ATO keeps filling

[MatteZ]

Hey all,

I have the Tunze ATO and for some reason it keeps overfilling. I have to always shut it off because the annoying beep it makes. It seems to happen the most when I refill the container holding the freshwater. I have the probe and float switch in my return side of the pump. I can't figure it out. It could be fine for 2 days then it just fills till the float shuts it off and then it beeps like crazy and I get a nasty text from my wife telling my that my fish tank is beeping and to make it stop. I have it on an Apex control system so when I use the feed timer I have it set to come back on ten minutes after all of the pumps. That way it can all get settled down. It isn't snails or hermits. I checked.

Any thoughts?

 

[magic]

Is your topoff water source higher then the sump? If it is you maybe siphoning water even after your pump stops.

Bob

 

[MatteZ]

Is your topoff water source higher then the sump? If it is you maybe siphoning water even after your pump stops.

Bob

I bet it is!!! I can't move where I keep the container...

 

[trivan]

How many times are you feeding? It is a known issue that when the Tunze turns on, it activates the pump for about 10 secs. I've asked if this could be prevented on the Tunze forum, and the rep said no. So I would not turn it on and off, just leave it on. I had the same issue last year when the electric was going on and off in October.

 

[Hawkeye]

Hey all,

I have the Tunze ATO and for some reason it keeps overfilling. I have to always shut it off because the annoying beep it makes. It seems to happen the most when I refill the container holding the freshwater. I have the probe and float switch in my return side of the pump. I can't figure it out. It could be fine for 2 days then it just fills till the float shuts it off and then it beeps like crazy and I get a nasty text from my wife telling my that my fish tank is beeping and to make it stop. I have it on an Apex control system so when I use the feed timer I have it set to come back on ten minutes after all of the pumps. That way it can all get settled down. It isn't snails or hermits. I checked.

Any thoughts?

Probe is dirty. Get a wipe and clean it. if it's in the return side and you don't have a filter sock you're probably getting a lot of splash/bubbles and this will cling to the probe until it can no longer read.

Wait a minute - why is it set on the APEX? The tunze ato is completely self reliant and does not need to be on any controller...in fact that's once of the reasons why the thing is so expensive. Feeding the fish should not have to require turning off the ATO. Why are you doing that?

Are you saying you turn off the return pump when feeding?

I never turn off the return pump. I only stop the powerheads when feeding. Even then my fish will run down any food blown by the pumps. What's left is consumed by the hermits and brittle stars.

 

[MatteZ]

Probe is dirty. Get a wipe and clean it. if it's in the return side and you don't have a filter sock you're probably getting a lot of splash/bubbles and this will cling to the probe until it can no longer read.

Wait a minute - why is it set on the APEX? The tunze ato is completely self reliant and does not need to be on any controller...in fact that's once of the reasons why the thing is so expensive. Feeding the fish should not have to require turning off the ATO. Why are you doing that?

Are you saying you turn off the return pump when feeding?


I never turn off the return pump. I only stop the powerheads when feeding. Even then my fish will run down any food blown by the pumps. What's left is consumed by the hermits and brittle stars.

When I was setting up the APEX I googled tons of different configurations, and I read both the Official and Unofficial Guides. I have the FeedA cycle set to shut off the power heads, return pump, the skimmer, and the ATO. I have the returns and power heads off to keep from blowing the food all around. I have the skimmer set to go on 5 minutes after the pumps come back on. I have the ATO set to come back on 10 minutes after the feed cycle ends. I have it set that way because when the pumps are all off the water level in the sumps rises just enough to trigger the ATO float and set off the alarms.

I will try cleaning the probe and see if that helps. I think the problem was what Magic had said about the ATO being higher than the sump. I poked a few holes in the line in the freshwater container to see if that will break the siphon.

If what I tried doesn't work I will go with what you just suggested.

 

[MatteZ]

How many times are you feeding? It is a known issue that when the Tunze turns on, it activates the pump for about 10 secs. I've asked if this could be prevented on the Tunze forum, and the rep said no. So I would not turn it on and off, just leave it on. I had the same issue last year when the electric was going on and off in October.

I feed about one time a day. Some days when my 19 month son slides the stool over to the tank and says, "ish ish" I can't help but to feed them again.

 

[asonitez]

What you need is to make sure where ever you are dumping water into your system is higher than the top off container and the pump. The tunze top off is great but it suffers from many issues traditional topoffs suffer from. Its incredibly easy to start a siphon through 1/4" tubing and this is what the pump is probably doing in your sump. When I had this issue I actually modded a float valve and siliconed it to the side of the sump the water would only flow while the valve was open. Once the valve's float raised (because the water level in the sump raised) it would stop water from pouring in from the ATO pump. Actually what this did for me was give me a doubly reliable TopOff. If my ATO pump failed the siphon it created could still top off my sump with the float valve as the water level regulator.

