Occasional 3155 Alarm

[Tennsquire]

My 3155 is intermittently sounding an alarm with all lights blinking. I've read other threads that indicate this to be a "water damage" alarm. My question is why would this happen occasionally and then not happen again for months at a time, only to start up again? Water damage (if that's what it is) is water damage. The unit is mounted under a pull-out drawer on the front of my stand and it would be really difficult for water to get to it since it's under and overhang.

I unplug the unit and leave it for an hour or two, and it works fine after I plug it back in. It happened again this past weekend, but hasn't happened for several months. Does it just cease to work when that occurs and goes into that alarm state? I'm concerned because I travel quite a bit for work and I'm concerned about this key piece of equipment not working when I'm gone and causing my sump to run dry.

Any thoughts?

 

[rvitko]

There is a lot of confusion about the lights so I will try to clarify this. The lights are a diagnostic code.

1) Too low only in less than 1 minute- software is erased due to a power surge or repeated harsh switching.

2) Too low and too high with or without the green level light, water damage.

3) All 4 lights flashing off and on, faulty pump or incorrect power supply, verify the power supply is the correct one (Tunze 5012.010) and try it with no pump connected, if this resolves the issue, replacing the pump will solve the problem. This code indicates an overload or over or under voltage at the controller.

Typically the only way 2 would be intermittent is if the cause is condensation, i.e. the controller is in a non climate controlled environment and has sudden temperature swings, we typically only see this in basement and garage installations, if it suddenly gets cold in a humid environment water will condense on the board and once the temperature evens out it will work again. I suspect you likely have issue 3. It is critical to look directly at the controller and be certain as to what lights show to use this accurately to diagnose the problem.

 

[Tennsquire]

There is a lot of confusion about the lights so I will try to clarify this. The lights are a diagnostic code.

1) Too low only in less than 1 minute- software is erased due to a power surge or repeated harsh switching.

2) Too low and too high with or without the green level light, water damage.

3) All 4 lights flashing off and on, faulty pump or incorrect power supply, verify the power supply is the correct one (Tunze 5012.010) and try it with no pump connected, if this resolves the issue, replacing the pump will solve the problem. This code indicates an overload or over or under voltage at the controller.

Typically the only way 2 would be intermittent is if the cause is condensation, i.e. the controller is in a non climate controlled environment and has sudden temperature swings, we typically only see this in basement and garage installations, if it suddenly gets cold in a humid environment water will condense on the board and once the temperature evens out it will work again. I suspect you likely have issue 3. It is critical to look directly at the controller and be certain as to what lights show to use this accurately to diagnose the problem.

Thanks, Roger. I have a spare pump I can try and see if that fixes things. This happened twice this past weekend, but hasn't happened again since.

The tank is in a temperature-controlled area, so I'm not sure if condensation is what's causing it. I am going to open the back of the controller and take a look.

 

[Tennsquire]

Happened again last night (seems to always happen in the middle of the night), but it's been fine for months. Top and bottom lamps with the green light on. I think it's condensation, although I opened the unit up and didn't see any. We warmed up and then had a front come through that dropped temps overnight about 35 degrees. I've since put it back together and plugged it in and it has been working all afternoon.

Assuming that it is condensation, will that damage the unit long term?

 

[rvitko]

Since it would be essentially distilled water, it shouldn't but their is a risk of salt in the air depositing and the water dissolving it and causing damage. I would try to place the controller somewhere more climate controlled or run a dehumidifier to reduces the moisture in the air so the condensation issue is eliminated.

 

[Tennsquire]

Since it would be essentially distilled water, it shouldn't but their is a risk of salt in the air depositing and the water dissolving it and causing damage. I would try to place the controller somewhere more climate controlled or run a dehumidifier to reduces the moisture in the air so the condensation issue is eliminated.

We're getting close to the time to close the windows and start the AC, so I think the humidity will be taken care of. Thanks for your help!