2 ato pumps hooked up together?..?
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Joe31415
Valuable Member
Yes and no.
No, you cannot directly connect two pumps to the 3155 board. The board can only supply 1.2amps and each pump takes almost a full amp to run. At least that's what I'm reading from something @rvitko wrote when I was looking for specs. What I don't know, however is if slowing down the pump would result in less amp draw. I also don't know if drawing too much from the board results in a damaged board or blowing a user replaceable fuse.
Having said that, what you CAN do, is pick up a switched outlet. This one can provide nearly 8 amps (but pay attention if buying it, it looks like they either have multiple styles for different countries or require adapters). If you're not familiar with this, you plug the wire that goes to the pump into the outlet. The controller simply turns the outlet on and off. The idea being that you can than use any pump you want which is useful if you need to push the water up higher than the included pump is capable of. However, you could also use it (with an outlet splitter) to attach multiple pumps.
Just keep in mind, that each pump will need it's own line running up to the tank or they'll need check valves between the pump and where you connect the two lines. Otherwise if one pump dies, the good pump will push water up to the splitter and it'll just fall back down though the non-working side.
Having said that, this is a hundred dollar project between the pump and the outlet. Before I pulled the trigger on that, I'd look into finding or making my own switched outlet with a 12v relay (or whatever the 3155 puts out). Either that, or at least consider just using a second Tunze 3155. It would only be an extra hundred bucks or so (above and beyond a switched outlet and pump) and that extra hundred bucks gets you an additional controller. So not only are you protected against the pump going dying, you're also protected against problems with the controller. Furthermore, if you set the second sensor an inch or two below the first one, it will only run if the first one is having problems. Meaning that one the first one dies from general wear and tear, the second one won't be right behind it. It should still have years and years of life left.
That'll also give you redundancy of the optical sensor which, quite commonly, gets dirty and fails to notice the water level falling. Since the second sensor is always submerged it shouldn't get full of as much muck and salt creep.
No, you cannot directly connect two pumps to the 3155 board. The board can only supply 1.2amps and each pump takes almost a full amp to run. At least that's what I'm reading from something @rvitko wrote when I was looking for specs. What I don't know, however is if slowing down the pump would result in less amp draw. I also don't know if drawing too much from the board results in a damaged board or blowing a user replaceable fuse.
Having said that, what you CAN do, is pick up a switched outlet. This one can provide nearly 8 amps (but pay attention if buying it, it looks like they either have multiple styles for different countries or require adapters). If you're not familiar with this, you plug the wire that goes to the pump into the outlet. The controller simply turns the outlet on and off. The idea being that you can than use any pump you want which is useful if you need to push the water up higher than the included pump is capable of. However, you could also use it (with an outlet splitter) to attach multiple pumps.
Just keep in mind, that each pump will need it's own line running up to the tank or they'll need check valves between the pump and where you connect the two lines. Otherwise if one pump dies, the good pump will push water up to the splitter and it'll just fall back down though the non-working side.
Having said that, this is a hundred dollar project between the pump and the outlet. Before I pulled the trigger on that, I'd look into finding or making my own switched outlet with a 12v relay (or whatever the 3155 puts out). Either that, or at least consider just using a second Tunze 3155. It would only be an extra hundred bucks or so (above and beyond a switched outlet and pump) and that extra hundred bucks gets you an additional controller. So not only are you protected against the pump going dying, you're also protected against problems with the controller. Furthermore, if you set the second sensor an inch or two below the first one, it will only run if the first one is having problems. Meaning that one the first one dies from general wear and tear, the second one won't be right behind it. It should still have years and years of life left.
That'll also give you redundancy of the optical sensor which, quite commonly, gets dirty and fails to notice the water level falling. Since the second sensor is always submerged it shouldn't get full of as much muck and salt creep.
In general the optic sensor just needs cleaning by a mild acid (vinegar or citric acid) every 6 months, if you are having more frequent issues than that, something needs to be addressed with the set up or the controller.
Joe31415
Valuable Member
I hate how difficult it is to turn it and get it out of the magnet, without moving the magnet and screwing up the height of the water. What I need to do is stop locking it all the way in.
In any case, normally if I notice that it's not kicking on, I just dip my finger in the water and wipe off the sensor. That'll typically keep it running just fine for another few weeks.
Calcium attracts more calcium, I generally just turn mine in about half way, while I don't generally recommend it as it is harder to be sure all sides are clean, and the clips can break, you can also unclip the optic sensor mount.
Sebastiancrab
2500 Club Member
I hate the difficulty too and got tired of the sensor getting dirty because of low water movement in the return pump area. I bought an inexpensive powerhead on Amazon and moved the sensor to the middle of my sump.
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