Smithrz
Active Member
Just a bit if a public service announcement really, today the sensor probe for the water level on my Red Sea ATO+ failed. The app simply displayed "Error" next to the water level section (other sensor probes seem fine, such as temp, and over fill). The day before it failed, it started doing very small top-ups (around 0.01-0.06ltr) every hour. Thankfully, the pump and everything else still works, so I can simply trigger a top-up manually a couple of times a day.
Red Sea support have said they will send me a new sensor, as it was only bought on October 2023. Now, this may be total coincidence, but on May 16th, Red Sea sent out an email, titled "ReefATO+ preventive maintenance" stating:
"It has come to our attention that in some aquarium systems, the titanium pins of the ReefATO+ level sensor can slowly build up a calcium carbonate or organic coating that can affect their sensitivity. To keep the ReefATO+ sensor at its optimum performance we recommend you do preventative maintenance of the sensor every 3 months to remove any such coatings. This is done easily by soaking the sensor in a weak acid solution (such as regular vinegar) for approximately 20 minutes and rinsing well before returning it to the system. If necessary, you can use a soft brush to remove any stubborn deposits."
So, just on Monday past, I cleaned my sensor with a weak solution of citric acid as it had kinda stopped consistently topping up, so I figured, I must have calcium buildup like the email said. After the cleaning, it went back to it's normal filling routine, and all seemed well... But then 4 days later, it failed. Like I say, it could be total coincidence, as I told Red Sea all of this information, and they still said they'll send me a replacement, and never said anything about the cleaning approach.
Perhaps I've just been unlucky, but this is my first equipment failure on a <1 year old system, and I know that it's a case of when rather than if, with failures; just didn't expect it to happen so soon. Hopefully the newer models have had any underlying issues addressed, but thought I'd share for anyone thinking about getting one; maybe others have reported the same issue, but I'll leave that for you to search for
I would add that up until this week, I wouldn't have had a single complaint about the ATO+, it's been great otherwise; and I can still lazily top up from a button press in the app until the new sensor comes. very much a first world problem!
Red Sea support have said they will send me a new sensor, as it was only bought on October 2023. Now, this may be total coincidence, but on May 16th, Red Sea sent out an email, titled "ReefATO+ preventive maintenance" stating:
"It has come to our attention that in some aquarium systems, the titanium pins of the ReefATO+ level sensor can slowly build up a calcium carbonate or organic coating that can affect their sensitivity. To keep the ReefATO+ sensor at its optimum performance we recommend you do preventative maintenance of the sensor every 3 months to remove any such coatings. This is done easily by soaking the sensor in a weak acid solution (such as regular vinegar) for approximately 20 minutes and rinsing well before returning it to the system. If necessary, you can use a soft brush to remove any stubborn deposits."
So, just on Monday past, I cleaned my sensor with a weak solution of citric acid as it had kinda stopped consistently topping up, so I figured, I must have calcium buildup like the email said. After the cleaning, it went back to it's normal filling routine, and all seemed well... But then 4 days later, it failed. Like I say, it could be total coincidence, as I told Red Sea all of this information, and they still said they'll send me a replacement, and never said anything about the cleaning approach.
Perhaps I've just been unlucky, but this is my first equipment failure on a <1 year old system, and I know that it's a case of when rather than if, with failures; just didn't expect it to happen so soon. Hopefully the newer models have had any underlying issues addressed, but thought I'd share for anyone thinking about getting one; maybe others have reported the same issue, but I'll leave that for you to search for
I would add that up until this week, I wouldn't have had a single complaint about the ATO+, it's been great otherwise; and I can still lazily top up from a button press in the app until the new sensor comes. very much a first world problem!
