Duetto ATO help

[paradizecityz]

Hey y'all, I have Waterbox 65.4 AIO tank. The middle chamber is split into 2 and I've tried my Duetto ATO sensor on both side, water pumps into this chamber too. It would randomly pump for about 3-5 seconds and then stop and then maybe 5-10 minutes later, do it again. And it does this throughout the hours. It kinda freaks me out so I keep checking but water levels are correct, never above the sensor. Am I doing something wrong for it to randomly pump so short throughout the day?

 

[lancesmith1]

Interestingly enough, I installed one last week and I am having the same issue. It will run in short bursts for a few minutes (3-4 times) for a second or two then nothing for a while. I also have had the orange and blue light go off twice with the beeping as well. I am thinking these sensors are not going to work that well in the ATO chamber. I am waiting for a new Prism sensor from RB but had this one as a standby.

 

[lancesmith1]

JBJ 45 BTW

 

[lancesmith1]

i emailed the manufactuer and they are giving me the runaround. The most recent suggestion was to make sure I had a drip loop in the power wire lol. I am going to try and return it for a refund.

 

[paradizecityz]

Wait, what? What does a drip loop have to do with anything lol
I talked to another guy, not sure what ATO he has but he says his does the same thing. I guess that’s just how it works?

 

[lancesmith1]

no. it shouldnt work this way. i am getting 3-4 short bursts and then a few minutes later it will run for 10 seconds and trigger the orange blue alert that it is blocked. I think it has something to do with the sensor.

1. the return line causing turbulence in the chamber with the sensor and the chop on the water turning the pump on/off frequently
or 2. the sensor itself being confined in the small dark area with only a couple of inches of clearance in front of the sesnor. some of these types of sensor mfgrs tell you they wont function in this environment.

i have moved my input tube 1 chamber over so now its not in the same one as the sensor. if this doesnt work I am going with a Tunze. I know it will work.

 

[jesspal]

When I had an issue with my duetto ATO it was because a fish would park itself in front of the overflow. I am using one for my WB 35.2, unfortunately I had to add overflow guards to fix the issue. As long as I have the Starry Blenny in my tank they must stay.

perhaps something is altering the overflow rate in the tank or back area.

 

[lancesmith1]

I dont have any fish and it appears that everyting in my return chamber is in order. I moved the tube over one chamber and turned the ATO back on. It cycled for about 6 - 8 seconds and stopped. fingers crossed that this solves the problem.

 

[lancesmith1]

doing short bursts again. as long as it doesnt overfill and trip the alarm i will be ok with that. i do think it will be hard on the pump cycling on and off frequently. i am going to turn it of a night for a while until I can trust it.

 

[paradizecityz]

When I had an issue with my duetto ATO it was because a fish would park itself in front of the overflow. I am using one for my WB 35.2, unfortunately I had to add overflow guards to fix the issue. As long as I have the Starry Blenny in my tank they must stay.

perhaps something is altering the overflow rate in the tank or back area.

Good point but not having that issues with fish parking itself on the overflow, thank you though!

I dont have any fish and it appears that everyting in my return chamber is in order. I moved the tube over one chamber and turned the ATO back on. It cycled for about 6 - 8 seconds and stopped. fingers crossed that this solves the problem.

doing short bursts again. as long as it doesnt overfill and trip the alarm i will be ok with that. i do think it will be hard on the pump cycling on and off frequently. i am going to turn it of a night for a while until I can trust it.

I think your issue is a little different then mine but I re-read the manual and saw the below:
"Duetto ATO uses QST for real-time protection against any failure situation.The
controller will give an audible and visual alert when it senses any other refilling
time is 6 times longer than the first refilling time. * For example, if the first
refilling time is 10 sec, it will alert when any other refilling time is over 60 sec."

So what I ended up doing is I turned off the pump for several hours and then I plugged it back in and it pumped for longer than the usual short burst so now it has that memory. Maybe that would help your alarm issue?

 

[lancesmith1]

i turned mine off overnight and it pumped longer when switched it back on in the morning. so, maybe that solved the QST issue. It hasnt gone back off in the last 24 hours. It is still pumping for a second or so at a time over a 5 minute period to get the h2o back the the level its looking for though. If thats the way it works then ok. But coming from a Tunze, It's a lot different. It would cycle less frequently and run longer. Hoping for the best....

 

[CavalierReef]

I've had zero problems with mine in the return chamber of my 32 Biocube. I'm unsure what causes your problem as long as it's in an area/chamber with constant water level. They will react to changing water levels (which of course they are designed to do) and cavitation. Tunze units aren't without occasional issue as well.

 

[Cheeze]

Curious if there has been any resolve to the above?

I have a similar ATO (AutoAqua Smart, but looks very much like the Duetto) with the sensor in the return chamber of my AIO, and it will pump water for 2-3 seconds about every 20 minutes it seems without triggering any alarm of sorts. I thought it was actual evaporation and sensing of the water level dropping down, or maybe from the flow of the return pump sucking water into the last chamber but now I wonder after reading the above...

Also, have you noticed a drop in salinity over time?

 

[lancesmith1]

I was able to get a new sensor for my Reefbreeders Prism. I reinstalled it about 1.5 months ago and it is working like a charm. I am using the Duetto as a backup and spare parts. The pumps are interchangeable between the two. I never solved the frquent cycling and alrm issue with the Duetto sensor.