No Water Sample Error diy fix

[1mbrews8]

Not sure if this is the best place to post this, so feel free to move to more appropriate spot )

So I got the dreaded "No water sample" error on my Neptune Trident, so figured I'd try to fix it to save time sending in to Neptune.

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First the problem.. Totally my fault. I bought it in Sept 2019 at Macna and used it til reagents/refills ran out. Then too hard to get refills, so skipped it til now. So got clogged from no use..

Finally found some 2 month supplies the other day so got em. Did the install and started to get the error. Messed around and here are my trials and tribulation:

Step 1: Take the black sample line running from the back of the Trident to the tank it is pulling the test water from and make sure there are no kinks or blockages. Mine had blockages.... a bunch. I could feel them as I "slid" my fingers down the line. I tried flicking it, blowing air through it, nothing really worked. Then 2 things helped. Rubbing the areas clogged with finger tips first/smooshing them, and then using a Salifert syringe, with THE PINK TIP, to squirt water through it. Stuck it back on and tried again. No luck. Still error.
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Step 2: I knew the long line was fine now, so must be closer to the Trident. The long line connects to a tie in at the back of the Trident, so I took the long line off again and used the syringe to blow water INTO the Trident. Felt pressure release, so thought that'd be it... Tried testing again... Nope, error. So I took the reagents/tray out to see inside and saw that the white/clear line tying from the black supply line inside had blown loose. And the water I sprayed through... I found it lol. On the bottom inside. So plugged that back in and tried testing.... Nope. Error.
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Step 3: So now I figure it must be the white/clear line running through the solenoid to the little black wheel thing in the middle. Took apart again and then took apart the top cover of the Trident to get a better look/access. It is held by the bottom 4 rubber tab screws on the very bottom. Just unscrew counter clockwise and pull out the cover, then up. The line just pulls out of the one "crimped" side of the solenoid and then off the nub.
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Step 4: Now I pulled the white line out of the solenoid and off the TINY black nub on the wheel and blew that out. That was clogged too, so I was pretty sure that was the other culprit.
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Step 5: This was the biggest pain! Putting the hose back on the little black nub on the wheel... Tweezers prob would have been best, but this made due in a pinch (see what I did there?)! Pinch the one end of the line and push carefully onto the nub. Then push it back into the solenoid without pulling off the nub. Then just put everything back and try again!
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Finished and back to "normal".... Tested and back in action filling!
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Thanks to help from google and Michael Cohen from Simply Salt Aquatics too!

 

[1mbrews8]

not sure where those 2 pics came from??? trying to edit...

 

[1mbrews8]

cant edit i guess... here are correct pics if a mod can please maybe stick these in and take out the strange ones lol?

Thx!

 

[Marc88]

Thank you for this! Good job self diagnosing the issue. I'm going to save this page in the likely event I have the same problem.

 

[1mbrews8]

Thank you for this! Good job self diagnosing the issue. I'm going to save this page in the likely event I have the same problem.

Thanks! I couldn’t find too much on my own, so I figured it might help the community if there was something here to avoid having to give Neptune extra work during this crazy time... I’m sure they’re slammed

 

[minreef]

Thanks for this. I've had this issue along with many others and let the unit sit offline for months now. Will give this a try.

 

[1mbrews8]

Thanks for this. I've had this issue along with many others and let the unit sit offline for months now. Will give this a try.

Good luck and def let us know how it goes!

 

[TheHarold]

Proper procedure when you run out of reagents or are taking the Trident offline for any reason would be to use the "Shutdown" task, so it purges reagents from the lines. Otherwise they may crystalize and clog, like what happened here.

 

[1mbrews8]

Proper procedure when you run out of reagents or are taking the Trident offline for any reason would be to use the "Shutdown" task, so it purges reagents from the lines. Otherwise they may crystalize and clog, like what happened here.

Wow! That is cool and makes sense... but I never heard about it til now?!

Thanks and certainly valuable info!

 

[TheHarold]

Wow! That is cool and makes sense... but I never heard about it til now?!

Thanks and certainly valuable info!

it’s mentioned in the manual, and a bunch of times on the Official Neptune FB group and other places during the mid-covid reagent shortage. If the trident is to be disconnected for over 72 hours, run the shutdown task.

The minimum test frequency is also related to precipitation I believe, fluid must be kept moving if in those thin lines.