Tunze Osmalator 3155 Problem

retin78 · 07/12/2017, 03:31 PM

I been using this for a little over year and i notice the pump would run for 1-3 second and shut off and red lights turn on and sound stop beeping. Water level is low to where it suppose to be. So I decide to take the pump out of the water and have it run. It runs fine, it keep on going, but once i put it back in the water it stop after 2-3 second. I though the pump was bad so, I went to buy a new pump. I'm still having the same problem new pump. What do you advise?

rvitko · 07/12/2017, 04:08 PM

That is strange, I would lean toward the pump as well, is the connector for the pump possibly corroded?

retin78 · 07/12/2017, 04:29 PM

I just check the connector. It's looks clean. What I did this time was not connect the black hose from pump to sump and it ran fine. But once I connect the black hose (black water hose came with the pump) it stop running around 3 sec. And it started peeping. orange/red light flashing.

Could it too much pressure and the pump shut off automically?

rvitko · 07/13/2017, 08:05 AM

Which red light is flashing? There are two, too high and too low. Too low flashing in less than 10 minutes by itself will usually mean that the memory was erased so it has no timer settings and instead of 10 minutes to too low it is zero minutes. A bad pump or power surge or harsh off and on switching can all be causes of this but it won't recover by itself it would have to be reprogrammed.

Too high and too low means water damage

All 4 lights flashing off and on is an indicator of an overload or underpower, wrong power supply or bad pump. What may be happening is the power supply was inadvertently swapped with a weaker one, for example one for an Apex, it will then work until the pump kicks on and if the pump has no load it may be able to run. Check that the power supply indeed says Tunze on it order number 5012.010.

retin78 · 07/19/2017, 05:32 PM

thanks for your help roger. so the whole time I been using a 11 volt ac adapter. Been working fine but I guess it at up and couldn't put out enough power. I just bought a 12v ac adapter and everything work great now.

rvitko · 07/20/2017, 08:26 AM

We did use an 11V adapter and they changed to 12V only so we could use the same adapter for our LED's. My hunch would be if the old power supply is ours it likely is just weak.

cwschoon · 08/04/2017, 06:45 AM

After much, much research, I just ordered the Tunze 3155 and am now hearing horror stories: biblical floods; water keeps on pumping, etc.; people having to exchange units. Anyone have issues out there? Is this recent?

rvitko · 08/04/2017, 09:49 AM

Any flood stories I would chalk up to what George Carlin once said, "Think of how stupid the average person is and realized by definition of average, half of them are stupider than that." It is impossible without a gross mistake in installation. They are prone to overfilling when first installed due to bubbles on the optic sensor but without a siphon due to improper installation the max possible fill is 3 gals set by the 10 minute safety timer, it has a float back up that should cut it off before that, but I do even see people bypass the float and the float is totally redundant circuit, unless you omit or improper install the float, bypassing every safety is just not probable baring a gross installation error, really a siphon is the only way to bypass every safety. Within a few days the optic sensor has a biofilm coating and the bubble issue subsides if reasonable caution was taken during install to place it in a calm bubble free area.

cwschoon · 08/04/2017, 10:45 AM

Thank you for the reassuring reply!

rvitko · 08/04/2017, 11:14 AM

I am sorry if that sounded rude, but I would even lump myself in that category as I have bent screwdrivers that prove I am not beyond using things outside of the way they were intended. Really though, it is a very safe system if no modified or installed wrong, it is completely possible to overfill past the optic sensor, but unless something is done so wrong the timer and float aren't working a flood should be impossible. The engineers really thought of everything so even a water damage short on the board causes a shut down with error code and there have been zero technical changes since 2012.

07/12/2017, 03:31 PM	#1
retin78 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: california Posts: 302	Tunze Osmalator 3155 Problem I been using this for a little over year and i notice the pump would run for 1-3 second and shut off and red lights turn on and sound stop beeping. Water level is low to where it suppose to be. So I decide to take the pump out of the water and have it run. It runs fine, it keep on going, but once i put it back in the water it stop after 2-3 second. I though the pump was bad so, I went to buy a new pump. I'm still having the same problem new pump. What do you advise?

