Jobo ALT1000 external pump hassles

[miss_emma_jade]

hi guys. ive got a jobo Autolab ive been trying to sort out. so far really good results with black and white and colour, but the rinse water system has almost defeated me. it all works fine when connected to mains water, the temper bath fills, heats, and the c41 process starts. when the fix has drained, tap water fills the drum, it agitates and empties, and beeps at the end. however, I do need my rinse water tempered too, so i got a tank and heater and a caravan style pump (12v) and hooked it all up. now the pump starts, but it wont switch off untill the tank is empty,or the circut cuts out and stops the machine. im sure this shouldnt do this, but im at a loss to see what does it.

can anyone help? the presoak stage for black and white does exactly the same thing, it starts the pump and wont switch off.

please please please? ive searched high and low, ad cant find out whats wrong.

thanks guys, *EMMA*

[EOTS]

Hello Emma,

I've gone the same route as you (with the caravan pump and heater).

The ATL1000 has a valve which would normally only consume water if needed.

Did you basically test the setup using the CLEANING mode?
There is a hand shower which you can use to pour water into the chemical bottles.
When you activate the shower using the button,
the ATL should also open the valve and then close it if you release the button.

Best regards,
Martin

[miss_emma_jade]

thankyou for your reply. in cleaning mode i cant make that button or valve work at all. i press it, with the lid open, the mains connected and the rinse water connected, and i hear the solenoid click, but no water comes out the little flexable pipe. in cleaning mode it all works untill rinse, and then it fills and doesnt stop..

[miss_emma_jade]

scratch that. ive worked out how to use the little button and the fill pipe. the problem is only with the pump not shutting off while rinsing.

[koh303]

The pump might be working, pressurizing the system, as it should be for the solenoid to work. The pump on its own cannot hold the pressure on the hose, unless it is running.

When the solenoid is closed, the pump might be running but the water is not over filling the machine, or drum.

If in your case the pump is running all the time, and the water level in the external tank is decreasing - that water must go somewhere...? is it pouring out of the over flow port? Have you checked that the main trough drain valve is set to the close position (flat\circular "switch" on the left hand side of the top panel, just under the filling quantities label)?

[miss_emma_jade]

the water is going down the overflow. are you saying that it should run all the time?? the main drain valve is closed.

[miss_emma_jade]

in a nutshell, the 12v doesnt shut off when the rinse water has been pumped into the drum.

[koh303]

Then the float sensor that controls the fill level of the main trough is malfunctioning. Could be just some dirt lodged in there, causing it to keep the solenoid open all the time. You can test this by removing the top cover (4 screws) and locating the float, between bottle #1 and the control panel, and manually moving it to see if it shuts off the solenoid (you will heat it clicking off and on). Then see if there is anything obstructing it, or causing it not to move freely.

[miss_emma_jade]

thankyou for replying. Its 4 am and ive taaken the cover off, and connected to mains water, the solenoid / float works fine. it fills when its down and stops when its up. maybe i dont understand how this works as well as i thought, but im not following the logic here. the trough wont fill from the 12v? is this the same sollenoid? when using the system with the external pump, you need to fill the trough by hand. i believe the problem is with something not switching off the 12 v supply when the drum is full of rinse water? could you pleaseclarify this a littlebetter?

big thanks, *EMMA*

[miss_emma_jade]

and i cant hear it clicking, but it fills and stops., btw

[koh303]

Emma,

1. You are right - the 12V pump does not fill the trough, but if the float sensor switch was malfunctioning it might have had something to do with that.
2. You said that when the pump runs, water pours out of the overflow - under the machine there are three exhaust ports: used water (both from the tank and trough), used chemistry, and main trough overflow (this one is not connected to anything and sits just above the previous two). If water is in fact coming out of the over flow - the only place that can come from is the main trough.
If water is coming out of one of the drain hoses (chems or water) then the pump might be over filling the tank as it rotates during process. If this is the case, i will do some more research and try to come back with an answer.

The solenoid runs water to both the rinse and the main trough (and filler hose).

[miss_emma_jade]

Oh yes I see what you mean. But it comes out the drain hoses. The pump is overfilling the drum like you said. Thanks so much for looking into it for me. I guess if it has a solenoid problem or such I know where to look for parts!
*emma*

[koh303]

Please see PM - your email address is bouncing my replies.