I bought a 2004 Montana model 2980RL.During the purchase, the dealer showed me where to dump my tanks and the tank gauges. When I asked him why my gauge had a "galley" readout on it (in addition to fresh, grey, and black), he said that most of them have that "slot" even though they don't have an extra grey tank for the galley. I thought that was odd given that if I spent $50K for a new trailer, I'd expect the gauges to be accurate and not have gauges for things I don't need. Anyway, after they did their tests for me, I asked them to make sure the tanks were empty to reduce weight during travel.I get home with the trailer and notice that the fresh water tank wasn't drained. I decided to turn on the sink faucet to drain it and, after a while, the sink stopped accepting more water. I IMMEDIATELY looked at the gauge and sure enough, the "galley" gauge that wasn't supposed to be measuring anything showed "full". The problem is that I have 2 valves, 1 for black and 1 for grey. They are noted on the picture with yellow lines in approximately the area where they are under the trailer.The thick red line is the 4" pipe that leads out to the sewer.I noticed a 2" pipe that ties into the 4" pipe. THis pipe heads towards the back of the trailer and turns to go towards the galley and disappears up into the sealed underbelly. There is NO valve along this line visible from outside. This line ties into the 4" line right at the connection to the hose that you would attach to the sewer.All things point to me having a second grey tank but I can't figure out where the valve to drain it is or might be located. HELP!!!

On my last trailer the galley grey tank valve was behind the rear tire on the driver's side of the trailer. It would be hard to see with your slide open

FOUND IT!!!!You are right!! THANKYOU DOUG!!!! I climbed under the open slide and right between the two tires is where the handle is. The manufacturer had drilled a hole through the frame (which seems odd to me) and the handle was almost hidden right next to a 1" square tube that looked to provide lateral support for the slide.Can't wait to call the dealership tomorrow and ask them why they charged me $400 to inspect my unit and couldn't even locate a completely separate TANK.

There is a third tank for the galley. The handle to open/close the drain is sticking out of the frame on the street side in the area of the tires. My 2955 handle was just in front of the tires, my buddy's 2950 handle is in the same area. Yours will be in the same area. Look for the hole through the frame in case the handle has fallen off. The actual gate valve is close to the tank (some RVIA standard supposedly) and the tank sits over the axle area. Trust me it is there. You are not the first to not know about the third tank.

Thanks Carl n Susan...we were posting at about the same time, but you were spot on too. It was just between the 2 tires.What's killing me is that it's one thing to not know if you are a beginner like myself. It's entirely another if your dealership sells thousands of units a year and doesn't know. lol

joeburnes wrote:Can't wait to call the dealership tomorrow and ask them why they charged me $400 to inspect my unit and couldn't even locate a completely separate TANK.Congrats on your new rig.Let us know. I'm interested in the excuse they will give you. If they even tell you anything.

Wanna solve a mystery? | Good Sam Community

25 Replies

NWKomfort350
Explorer
Dec 28, 2015
ReneeG wrote:
rmoore0852 wrote:
mark1228 wrote:
joeburnes wrote:
rockhillmanor wrote:
most of them have that "slot" even though they don't have an extra grey tank for the galley.

Well that's a new read for me. They tell you do NOT have an option on an RV and it turns out you DO! :B

>>There should be a sticker on the wall of the wardrobe closet that shows what options are on the RV along with specs.

Never trust any salesman they know nothing and always lie to cover up their ignorance. :W

I'd definitely go back and tell the 'General Manager' of the store you bought it at and do your part at getting these dumb salespeople off the floors of RV dealerships!

This guy wasn't a salesman, he was the guy whose job it was specifically to inspect the RV and walk the customer through everything. $395 bought me an idiot.

Maybe but I can tell you that your floorplan does not usually have a separate galley gray tank. Normally you find that in a rear kitchen model but not a mid kitchen. Obviously yours does but having been in the RV business for 16 years and using RV's all my life, it would not have surprised me to see your trailer have a spot for a galley gray tank on the monitor panel but not actually have the tank, especially on a 2004 model Motana

My Puma is a mid kitchen, and I have a separate galley tank. Be careful with generalizing statements.

