Support/FAQ’s and Troubleshooting guide

Support

The Koi Watch manual is available for download here.  Please take a few moments to browse through the various FAQ’s and troubleshooting guide.  If you are still unable to resolve your problem, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Email Koi Watch support

Technical support line +44 (0)1582 727363

General FAQs

Q1.  How does the 30 day money back guarantee work? 

A1.  We have great confidence in Koi Watch and as such we are able to offer a 30 day no quibble money back guarantee so you can try before you buy!  If after installing Koi Watch on your pond system you find that within 30 days of purchase it does not deliver everything that you expected, simply return Koi Watch with all components in its original packaging for a full refund (excluding P & P). 

Q2.  How long is Koi Watch guaranteed for? 

A2.  Koi Watch is guaranteed from manufacturing defects for 2 years from the date of purchase. 

Q3.  Which SIM should I purchase for the dedicated mobile phone? 

A3.  ‘Pay as you go’ SIMs offer the best solution over a monthly contract.  Text messaging is very cheap and ‘text bundles’ can be purchased from most network operators making the cost per text message even cheaper.  It is best to purchase a SIM from the same operator as your personal mobile (target phone) phone.  This ensures your phone will receive a good signal (providing your personal mobile phone gives a good signal) and text messages often arrive quicker when sent to the same network. 

Some (not all) network operators on pay as you go will disconnect the SIM if a chargeable call has not been made within say 6 or 12 months.  Please check with the operator before purchase.  O2 will disconnect the SIM after 6 months if a chargeable call has not been made.  O2 do NOT class sending a text message as a chargeable call!  We recommend avoiding O2 pay as you go unless they change their policy.  At the time of writing, with the exception of O2, all other operators class sending a text message as a chargeable call.

Q4.  Is the Koi Watch software running in the main unit upgradeable?

A4.  Yes.  The Koi Watch software is fully upgradeable.  Future software enhancements based on Customer feedback etc will be made available to existing Koi Watch owners. 

Q5.  Can I install Koi Watch outside?

A5.  Yes.  However, the main Koi Watch unit is not water or shower proof and must not be exposed to water or the elements at any time.  Mobile phones are particularly sensitive to damp conditions.  The golden rule when selecting an installation site – do not install Koi Watch where you would not be prepared to leave your mobile phone 24 hours a day! 

Q6.  Can I extend the temperature probe and float switch cables? 

A6.  Yes.  The temperature probe and float switch cables can be extended up to a maximum of 30 meters using good quality speaker cable.  Please ensure the joints are sound.  Please contact us for more information – we would be happy to extend the cables for you! 

Q7.  Can I use any mobile phone as a dedicated mobile phone? 

A7.  No.  Only the 7110, 6210, and 6310 Nokia mobile phones are supported.

Q8.  How do I connect the power supply, temperature probe, float switch, and dedicated phone to the main Koi Watch unit?

A8.  Please refer to the Koi Watch manual for assembly instructions.  To assist a photo showing the inside of the Koi Watch unit is shown here.

Q9.  Is the supplied dedicated mobile phone locked to a specific network operator?

A9.  No.  The dedicated mobile phone is supplied unlocked so any SIM can be used with the phone.  See FAQ Q3 for more information on selecting a SIM.

Q10.  I live outside the UK.  Can I still install Koi Watch on my pond?

A10.  Koi Watch has been fully tested in both the UK and France.  There are Koi hobbyists and dealers all over the world and it is impossible for us to test Koi Watch in every country and indeed this should not be necessary.  When installing Koi Watch outside the UK, the dedicated mobile phone, mobile phone charger, mains time switch, and power supply adapter are the only components likely to give problems.

The dedicated mobile phone is a dual band phone.  If your country supports the use of a dual band phone then the dedicated mobile phone will work.  In general all countries outside the US/Canada support dual band phones.  For the US/Canada, a tri-band phone is required.  Please contact us as we are able to supply the tri-band Nokia 6310.

The charger, time switch, and power supply adaptor supplied need to be connected to a 220/240V 50Hz mains supply.  These come with a moulded UK style 3 pin plug.  If your local supply is 220/240V 50Hz they can be used however you may need another (travel type) adapter to convert the UK style 3 pin plug to be physically compatible with your socket style.  Alternatively please contact us as we can usually supply alternative components designed for use in your country.   If your local supply is not 220/240V 50Hz e.g US/Canada, please contact us as we can supply alternative components.  If you are in any doubt at all, please contact us before connecting Koi Watch to the mains supply!

