ATO not working

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TonyJR

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I got recently got my X2 back from being serviced because my Hydros ATO wasn't functioning. Carlos emailed me the day it was shipped and said it was reflashed, now functioning fine and running an ATO pump prior to sending it back to me. However upon receiving it, I'm having the exact same issue.

After installing all components and programming them via the Hydros app, the sensor and everything else seem to work just fine, but the pump itself won't move any water. It's marked as "ON" in the app and all indications are it should be running, it just isn't.

I tried the typical delete and reinstall the relevant inputs and outputs several times, including trying the pump as a "generic" output, no dice. I thought it might be the drive port, I switched to a different drive port on the same X2 module, no change. I thought it might be the micro pump itself, Carlos was nice enough to send me a new replacement, but still it won't move any water and there is no difference. So I sent back the X2 for repair because Carlos and I couldn't figure it was anything else at this point, but as I said after getting it back and Carlos told me at their end it was working fine with an ATO pump, here at home I'm still having the exact same issue.

With assurances the X2 was functional, I decided to start testing the pumps I have. I hooked them up to a 9v battery and lo and behold they worked perfectly. Super weird, right?

I plugged the pump back into the drive port and took the cover off so I could see the impeller. It was vibrating, not really spinning, just sort of moving back and forth like it was severely underpowered or shorted somehow. When I put it in water, the impeller stopped moving altogether, again, as if it was underpowered and the load was just more than it could bear.

I used a voltmeter to test the X2 output, and it showed a very healthy 16v, the app showed not quite 13v, I chalk this up to measuring differences. But still, it should be more than enough to run the little pump.

However, when I plug the pump itself in to the X2, the app shows that it's putting out around ~1.4v, which is very likely not enough to power the pump and matches my observations regarding the pump's behavior.

I tried to find a short but was not successful, though I suspect that's what is happening, especially if the X2 module has a protection circuit of some sort that will limit the output if a short is detected. I also noticed when the pump is plugged into the drive port there is a very slight humming sound coming from the X2, a tiny switch or relay perhaps, rapidly shutting on/off would make sense if there is such a protection and would match the low output.

Otherwise I'm at a loss. Am I missing something? Shall I try a cheap 12v Amazon pump for further testing?

Thank you!
 
You do realize there is a 1 amp maximum for that output and this only if the other one is not running. The total is only 1.5 amps for both running. Some pumps take more than that to run since that is only 12 watts of power. Where did you get the pump from?
 
Yes I know, I'm only using one of the drive ports. The pump is a Hydros micro ATO I got directly from CoralVue.
 
Yes I know, I'm only using one of the drive ports. The pump is a Hydros micro ATO I got directly from CoralVue.
There may be an issue with the pump of some kind. I would get back with CoralVue on this issue. I use a Hydros dosing pump on mine and have never had an issue. I also use Intllab dosing pumps on the drive ports.
 
Thank you for the replies. I was a bit put off to be having the same issue that I sent it in for. My Hydros dosing pump should be here soon, I hope it will help troubleshoot whether its the X2 causing the problem.
 
For reference, here is what my micro pump drive port shows in both an OFF and ON state. Good probability you're onto something like a short with the voltage drop. As far as the problem reoccurring after the repair, it is difficult for CoralVue to test or repair the pump if you didn't send it to them.
 

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For reference, here is what my micro pump drive port shows in both an OFF and ON state. Good probability you're onto something like a short with the voltage drop. As far as the problem reoccurring after the repair, it is difficult for CoralVue to test or repair the pump if you didn't send it to them.
That's exactly the info I needed, thank you.
 
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