Our Bighorn is a mid kitchen too with its own gray tank.

My Keyston Cougar is mid kitchen and has two gray tanks. Galley tank handle is by streetside tires under slideout.
Endricken
Explorer
Dec 27, 2015
My 05 Montana has the "hidden" galley tank handle for the Galley Tank just in front of the tires and not quite under the slideout, close to the drain pipe. No, its not a rear kitchen floorplan.
"Where's the handle" has been a common query on the MOC forum over the years.

My galley tank Monitor always reads full (despite several attempts with tanks sensor cleaning) so I dump it twice a week while camping.
I just wish the posted "Grey tank Capacity" would indicate how much is each "gray" tank...
ReneeG
Explorer
Dec 26, 2015
rmoore0852 wrote:
mark1228 wrote:
joeburnes wrote:
rockhillmanor wrote:
most of them have that "slot" even though they don't have an extra grey tank for the galley.

Well that's a new read for me. They tell you do NOT have an option on an RV and it turns out you DO! :B

>>There should be a sticker on the wall of the wardrobe closet that shows what options are on the RV along with specs.

Never trust any salesman they know nothing and always lie to cover up their ignorance. :W

I'd definitely go back and tell the 'General Manager' of the store you bought it at and do your part at getting these dumb salespeople off the floors of RV dealerships!

This guy wasn't a salesman, he was the guy whose job it was specifically to inspect the RV and walk the customer through everything. $395 bought me an idiot.

Maybe but I can tell you that your floorplan does not usually have a separate galley gray tank. Normally you find that in a rear kitchen model but not a mid kitchen. Obviously yours does but having been in the RV business for 16 years and using RV's all my life, it would not have surprised me to see your trailer have a spot for a galley gray tank on the monitor panel but not actually have the tank, especially on a 2004 model Motana

My Puma is a mid kitchen, and I have a separate galley tank. Be careful with generalizing statements.

Our Bighorn is a mid kitchen too with its own gray tank.
rmoore0852
Explorer
Dec 26, 2015
mark1228 wrote:
joeburnes wrote:
rockhillmanor wrote:
most of them have that "slot" even though they don't have an extra grey tank for the galley.

Well that's a new read for me. They tell you do NOT have an option on an RV and it turns out you DO! :B

>>There should be a sticker on the wall of the wardrobe closet that shows what options are on the RV along with specs.

Never trust any salesman they know nothing and always lie to cover up their ignorance. :W

I'd definitely go back and tell the 'General Manager' of the store you bought it at and do your part at getting these dumb salespeople off the floors of RV dealerships!

This guy wasn't a salesman, he was the guy whose job it was specifically to inspect the RV and walk the customer through everything. $395 bought me an idiot.

Maybe but I can tell you that your floorplan does not usually have a separate galley gray tank. Normally you find that in a rear kitchen model but not a mid kitchen. Obviously yours does but having been in the RV business for 16 years and using RV's all my life, it would not have surprised me to see your trailer have a spot for a galley gray tank on the monitor panel but not actually have the tank, especially on a 2004 model Motana

My Puma is a mid kitchen, and I have a separate galley tank. Be careful with generalizing statements.
mark1228
Explorer
Dec 23, 2015
Carl n Susan wrote:
mark1228 wrote:

Maybe but I can tell you that your floorplan does not usually have a separate galley gray tank. Normally you find that in a rear kitchen model but not a mid kitchen. Obviously yours does but having been in the RV business for 16 years and using RV's all my life, it would not have surprised me to see your trailer have a spot for a galley gray tank on the monitor panel but not actually have the tank, especially on a 2004 model Motana

Obviously your 16 years of experience (or 1 year repeated 16 times) hasn't ever involved a Montana. Every Montana since 1999 has two grey tanks. All of them! The galley grey tank release handle has been located along the frame on the drivers side until recently on *SOME* models. Montana finally saw fit to move all the handles of the new models with 2 black tanks and 2 grey tanks into the convenience center. The rest of the models with 1 black and 2 greys still have the galley handle somewhere along the frame.

