Advice gray/black water tank cleaners

Dennis12 wrote:

I use one of these wands, and have never had an issue with my gauges.

Yup, yup,yup ... right-on for the black tank!!

Whenever I want to make my black tank gauge read accurate for awhile, I use one of those straight down the toilet opening into the tank.

I'm lazy though, so I only use one about every 6 months -> I have to get really fed up with the black tank gauge always reading more than half full right after I've emptied it before I use that excellent cleaning wand shown in the link.

RambleOnNW wrote:
Our tank sensors work great. After the trip I add water to both gray and black tanks while first adding some dishwashing soap to the grey tank. I then drive over to the dump station and dump the black tank and then use the black tank flush attachment with a hose. Then dump the grey. Great to see the last thing that comes out of the sewer hose is soap suds. Both tank sensors read empty then.

While camping we use Walex biopak and portapak tabs in our black tank.

Thank you :)

*IF* your sensors are reading accurately, something is very wrong! The sensors are small metal "buttons" on the inside of the tank at various elevations. The problem is that with all the p@@p, TP and sludge on the tank walls, they get short-circuited and don't indicate properly. False readings are normal. They shouldn't even bother installing them...

There are various cleaners that can be used but false readings will return in no time flat. Our KZ owners manual says to use Liquid Drano. We've used it from time to time and while it does get the tank back to factory original clean condition, false readings are back pdq (sigh). I never look at the level indicator.

After a while, you will simply get to know how long your tank will last before it needs dumping. You can look down the toilet to see how full it is. I installed a shutoff valve at the back of the toilet so I can see clearly into the tank without water spray in the way.

To get the most out of your tank, always add a few gallons of water before each use and don't skimp on water when flushing. Then make sure the tank is filled to, or near full, of water before dumping and rinse well. Trying to skimp on water and rinsing will just make things worse.

I've read of a few cases where owners have found the sensors installed at the wrong elevation or wires connected to the wrong sensors. Then the factories cover up their errors with a sheet of coroplast, pffft.

Use Google and look up the "GEO Method".

Westcoasting wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:
After having an almost new Camco wand blow apart squirting water everywhere, I made my own.

What did you make it out of?

It's just 1" PVC pipe with a cap on one end and a hose fitting on the other. Drill 4 - 1/8" holes in the end with the cap. A fancy one also has a ball shutoff.

Our tank sensors work great. After the trip I add water to both gray and black tanks while first adding some dishwashing soap to the grey tank. I then drive over to the dump station and dump the black tank and then use the black tank flush attachment with a hose. Then dump the grey. Great to see the last thing that comes out of the sewer hose is soap suds. Both tank sensors read empty then.

While camping we use Walex biopak and portapak tabs in our black tank.

Don't worry too much. Very few folks with standard in tank sensors have accurate working sensors and the ones that say they do are lying (that's a joke folks, get over it!).
As mentioned, the external sensors work much better and then to work very well for many years. However, build up on the inside of the tank can lead to poor readings as well and may require a more aggressive tank cleaning. You can hire a company that cleans tanks and improve your results but this does not last long despite your best efforts. The size of your tank matters. Smaller tanks and those wands can work wonders. Larger tank sensors can't be reached with those short hoses.

Lynnmor wrote:
After having an almost new Camco wand blow apart squirting water everywhere, I made my own.

What did you make it out of?

After having an almost new Camco wand blow apart squirting water everywhere, I made my own.

Dennis12 wrote:

I use one of these wands, and have never had an issue with my gauges.

I wouldn't get the kind with the whirly gig on the end. The shop at the RV store where I work has seen them come off and get lodged in the dump valves.