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Thread: ATK malfunction troubleshooting

  1. #1
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    ATK malfunction troubleshooting

    Hello,

    I purchased an ATK less than two months ago, and am using it on its own (i.e. without an Apex controller). It was working fine until last night. This morning, I awoke to the automatic alarm. I'm pretty sure that this alarm only signals an overfill (at least when you don't have it hooked up to a controller), but the water in the sump was low - not high - while it was beeping. In the ATO reservoir, there was enough water that the PMUP was still completely submerged. I unplugged the power and plugged it back in, at which point the PMUP started humming and whining, but not pumping any water. From what I read here on the forum, that's pretty common.

    I knocked it a few times, etc. to try and get it going again, but it did nothing. I happened to turn the PMUP upside-down (still keeping it completely submerged), and a few bubbles came out and then it started pumping. I went upstairs.

    Here's the strange part. I came back downstairs later to find the attached FMM doing this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VloEgrsYak4, and the pump is not starting at all even though the water level in the sump is low again. Does anybody know what this means/what I should do? I'm hesitant to open the PMUP and take a look in case it might void the warranty since I have a gut feeling that I'll have to get a replacement.

  2. #2
    Frequent Contributor zombie's Avatar
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    Opening the PMUP will not void the warranty unless you open it with a hacksaw. Unscrew the cage and you can clean it or inspect the impeller.

    You might be an engineer if...You have no life and can prove it mathematically.

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    But does the behaviour of the FMM indicate that this is a problem with the PMUP, or is that indicative of something fore fundamentally wrong with the FMM itself?

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    Looks like it's spitting out an error code and those aren't well documented publicly so I don't know what that error code means. I would create a ticket to figure out what that means.

    You might be an engineer if...You have no life and can prove it mathematically.

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    That's what I suspected. I did create a ticket. As an aside, I opened up the PMUP, found nothing out of the ordinary inside it, put it back together, plugged in the unit again, and it started working again. It was humming/whining though and the water going into the sump was only a trickle. I guess we'll see what happens. I'll post any info I get from Neptune about the error code to build up the public knowledge-base.

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    What if you unhook the tubing? Does it spray good Then? If so you have so.ething clogging up your tubing and it might have been shutting itself down for an overcurrent condition from the stall.

    You might be an engineer if...You have no life and can prove it mathematically.

  7. #7
    Master Control Freak RussM's Avatar
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    ATK malfunction troubleshooting

    Beep codes for the ATK in Standalone mode are documented in the ATK Get Started Guide https://www.neptunesystems.com/getst...p/ledalarmfaq/
    Please do not send me PMs with technical questions or requesting assistance - use the forums for Apex help. PM me ONLY if the matter is of a private or personal nature. Thanks.

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    Thanks RussM! Unfortunately the info there doesn't help with this specific problem but I've actually been wondering about what conditions trigger an alarm so it's good to know in general!

  9. #9
    Frequent Visitor rkpetersen's Avatar
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    That pump will likely need to be replaced; I would suggest keeping it unplugged until Neptune advises you what to do next.

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    Quote Originally Posted by rkpetersen View Post
    That pump will likely need to be replaced; I would suggest keeping it unplugged until Neptune advises you what to do next.
    Yup, doing exactly that

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    Quote Originally Posted by jgranata13 View Post
    Yup, doing exactly that

    Read this thread to the punch line at the end: https://forum.neptunesystems.com/sho...ing-Everything!

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    Quote Originally Posted by rkpetersen View Post
    Read this thread to the punch line at the end: https://forum.neptunesystems.com/sho...ing-Everything!
    No thank you! We don’t want any! That’s simply too much


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  13. #13
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    I had a similar problem, detaching the hose and blowing down towards the pump seemed to resolve it, but it did occur again. I had neptune replace the pump

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    Quote Originally Posted by lefkonj View Post
    I had a similar problem, detaching the hose and blowing down towards the pump seemed to resolve it, but it did occur again. I had neptune replace the pump
    If the pump turns on, makes a bunch of racket, but does not move water... Is it safe to assume the pump is broken? It's brand new.

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    Have you detached the host and it still doesn't move any water? Then have them replace it, annoying but it does seem the quality off the PMUP is pretty poor considering how many replacements are being sent around.

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    Quote Originally Posted by lefkonj View Post
    Have you detached the host and it still doesn't move any water? Then have them replace it, annoying but it does seem the quality off the PMUP is pretty poor considering how many replacements are being sent around.
    Correct. I removed the hose and it still doesn't move water. Irritating... Especially since I have completely disconnected my previous ATO unit which has been operation for years.

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    The way I’ve been able to get mine working: take off the bottom cover, detach the RO tube at the top, submerge it in your ATO reservoir upside down, and turn it on manually. Then use a small screwdriver to jostle the impeller until it starts spinning properly. Without taking it out of the water (so that no air gets in) install the cover and attach the tube again.

    It seems to me that they’re just not aligned properly, but that once you get it aligned everything’s ok. I also notice that if I override my programming and manually turn it off for a few days, it seems to go out of alignment again but als long as I have it in normal operation it seems to be fine. I am gonna make a claim though.


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  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by jgranata13 View Post
    The way I’ve been able to get mine working: take off the bottom cover, detach the RO tube at the top, submerge it in your ATO reservoir upside down, and turn it on manually. Then use a small screwdriver to jostle the impeller until it starts spinning properly. Without taking it out of the water (so that no air gets in) install the cover and attach the tube again.

    It seems to me that they’re just not aligned properly, but that once you get it aligned everything’s ok. I also notice that if I override my programming and manually turn it off for a few days, it seems to go out of alignment again but als long as I have it in normal operation it seems to be fine. I am gonna make a claim though.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Thanks for the tip, but they're sending me a new one tomorrow. This one, which is brand new, clearly has issues and I don't want to "F" with it anymore. I need to be able to go out of town and know that this thing is going to work as well as my Tunze has for the past 5 plus years....

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