anyone have experience with a literMeter III

D

DeMarcusR

I've been sitting on a brand new litermeter for a little over six months now..
I've just decided to unbox it tonight.. I've read the instruction manual front to back three times now..

my issue at the moment is priming the pumps..
I've let both pumps run for about 30 minutes with no luck on getting water from the aquarium to the drain in the washroom..
The tube distance between the aquarium and the pump is about 4 feet. The hose distance between the pump and the drain in the laundry room is roughly 5 feet...

If anyone could provide some feedback as to how long to let the pump(s) run before giving up, I'd greatly appreciate it.. :)
 
@DeMarcusR wrote:
I've been sitting on a brand new litermeter for a little over six months now.. I've just decided to unbox it tonight.. I've read the instruction manual front to back three times now.. my issue at the moment is priming the pumps.. I've let both pumps run for about 30 minutes with no luck on getting water from the aquarium to the drain in the washroom.. The tube distance between the aquarium and the pump is about 4 feet. The hose distance between the pump and the drain in the laundry room is roughly 5 feet... If anyone could provide some feedback as to how long to let the pump(s) run before giving up said:
Something's not right; I've never timed it, but I'd be surprised if it takes me more than a minute to prime a 50 foot line.

Look for open connections where it might be sucking in air (sometimes you've got to push the "john guest" style fittings in fairly far and then pull the line back out to "lock" it before you get a good connection), and even try sticking a wetted thumb over your tube to make sure that one end is "sucking" and the other is "blowing" (it'll pull a pretty fair vacuum, even in air, when running properly). You can even try this with your extension tubing off, just on the two tubes that come out of the pump.

Failing that, I hate to suggest it but double-check that you've not reversed the intake and outlet sides of the pump. Also, is the unit "vibrating"? It' s fairly obvious when the pump is running; if it's not, you might want to double-check that you've got the right menu setting, and (if you're using a top-off controller or "water exchange module" (aka a pump with a built-in top-off controller) that it's not set too low and keeping the pump from coming on.

If all of that fails, you might have a defective unit; I'd give SpectraPure a call and see if they can help troubleshoot it.
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I'm not sure what I've done wrong..
I checked the JG fitting - it's definitely snug...
according to the manual - the supply side is the one without the JG fitting..
I've even gone so far to switch the two..


The pumps are running, they've both run so long that they're rather warm..
I've tried with the internal and external pump..
I've even gone so far to put the feed line above the litermeter to allow a siphon from the tank and there still isn't any fluid flowing..

Guess I'll be calling spectrapure tomorrow around lunch...
 
@DeMarcusR wrote:
I'm not sure what I've done wrong.. I checked the JG fitting - it's definitely snug... according to the manual - the supply side is the one without the JG fitting.. said:
Correct; the input side slip-fits into the rubber tubing and is secured with zip ties.

@DeMarcusR wrote:
I've even gone so far to switch the two.. said:
While you had the tubing off did you try setting the pump to "on" and seeing if you could find vacuum or pressure on the various sides?

@DeMarcusR wrote:
The pumps are running said:
You've got a remote pump and it's also bad? Now I'm even more puzzled; I've got three litermeters and a bunch of remote pumps, and they mostly just work.

@DeMarcusR wrote:
I've even gone so far to put the feed line above the litermeter to allow a siphon from the tank and there still isn't any fluid flowing.. said:
That's actually good news -- unless something's drastically gone wrong, they really can't siphon; the pinch rollers hold the internal tubing tight shut.

@DeMarcusR wrote:
Guess I'll be calling spectrapure tomorrow around lunch... said:
Let us know what you find out, if you would; I'm completely baffled here and wish I could offer better advice.

- Chuck
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I called spectrapure.. They said that if the unit sits too long, the wheels start to stick to the rubber tubing which then causes the motor to just spin inbetween the wheels, which then causes the wheels to get grooves rubbed into them..

They are sending me 6 new wheels for both motors.. I should have them by friday..
 
Okay.. I'm in love.. Automated water changes... Niiiiiiice..

3g per day and dont have to lift a finger...



Anywho - I got the new wheels yesterday.. Put them on the pumps and had the device calibrated within 15 minutes..

The longest part of this whole process was mixing the salt for the next two weeks water changes.....


Thanks guys for all your help...
 
@DeMarcusR wrote:
Okay.. I'm in love.. Automated water changes... Niiiiiiice.. 3g per day and dont have to lift a finger... Anywho - I got the new wheels yesterday.. Put them on the pumps and had the device calibrated within 15 minutes.. The longest part of this whole process was mixing the salt for the next two weeks water changes..... Thanks guys for all your help... said:
You realize of course you are required to post photos of the parts you installed, what does what and how it all functions right?? :)
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Dang.. I didn't even think to document the process.. I was just so eager to get the thing up and running so I didn't have to worry about water changes for a while..


The best pics I've seen though are in the manual itself..
http://spectrapure.com/manuals/PRINTER_FRIENDLY/LiterMeter3H.pdf

The section called "servicing the litermeter III" was the most informative. It shows the whole process including pictures of the "wheels" i referenced...
 
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