 

[MatteZ]

What you need is to make sure where ever you are dumping water into your system is higher than the top off container and the pump. The tunze top off is great but it suffers from many issues traditional topoffs suffer from. Its incredibly easy to start a siphon through 1/4" tubing and this is what the pump is probably doing in your sump. When I had this issue I actually modded a float valve and siliconed it to the side of the sump the water would only flow while the valve was open. Once the valve's float raised (because the water level in the sump raised) it would stop water from pouring in from the ATO pump. Actually what this did for me was give me a doubly reliable TopOff. If my ATO pump failed the siphon it created could still top off my sump with the float valve as the water level regulator.

I am pretty sure that's what my problem is. However I can't raise the sump or lower the container holding the water. So I am going to have to do something like what you did. I am started by poking some holes in the supply tube. I poked the holes in the tube that is in the freshwater container above the water line. I am hoping that that will break the siphon and fix my problem.

 

[Fish Brain]

What about running the ATO tube up to the tank return? I've done this before, run the tubing up to the overflow area, and the top off water goes right down to the sump. Just make sure the output to the overflow is well above the waterline.

 

[MatteZ]

What about running the ATO tube up to the tank return? I've done this before, run the tubing up to the overflow area, and the top off water goes right down to the sump. Just make sure the output to the overflow is well above the waterline.

That sounds like a good idea also! I may have to try that. Right now I have both the probe and the supply line in the last part of the sump. Will it cause a problem if I put the supply in another part of the system?

 

[Hawkeye]

That sounds like a good idea also! I may have to try that. Right now I have both the probe and the supply line in the last part of the sump. Will it cause a problem if I put the supply in another part of the system?

no there should be no issue.

I used to do this when I had my sump directly under the tank. The ATO would be connected into the overflow just as thermosts said. Now today my sump is downstairs so running it back up to my overflow would be like 12 feet in hose and not worth it.

What is the GPH on the return vs the Powerheads? An argument could be made that you're better off with stronger PHs and a weaker Return pump. This way you could keep the return pump on.

 

[jpelzer]

My RO tank is about 3' above the tank it tops off into.., siphon would definitely happen, but the easy solution is this: a few feet of 1/2" PVC, a PVC end cap, a 1/4" John Guest fitting. The fitting is drilled and tapped into the end cap, and the cap also has a 1/4" hole. The ATO pump pumps UP to this cap via regular RO hose. It flows down the PVC, the hole in the cap breaks siphon.

The solution with a float valve is actually only as safe as the float, since the ATO will always keep the siphon primed... If the float ever failed, you'd be assured of an overflow. You need a siphon break, always. All valves fail, eventually.

 

[MatteZ]

My RO tank is about 3' above the tank it tops off into.., siphon would definitely happen, but the easy solution is this: a few feet of 1/2" PVC, a PVC end cap, a 1/4" John Guest fitting. The fitting is drilled and tapped into the end cap, and the cap also has a 1/4" hole. The ATO pump pumps UP to this cap via regular RO hose. It flows down the PVC, the hole in the cap breaks siphon.

The solution with a float valve is actually only as safe as the float, since the ATO will always keep the siphon primed... If the float ever failed, you'd be assured of an overflow. You need a siphon break, always. All valves fail, eventually.

Kinda like an air gap for a dishwasher?

 

[TanksNStuff]

My sump is in my stand below my tank and I was having a similar issue when I first setup my Tunze Osmo. Whenever the pump kicked on, it would continue filling the sump until the water level in my container was level with the end of the output tube.

The solution was simple and exactly as Brian (Thermosts) suggested. I ran my tubing from the topoff pump up to my overflow box. My tubing actually enters my canopy through the hole for my lighting wires and and then the clamp that holds the tube in place was attached to the hinge lock on my canopy. Before I had my canopy though, I attached it right to the top frame of my display tank at the overflow chamber.

Here's a pic of how it's attached now. It's the black tube on the far right and the end of the tube is sitting about 2 inches above the water surface. (Ignore the hanging temp probe. I took the pic before I fed that down into the overflow chamber too.)



This instantly resolved all my siphon issues and since it goes into the overflow box it doesn't take long to make it down to the sump and level it off. I'm sure it would do the same for you. I keep my sensor probe in the return section also.