tunze 3155 ATO mulfunction every night

[Gaoweihd]

Hi everyone,

I've been using a Tunze 3155 ATO for my 60cm x 40cm x 30cm tank (32 gallon display + 20 gallon refugium) for over 10 months. Initially, it worked perfectly, but after the first two months, I started facing an issue with the water level low detection. It fails to detect low water levels randomly, leading to increased salinity. Counter-intuitively, unplugging and replugging the power supply doesn't fix the problem. I have to manually adjust the optical sensor near the return pump by dipping it in water and then repositioning it, which temporarily fixes the problem.

The issue has become more frequent lately, and I'm surprised since I've always heard about the reliability of this ATO. Has anyone else experienced similar issues with the Tunze 3155? Any suggestions on how to fix this?

I've attached a screenshot of my Apex freshwater reservoir water level log for reference. Appreciate any insights or advice from the community!

 

[bushdoc]

I had similar issue, just few days ago, but it was my fault-I've neglected to clean sensors.
I soaked them in vinegar for several hours and problem disappeared.
If this is not an issue in your case, then there might be a faulty unit.
I've had Tunze ATOs for ages and they are ( or were) very reliable if you take care of them, but quality of lot's of stuff is dropping exponentially, especially if they are produced in countries with sketchy quality control.

 

[Gaoweihd]

I had similar issue, just few days ago, but it was my fault-I've neglected to clean sensors.
I soaked them in vinegar for several hours and problem disappeared.
If this is not an issue in your case, then there might be a faulty unit.
I've had Tunze ATOs for ages and they are ( or were) very reliable if you take care of them, but quality of lot's of stuff is dropping exponentially, especially if they are produced in countries with sketchy quality control.

Thanks, I'll try clean the sensor today. How often does the sensor needs to be cleaned?

 

[bushdoc]

^^^ Good question, mine was not cleaned for 10 months and started to malfunction, so perhaps every 3-4 months or so.

 

[Gtinnel]

Mine is in the back chamber of an ATO and if I don’t clean the optic sensor it will not work after just a month or two.

 

[Gaoweihd]

now it's been a day it's working fine since I reset it. I didn't do any cleaning for the sensor, so I'm wondering if it's really a sensor issue

 

[jda]

These are reliable pieces of equipment - along with Tunze Pumps, Ranco Temp Controllers and Askoll Block Pumps, some of the best out there. If this keeps up, put a thread in the Tunze forum and Roger will likely get with you. He is the best of the best for help and even repairs.

I rinse my sensors off every few months with just a splash of tank water in the sump. Run my finger over the eye just to get any gunk off. Not high effort or anything.

The only failures that I have ever had are from the blue and white pumps, so I have extras on hand now. I had a unit throw a code and I sent it to Roger and he fixed it for free - this unit was old from like the first year of availability so it was plenty old.

 

[jda]

Sorry, but I did not notice that you posted tank dimensions in CM. While Roger might not be able to help you with repair if you are not in the US, he is still very helpful. He also probably knows who the repair person is for your region.

 

[Gtinnel]

Sorry, but I did not notice that you posted tank dimensions in CM. While Roger might not be able to help you with repair if you are not in the US, he is still very helpful. He also probably knows who the repair person is for your region.

According to his profile he lives in New Jersey

 

[ryanjohn1]

Mine sensor is 3 years old. Never been cleaned. Always works. Guess I’m just lucky

 

[Gtinnel]

When mine was new it took about a month until mine failed to fill my tank. Its kind of a pain to clean in my tank because it’s a AIO tank and I can’t reach down to where the sensor is, so I have to pull the magnet and all out to wipe it off. Now that I wipe it off every month I haven’t had any issues with it. I do like the ATO, even though it is a little inconvenient to get mine out to wipe it off.
OP before even considering that it may be a sensor problem why not try cleaning it first. That seems like the first logic troubleshooting step to me.

 

[Gaoweihd]

LOL I'm in New Jersey, using CM just since the numbers are easier to memorize than inches...

I'll wait for the next failure then do the cleaning, since it's been consistently fail everyday, I really want to check the pattern. I also think that maybe the refugium light could affect the ATO light sensor, which makes sense for it to fail every night.


If nothing works I'll then contact Tunze customer service.

 

[Dave Clark]

LOL I'm in New Jersey, using CM just since the numbers are easier to memorize than inches...

I'll wait for the next failure then do the cleaning, since it's been consistently fail everyday, I really want to check the pattern. I also think that maybe the refugium light could affect the ATO light sensor, which makes sense for it to fail every night.


If nothing works I'll then contact Tunze customer service.

Hi ... any updates on your Tunze?

 

[Gaoweihd]

Hi ... any updates on your Tunze?

I soaked the sensor in vinegar for one night, and relocated the refugium light, the combination of these two fix the problem.

 

[dadnjesse]

I have the Tunze 3155 in my tank going on 8 years, I think I cleaned it once I have never had a problem with the sensor.