07/12/2017, 04:08 PM	#2
rvitko RC Sponsor Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Austin Texas USA Posts: 35,785	That is strange, I would lean toward the pump as well, is the connector for the pump possibly corroded? __________________ Roger Vitko Tunze USA "He's for every one of us, stands for every one of us, he'll save every man, woman and child in a mighty Flash!" Current Tank Info: 210 gallon planted tank with Altum Angelfish

07/13/2017, 08:05 AM	#4
rvitko RC Sponsor Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Austin Texas USA Posts: 35,785	Which red light is flashing? There are two, too high and too low. Too low flashing in less than 10 minutes by itself will usually mean that the memory was erased so it has no timer settings and instead of 10 minutes to too low it is zero minutes. A bad pump or power surge or harsh off and on switching can all be causes of this but it won't recover by itself it would have to be reprogrammed. Too high and too low means water damage All 4 lights flashing off and on is an indicator of an overload or underpower, wrong power supply or bad pump. What may be happening is the power supply was inadvertently swapped with a weaker one, for example one for an Apex, it will then work until the pump kicks on and if the pump has no load it may be able to run. Check that the power supply indeed says Tunze on it order number 5012.010. __________________ Roger Vitko Tunze USA "He's for every one of us, stands for every one of us, he'll save every man, woman and child in a mighty Flash!" Current Tank Info: 210 gallon planted tank with Altum Angelfish

07/20/2017, 08:26 AM	#6
rvitko RC Sponsor Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Austin Texas USA Posts: 35,785	We did use an 11V adapter and they changed to 12V only so we could use the same adapter for our LED's. My hunch would be if the old power supply is ours it likely is just weak. __________________ Roger Vitko Tunze USA "He's for every one of us, stands for every one of us, he'll save every man, woman and child in a mighty Flash!" Current Tank Info: 210 gallon planted tank with Altum Angelfish

08/04/2017, 09:49 AM	#8
rvitko RC Sponsor Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Austin Texas USA Posts: 35,785	Any flood stories I would chalk up to what George Carlin once said, "Think of how stupid the average person is and realized by definition of average, half of them are stupider than that." It is impossible without a gross mistake in installation. They are prone to overfilling when first installed due to bubbles on the optic sensor but without a siphon due to improper installation the max possible fill is 3 gals set by the 10 minute safety timer, it has a float back up that should cut it off before that, but I do even see people bypass the float and the float is totally redundant circuit, unless you omit or improper install the float, bypassing every safety is just not probable baring a gross installation error, really a siphon is the only way to bypass every safety. Within a few days the optic sensor has a biofilm coating and the bubble issue subsides if reasonable caution was taken during install to place it in a calm bubble free area. __________________ Roger Vitko Tunze USA "He's for every one of us, stands for every one of us, he'll save every man, woman and child in a mighty Flash!" Current Tank Info: 210 gallon planted tank with Altum Angelfish

07/12/2017, 04:29 PM	#3
retin78 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: california Posts: 302	I just check the connector. It's looks clean. What I did this time was not connect the black hose from pump to sump and it ran fine. But once I connect the black hose (black water hose came with the pump) it stop running around 3 sec. And it started peeping. orange/red light flashing. Could it too much pressure and the pump shut off automically?

07/19/2017, 05:32 PM	#5
retin78 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: california Posts: 302	thanks for your help roger. so the whole time I been using a 11 volt ac adapter. Been working fine but I guess it at up and couldn't put out enough power. I just bought a 12v ac adapter and everything work great now.

08/04/2017, 06:45 AM	#7
cwschoon Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,318	After much, much research, I just ordered the Tunze 3155 and am now hearing horror stories: biblical floods; water keeps on pumping, etc.; people having to exchange units. Anyone have issues out there? Is this recent?

08/04/2017, 10:45 AM	#9
cwschoon Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,318	Thank you for the reassuring reply!

08/04/2017, 11:14 AM	#10
rvitko RC Sponsor Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Austin Texas USA Posts: 35,785	I am sorry if that sounded rude, but I would even lump myself in that category as I have bent screwdrivers that prove I am not beyond using things outside of the way they were intended. Really though, it is a very safe system if no modified or installed wrong, it is completely possible to overfill past the optic sensor, but unless something is done so wrong the timer and float aren't working a flood should be impossible. The engineers really thought of everything so even a water damage short on the board causes a shut down with error code and there have been zero technical changes since 2012. __________________ Roger Vitko Tunze USA "He's for every one of us, stands for every one of us, he'll save every man, woman and child in a mighty Flash!" Current Tank Info: 210 gallon planted tank with Altum Angelfish