Maxspect Products
Troubleshooting
We all have issues with our aquarium equipment from time to time, the trick is preventing a small issue from becoming a major problem for your tank. Here we will go through some common faults and fixes for your Maxspect products so you can get back up and running in no time.
R420R (Razor)
General maintenance.
As with most things, the better care you take of your Maxspect product the more reliable and long lasting it will be.
- Ensure that your R420r is cleaned of any salt desposits built up from evaporation from your tank. Salt can cause electrical components to corrode and fail over time.
- Ensure that when mounting the unit over your tank the legs/ hanging kit is correctly and securely installed. This may sound obvious but we’ve seen more than a few soggy R420rs come back to us for repair!
The blue channel (blue lights)/ white channel (white lights) isn’t working on my light.
Generally if you have a fault with the blue channel on the R420r (i.e. the blue lights are not working) this is indicative of a fault with one of the LED pads on the unit. On larger R420r units these components are run as a series so if a fault develops with one pad it can effect all of the LED pads on the unit. To find out if one of your LED pads is faulty you can carry out this simple test.
- Use 9V (square / rectangular battery)
- Attach a piece of wire to the + and – terminals on the battery
- Touch the wire attached to the + terminal to the + on the LED pad.
- Touch the wire attached to the – terminal to the - on the LED pad.
- The A+ and A- terminals control the white lights and the B+ and B- the blue.
If the LEDs fail to light the pad is faulty and will need to be replaced.
We stock a full range of replacement parts for the R420r here.
The fans do not seem to be working on my light.
The R420r is passively cooled with the aluminium chassis acting as a heatsink for the excess heat generated by the LEDs. For this reason the fans on the light do not run constantly. If you want to check that the fans on the unit are working you can do so by putting the unit into test mode. To do so follow these steps;
- Turn off the power to the unit
- Press in and hold the control dial on the side of the light with the LCD display
- Keeping the control dial pushed turn the power to the unit back on
In test mode the lights will run at a low frequency and the fans will be on constantly.
If you find a fan is not working when you do the above, first check that this is not due to an obstruction or excess build-up of dust. If neither of these is the case you can purchase a new fan here.
Gyre Generator
General maintenance
As with most things the better care you take of your Maxspect product the more reliable and long lasting it will be.
- Ensure that the Gyre Generator is cleaned periodically to remove any debris/ detritus that may have built up on the powerhead.
- Keep all dry-side electrical components away from areas they may get splashed when performing tank maintenance – as we all know water and electricity aren’t a great mix.
- Always use the foam guards provided if keeping very small fish/ snails – this will help prevent damage to your powerhead and potential injury or death for your smaller livestock.
My Gyre is not working/ I have a red flashing light on my controller.
The Maxspect Gyre has a built in failsafe which causes the pump to cut out if the motor is put under too much strain by, for example, a worn or faulty moving part or a foreign body obstructing the movement of the rotors. To check what could be causing the fault first check the moving parts are assembled correctly and examine the parts for signs of damage/ wear and tear. If your rotors, cages or bushings are worn or damaged replacement sets can be purchased here.
If the problem does not appear to be related to the rotors try running the motor without these attached. If the shaft in the motor does not spin freely or at all it is likely it has developed a fault and needs replacing. You can purchase replacement motors here.
My Gyre does not automatically switch back on when using the feed mode on the Advanced controller (200 series)
You will need to update the firmware on you controller. This is a simple and quick process and instructions on how to do so can be found here.
If you have any advice or tips you think we should publish here please let us know by e-mailing support@food4fish.co.uk.