Q11.  How do I know which version of Koi Watch I have?

A11.  If your Koi Watch has an AA battery holder fitted then you have the older Koi Watch. The newer version of Koi Watch has a rechargeable battery fitted to the main board instead. The Koi Watch unit charges the rechargeable battery automatically. Apart from this, there is no functional difference between the two units.

Koi Watch Operation FAQs

Q1.  If I trigger an alarm by, for example, closing a float switch, Koi Watch calls my mobile and sends me a text message to alert me as expected.  If shortly after the alert, I open the float switch again, the Koi Watch LCD still displays ‘Alarm Triggered’ with the float switch shown as triggered.  Why has the LCD not been updated? 

A1.  Upon detection of an alarm condition Koi Watch will stop monitoring the temperature probe and float switches for a default time of 2 hours (see ‘Holdtime’ configuration parameter for information on changing this time).  The LCD will be ‘held’ for this time period displaying the values read when the alarm condition occurred.  This is necessary to prevent very frequent calls to the target phone should the temperature or water level go in and out of the alarm state.

Q2.  I have the older Koi Watch unit fitted with AA batteries.  How long should the AA batteries last? 

A2.  The batteries should last about 6 months assuming Koi Watch has not been run from the batteries during this time i.e a power cut has not occurred. 

Q3.  I have the older Koi Watch unit fitted with AA batteries.  Can I use rechargeable AA batteries instead? 

A3.  Yes.  Koi Watch can accept any ‘AA size’ NiCd or NiMh 1.2v rechargeable batteries. 

Q4.  Can I attach anything other than float switches to the float switch terminal blocks?  If so, can I connect more than one sensor to each float switch terminal block? 

A4.  Yes.  Any passive actuator can be connected e.g flood sensor.  Please contact us for more details.

Q5.  Can I connect more than one sensor to each float switch terminal block? 

A5.  Yes.  By wiring the sensors (e.g float switches, flood sensors) in parallel, it is possible to connect more than one sensor to a terminal block.  NOTE - the sensors should be wired in series if the Configuration Parameter 'Fswitchtrig' has been is set to 1 - normally closed.  We can also supply the sensors connected together to your specification, please contact us for more details.

Troubleshooting

In case of the product not working, there are various diagnostic features to help in determining the cause of the problem. 

This diagnostic procedure should be followed in this order: 

1.  Is nothing shown on the LCD display? 

Ensure the power supply is plugged into the mains and connected to the Koi Watch unit. Ensure the Koi Watch unit is switched on.

2.  Does the LCD show an incorrect temperature? 

Ensure that the temperature probe is connected.  NB If the temperature probe is not connected to the terminal block connector (J2) the temperature reading should be 0.0. 

3.  Does the LCD show ‘??’ for all the associated float switches? 

Until the dedicated phone has been detected as on-line and the configuration has been acquired, the polarity of the float switch triggered state is unknown.

Ensure the phone cable is connected to Koi Watch and the dedicated mobile phone.

4.  Does the LCD show ‘Phone off-line’ after 5 minutes even when the phone is plugged in? 

At the phone end, disconnect the phone cable from the phone then re-connect.

5.  Does the LCD show ‘Deactivated’ after 5 minutes? 

At least one of the key configuration parameters has failed to read.

Ensure all of the key parameters, as described in the Koi Watch manual under 'Koi Watch Configuration', are present in the phone book.  The names are case-sensitive and the name must be exactly as shown.

Ensure all of the key parameters have been added to the SIM phone book and NOT the dedicated phones’ internal phone book.

Ensure only the configuration parameters described in the Koi Watch manual are present in the phone book. i.e delete the contents of the phone book before adding configuration parameters.

Ensure the dedicated phone is switched on BEFORE Koi Watch. Do not turn on Koi Watch until the dedicated phone is in standby mode i.e ready to make and receive calls.

6.  If the float switch(es) is triggered, the state shown on LCD does not change to ‘Trig’ for the associated float-switch? 

Ensure the float-switch(es) is connected.

Ensure the float-switch is operational – physically short together the float switch terminals J3 and/or J4.

Ensure Koi Watch was not already in an alarm-triggered state.  Upon detection of an alarm condition Koi Watch will stop monitoring the temperature probe and float switches for 2 hours (see the ‘Holdtime’ configuration parameter in the Koi Watch manual for information on changing this).  The LCD will be ‘held’ for this time period displaying the values read when the alarm condition occurred.