs and DC8. They all work great and I've never had any problems. And this forum is awesome for getting help. I don't think there is another product that is as flexible and reliable. And there isn't any other forum like this one where you can get help from a large user base of installed units. There are a lot of people here that can help with configuration and Curt is always around for the tough problems.

Ken

[clp]

plaz,
The testing has been going on for some time. If the serial number on the DC4HD is greater than 6200, then it has been load tested. DC8 and DC4 are not an issue.

Curt

[Bugzme]

Curt I just wanted to report that my tank has gone crazy several times in the last 24 hours. I have had to calibrate the temp 6 times in that period. halides haven't cone too crazy but the refugium lights and the cooling fans really have. Could I have a bad temp probe that is causing all this to happen? Will ac power (9volts) from another source located close to theNeptune cause a problem?

[clp]

Did you remove the rubber cap from the tip of the temperature probe? Are lights/fans going on/off because you have them programmed to do turn on/off depending on the temperature? Is the temperature oscillating? Do the temp probe readings change depending on whether some light/appliance is on/off? If you have a short log interval, you can look at the datalog and see if the readings are stable at some point and see if that correlates with something being on/off.

If you have temp statements in your light program, and the temperature is erratic, your lights could certainly behave erratically too. I don't think 9V from another source will cause any problems.

Curt

[Bugzme]

No I did not remove it Temperature is ocillating in run and setup. No change if lights on/off. The temperature is basically never stable in the last 2 weeks. The temp can jump up 10 and down 10 at any time.

[clp]

Something is wrong with the controller or the temperature probe. Please call on Monday to arrange a replacement controller and temperature probe to be sent to you. We need to get a credit card number for a security deposit.

Curt

[Bugzme]

That's music to my ears! I have had a bad week or 2 with my tank! I'll be calling at 9:00 tomorrow morning. Is there anything I can do to get them here asap? I'll even pay extra shipping! I am a member of WMAS which has over 1000 members and alot of them swear by Neptune! I'm sure it's just a defective unit. Do you sell an extension cable for the temp probe?
Thanks for your caring and help.

[Bugzme]

Curt, I never did recieve that shielded cable that you sent me. Do you have the right address?
Jeff

[clp]

It was sent to the correct address. It was shipped via first class mail so I don't have a tracking number. I suspect that US mail is just slow.

Curt

[Bugzme]

I hope your not sending the replacements that way! I'll pay extra for faster shipping! You've got my cc number

[clp]

They went by UPS. I'll pm the tracking #.

Curt