In fact, I have sold many pre-owned Montana models and currently have 3 in stock. It is also a fact that I have never been a Montana dealer although I have been a Keystone dealer for 15 years. I'm not sure what you mean by "or 1 year repeated 16 times" but for some reason I don't think you meant it as a compliment :). You obviously have some knowledge of Montana's that I don't and that is really the point. There are so many brands and models that change from year to year, it is simply not reasonable to expect anyone to know every detail of all of them.
Carl_n_Susan
Nomad II
Dec 19, 2015
joeburnes wrote:

THANKS...I have registered and am awaiting approval!!

Often time their registration system "forgets" to email your approval. Go ahead and try to logon. If it fails contact the Admin, the instructions are there on the Home page.

They also have a FaceBook page if your are into to that activity.
Carl_n_Susan
Nomad II
Dec 19, 2015
mark1228 wrote:

Maybe but I can tell you that your floorplan does not usually have a separate galley gray tank. Normally you find that in a rear kitchen model but not a mid kitchen. Obviously yours does but having been in the RV business for 16 years and using RV's all my life, it would not have surprised me to see your trailer have a spot for a galley gray tank on the monitor panel but not actually have the tank, especially on a 2004 model Motana

Obviously your 16 years of experience (or 1 year repeated 16 times) hasn't ever involved a Montana. Every Montana since 1999 has two grey tanks. All of them! The galley grey tank release handle has been located along the frame on the drivers side until recently on *SOME* models. Montana finally saw fit to move all the handles of the new models with 2 black tanks and 2 grey tanks into the convenience center. The rest of the models with 1 black and 2 greys still have the galley handle somewhere along the frame.
joeburnes
Explorer
Dec 19, 2015
Allworth wrote:
Lesson one:
Welcome to the wonderful world of dealer ignorance!

Lesson two:
Never again pay a dealer for inspection or pre-delivery familiarization with a trailer. That is part of their cost of doing business and should NEVER be an add-on!

This wasn't a normal "dealer". They only sell used and sell more than any other dealer by far in the state of Texas. Obviously they make their money as a percentage of what the seller brings in on consignment, but they also do a lot of repair work and sell parts. Soooo, you would think that THEY of all people, would know about this kind of thing since they work on all kinds of used units ALL the time.
I would sort of understand it if it were a dealer that rarely turns a used unit, but with these guys, it's almost ridiculous.

I spoke with the general manager of the location where I bought it. She told me she would make sure to address this issue but I'll have to look up in the paperwork to be able to tell them who did the walk around.
A few hours after that call, the manager of the shop called and left a vmail for me. I'll get back with him on Monday. I'll say this, my next unit will likely be a Mobile Suites. And if they don't do a little more than apologize, I won't use them again. I'm not the kind of guy that sends his food back trying to get a free meal, but they could save a good relationship if they put in a little effort. If not, so be it. I vote with my dollars.
joeburnes
Explorer
Dec 19, 2015
Carl n Susan wrote:

Many dealers are worthless in terms of practical use of a RV. Since you are new to 5th wheels and Montanas, I highly recommend you join the Montana Owners Club (MOC). This is a free to join, non-vendor owned source of information for all things Montana. All you need to to do is select a userid/password and you have access to over 15,000+ other owners and their collective experiences going back to around 2000.

With a 2004 Montana you are going to need some assistance that the dealers can provide when things go wrong. You have now found the mysterious third grey tank handle. Other common but frustrating problems are "slides stopping when opening or closing", "toilet bowl won't hold water" and "decals are peeling". All of these issues, and may more, can be answered there.

MOC Clicky www.montanaowners.com

THANKS...I have registered and am awaiting approval!!
joeburnes
Explorer
Dec 19, 2015
rhagfo wrote:

If it is a cable release I would look to see how much extra cable there is, you might be able to move to one end or the other of the slide.

It is a T handle style so there is really no slack. It's no big deal that it's under there for me....now that I know it actually exists. lol

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