Echotech Customer Service Issue

Hello everyone,



I have been a thereeftank.com member since 2006 but I lost my login credentials, so I started a new account. This thread is not meant to slam Echotech, but is intended to educate consumers.



I purchased the xr15w pro roughly 3 months ago and the cooling fan never worked from day one... My lfs told me the fan is on a sensor and the unit isn't hot enough for the fan to kick on. I accepted this response for a couple weeks and did nothing. However after some time passed, I realized that my fixture is very hot to touch.



I love this light, it is by far the best reef light I have ever owned. However, I was one of the few that received a defective unit. Tell me what you think and if I am over reacting. Thanks everyone!



I contacted Echotech and the conversation is below:



Original inquiry to Echotech

Hello, I have a xr15w Pro and believe that I have a bad cooling fan. I have noticed that the heat sink gets rather hot to touch and the fan never kicks on. My main concern is overheating and shortening the life of the fixture. I have owned the light for approximately 2 months and run it at 50% intensity. Please let me know if you need more information. Thanks



-Nov 17

Client,

Thank you for contacting EcoTech Marine's customer service. The XR15 fans are variable on the temperature of the light fixture. The internal temperature must not be hot enough to run the fan if it is not currently running. The only way to determine if the fan is functioning properly is to increase the intensity through the live demo tab and wait a couple of minutes for the fan to kick in.



Please let us know if you have any further issues or questions.



Regards,



Customer Service Rep



-Nov 26 - My Response

Thanks Rep, I I cranked the intensity up to 100% and have been running it for the past week at 100%. The fans have still not kicked on. I live in Florida and the temperature is usually warm, so it's not like the external temperature is keeping it cool enough. Is there anything else I should try?



-Nov 26 - Rep Response

The light will shut off if the cluster or driver board detects that it is to warm. Have you seen any error codes on the indicator light?



-Nov 26 - My Response

Good to know, but I want to prevent it from going overheating. Typically overheating will shorten the life span of any electronic device. That being said, I have observed other fixtures at my local fish store, all of which had the fans running. I have not seen any error codes.



-Nov 28 - Rep Response

It sounds like the unit is running properly if it is not giving you any errors codes. I can still send you a fan if you would like but I am not positive that it would change anything. Please let me know if you would like me to send the fan out.



-Dec 5 - My Response

Thanks Rep, if you could send a replacement fan, that would be great. Thanks for your help.



-Dec 5 - Rep Response

I put an order in for the fan. It should be shipping out today or Monday.



-Dec 9 - My Response

Hello Rep, I just wanted to let you know that I received the fan that you sent me today. Thank you very much for the prompt shipping.



However, upon replacing the fan I found the real problem. The fan was never plugged into the power terminal of the circuitboard! This causes some concern on my part, as I know the unit has been overheating and is now potentially compromised.



I know when electronics overheat, it can cause the lifespan of the electronic to be reduced substantially. Please let me know where we should go from here.



Thanks again for all your help.



-Dec 9 - Rep Response

That is very odd. The good news is that the light has sensors in it that would shut the light off before any damage could occur. I would personally not worry about any damage caused to the light. I do not believe that the light ever hit the shut off point so you should definitely be in the clear.



-Dec 9 - My Response

Thanks Rep, but a statement like I "should be in the clear", when I paid $450 for this unit is unacceptable. This unit was obviously defective and I would like it replaced. Thank you



-Dec 9 - Rep Response

The XR15s run rather cool and there are zero issues with the light. Did the light ever hit the point at which it shut off?



-Dec 9 - My Response

I can't be certain that it has not overheated, because I am at work all day and don't know if the light shuts off when I'm not here. However, I am certain that it was very hot when running. So hot, that I could not hold my hand on the unit for an extended period of time.