Tunze Osmolater 3155 not functioning

[landlubber]

Good day aquanaughts,
I'm having a bit of a strange issue. The freshwater pump for my ATO has been sounding like it was on its way out for the past 6 weeks so I bought a new one to replace it. This past weekend it finally stopped entirely so I pulled it, soldered in the new one and when I powered everything back up the new pump isn't firing either AND if I lift the float am not getting a audible response from the head unit. Nothing otherwise has changed so it has me scratching my head whether the electronics have failed.
Any ideas or experiences having the same issue?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

@rvitko

 

[rvitko Verified Sponsor]

You mention soldering, how old is this controller? On anything made since 2012 the pump connects with quick connect clips, you squeeze them to release the wires and insert the new ones. Older units used screw terminals. If it is more than 10 years old, it is very plausible the controller is dying, modern circuit boards have finite lifespans, usually 8-12 years due to the lifespan of capacitors, when they no longer hold a charge, that tends to be the end. Older than 2010 and it would have a much smaller capacity PTC, this serves as a circuit breaker and the pumps changed internally in 2016 to where they needed more power to run, these can only run a current pump in 9V (power supply from this time was 9V or switchable 9-12V) and the wiring must be immaculate, if the wiring has wicked in water and corroded it will not be able to run the pump. With no response, my hunch is the power draw is excessive, this could be from a short from soldering, it could be from old wiring, it could be the unit is just really old, it could be the older 800mA limit PTC.

 

[landlubber]

I appreciate the thorough response.
This is my second Osmolator and was purchased in 2022. I have always soldered in the pumps but do think you could be onto something with the conductivity of the wire as it has remained constant since the tank startup in 2017 and has almost certainly degraded since.
I'll cut it back this weekend and get some fresh wire in.