Osmalator ATO

[Jeremey’s reef]

Hello everyone, I purchased a brand new Tunze osmolator 3155 from pure reef Thursday and it is anoyingly loud. Is this normal or do I just hav3 poor luck? is it a break in period kind of deal? Finally my last question, is there away to pull the pull apart like the controller

 

[hzheng33]

Shouldn’t be too loud. I have two of them in my house

is the noise coming from the pump?

 

[bg2311]

We use the Tunze pump itself (but not the controller) for a few different tasks, one of which is an ATO. They sell the pumps separately for ~$20 online which is great if you ever need to replace one. It is admittedly loud a bit loud. Are you using RO tubing inserted into the reducing fitting off the pump or are you putting tubing on the pump directly? I've had varying luck with RO tubing adjusting the depth at which the RO tubing is inserted into the reducing fitting. YMMV. Silicone tubing would carry vibrations from the pump less. Could also possibly sit it on one of those silicone kitchen mats inside the ATO reservoir as long as it has holes in it since the Tunze pumps pull in from the inlet on the bottom.

 

[Jeremey’s reef]

Shouldn’t be too loud. I have two of them in my house

is the noise coming from the pump?

Yes the pump is the issue

 

[Jeremey’s reef]

We use the Tunze pump itself (but not the controller) for a few different tasks, one of which is an ATO. They sell the pumps separately for ~$20 online which is great if you ever need to replace one. It is admittedly loud a bit loud. Are you using RO tubing inserted into the reducing fitting off the pump or are you putting tubing on the pump directly? I've had varying luck with RO tubing adjusting the depth at which the RO tubing is inserted into the reducing fitting. YMMV. Silicone tubing would carry vibrations from the pump less. Could also possibly sit it on one of those silicone kitchen mats inside the ATO reservoir as long as it has holes in it since the Tunze pumps pull in from the inlet on the bottom.

So the issue is within the pump itself, I’ve ran it with and without the tubing provided by Tunze maybe something got caught in the motor

 

[jcook54]

It's funny that you mention this. I had the same setup that worked great for 4 years. A few months ago the pump died and and I ordered a new one. Well, the new one makes a lot of noise. I thought something was wrong but it's been working great so I just let it be. My first thought was that it had some air trapped inside but I've done everything I can think of the get it out. I also pulled the pump and examined the impeller. It spun freely and didn't feel like that were any sort of catch in the bearing. I don't know what the problem is but I'm right there with ya. It's loud.

 

[jcook54]

FYI - I've written an email to the guy I know at Tunze USA. He's usually pretty good about getting back to me and I'll post his response here. I've been meaning to ask him about it for a while and your question finally got me to actually do it.

 

[jcook54]

Here's the response I got from Roger Vitko at Tunze USA. Posted with permission.

Justin,
The pumps can vary in noise and it is possible for a pump to suddenly change in noise, I have owned pumps that suddenly got noisy and a few weeks passed and they got quiet. From dissecting dead pumps, I find this noise is usually caused by debris, often hair or threads snared on the shaft or in some cases the impeller rubbing the housing, which on a new pump would be a defect. This pump is very simply, it is for all practical purposes a 9V DC motor like you might buy for a science project that is sealed in a housing and the shaft goes through a rubber seal and turns an impeller. The main things that you can check and do to reduce noise is avoid any hard surface contact, in the intended installation the pump is suspended by the cable and hose in a plastic bucket, noise is substantially worse when it is in contact with a very rigid material like a glass or acrylic tank. Also, make sure all air is purged from the pump, any time they are out of water, air will become trapped in the pump and may cause failure to prime or noise, the air can be purged by tipping it upside down while submerged. Also, avoid non factory tubing, if the tubing is the wrong size and inserted too far, it will rub on the impeller. The factory tubing generally requires effort to insert and 1/4” is sufficient. If the noise is a grinding noise that is loud even when the pump is suspended, and the hose is correct, this points to an impeller rubbing on the housing and a factory defect. I would never consider this pump “quiet” but, suspended, in a typical bucket, with the bucket inside a cabinet, it should not be that loud that it is an issue or much louder than the system in general, you will definitely hear it run though.

Roger

While I do find it helpful and really appreciate the customer service that Tunze offers, this doesn't help me much. Perhaps I should have returned the pump right away but I didn't and it works fine. I have noticed when it runs dry, it'll make a lot of noise for a while when the air works it's way through. I've messed around with that possibility and, in my case, it isn't the case.

 

[Jeremey’s reef]

Here's the response I got from Roger Vitko at Tunze USA. Posted with permission.

Justin,
The pumps can vary in noise and it is possible for a pump to suddenly change in noise, I have owned pumps that suddenly got noisy and a few weeks passed and they got quiet. From dissecting dead pumps, I find this noise is usually caused by debris, often hair or threads snared on the shaft or in some cases the impeller rubbing the housing, which on a new pump would be a defect. This pump is very simply, it is for all practical purposes a 9V DC motor like you might buy for a science project that is sealed in a housing and the shaft goes through a rubber seal and turns an impeller. The main things that you can check and do to reduce noise is avoid any hard surface contact, in the intended installation the pump is suspended by the cable and hose in a plastic bucket, noise is substantially worse when it is in contact with a very rigid material like a glass or acrylic tank. Also, make sure all air is purged from the pump, any time they are out of water, air will become trapped in the pump and may cause failure to prime or noise, the air can be purged by tipping it upside down while submerged. Also, avoid non factory tubing, if the tubing is the wrong size and inserted too far, it will rub on the impeller. The factory tubing generally requires effort to insert and 1/4” is sufficient. If the noise is a grinding noise that is loud even when the pump is suspended, and the hose is correct, this points to an impeller rubbing on the housing and a factory defect. I would never consider this pump “quiet” but, suspended, in a typical bucket, with the bucket inside a cabinet, it should not be that loud that it is an issue or much louder than the system in general, you will definitely hear it run though.

Roger

While I do find it helpful and really appreciate the customer service that Tunze offers, this doesn't help me much. Perhaps I should have returned the pump right away but I didn't and it works fine. I have noticed when it runs dry, it'll make a lot of noise for a while when the air works it's way through. I've messed around with that possibility and, in my case, it isn't the case.

Thanks for posting this and your other responses as well. I will definitely try turning it upside down and adjust the tubing. This is very helpful my friend.