Can anyone explain why this is happening to my Conductivity probe

[Macca_75]

Hi all,

Every day between 4 and 5 am AEST my conductivity probe drops to 0 and then recovers.

Looking at the dip closer it looks like this

Any thoughts or idea's? I can't think of any automation that happens either on the tank or the electrical circuit/s the tank runs on.

Any thoughts or idea's?

Thanks in advance.

 

[DEWreefing]

Have you unplugged it and plugged it back in.

 

[AZMSGT]

Since it's happening the same time all the time, I tend to think it's not the probe. But it could be the probe picking up something else.
1. Check the physical wire/lead and make sure it isn't running parallel with other wires. It could be electrical/magnetic interference. The only wires I would run parallel with my sensor leads are other sensor leads. I run all my sensor leads separate from anything else.
2. Does your ATO (auto top off) feed water at that time and is the outlet for the ATO near the probe?

What in your system is near the probe?
What is scheduled to turn on or off around that time?

 

[BedrockIOMC]

Bubbles under it will do that. At least mine did till I got bubbles out.

 

[KCSUMPS]

What happens to your pumps/system at that time? Do you do an auto feed or something? Have you checked other systems running/changing at that time? I had the bubbleslike bedrockIOMC but mine was more sporadic than yours...

 

[Macca_75]

Have you unplugged it and plugged it back in.

Nope - can't see how that will help given the pattern and it only occurs once a day. I heavily suspect something else. Thanks anyway

 

[Macca_75]

Since it's happening the same time all the time, I tend to think it's not the probe. But it could be the probe picking up something else.
1. Check the physical wire/lead and make sure it isn't running parallel with other wires. It could be electrical/magnetic interference. The only wires I would run parallel with my sensor leads are other sensor leads. I run all my sensor leads separate from anything else.
2. Does your ATO (auto top off) feed water at that time and is the outlet for the ATO near the probe?

What in your system is near the probe?
What is scheduled to turn on or off around that time?

They aren't completely separated however nothing runs parallel. Also the senors wires run more or less together in a neat mess (I'll try and get a pic).

The only 240V cables up there are 3 x Mitras (only 1 is anywhere near it), the skimmer PSU (which is not near the sensor cable).

The ATO is a Tunze driven by the optical sensor so it goes on and off at all times during the day - not just at 4am.

I can't think of anything that is set to switch on once a day, especially at this time of the morning.

 

[Macca_75]

What happens to your pumps/system at that time? Do you do an auto feed or something? Have you checked other systems running/changing at that time? I had the bubbleslike bedrockIOMC but mine was more sporadic than yours...

What happens to your pumps/system at that time?
Pumps are controlled from separate Tunze controller.

Do you do an auto feed or something?
2 ehiem auto feeders. None are connected to the Profilux or near the sensor. They also don't feed at 5am.

I don't think it's bubbles either - not at the same time every morning :-(

 

[AZMSGT]

Try moving the sensor to another location and run the lead a different route. You could simply just hang it in the tank for a testing. This would be the only way I can think of to eliminate any interference and see if it's a problem in the tank.

I wonder if stray voltage would do this, is your heater kicking on at this time of night to warm up a cool tank?

 

[chris k.]

Maybe a dosing system kicking on also

 

[chris k.]

Not sure where you live but maybe a hot water tank or a/c system spiking your electric panel. Looks like no spike on a sunday and monday morning. What was different those 2 days?

 

[porter_painter]

Any sleep walkers in the house?

 

[Tristren]

Do you have a camera you could set up (or are you up) to check at 5:00am?

Obviously something happening then. So even if you assume that nothing is happening with the ATO, doser, bubbles etc based on how things are supposed to be set up... Worth checking what's actually going on at that time.


Tony

 

[AZMSGT]

@Macca_75 what did you find to fix this? Is it fixed?

 

[Macca_75]

@Macca_75 what did you find to fix this? Is it fixed?

Nope - still happening. I have been interstate travelling and only got home last night. I really need to find what happens in the morning - I am thinking it's something non tank related (possibly electrical). Maybe an automatic restart of a PC/XBox/something? Seems to repeatable to be tank related.