Greetings fellow Rv'ers, 1Fanman here with a question, can one of you tell me how to clean my holding tank sensors, I have used every available product and haven,t had any luck, sometimes my grey tank will show everything from empty to half full, etc after I drain it and the black tank is the same. Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks and smooth roads to each. 1Fanman.

Well, false readings are normal and to be expected. If you don't have them, then is definitely something not right! :BSome tanks are easy to dump and flush and some aren't because they come in many different shapes/configurations and dimensions and the outlet can be on the side, end or bottom. We've had both extremes and currently have the difficult type because it is too shallow compared to it's width & length. There is the Horst Miracle Probe that may or may not help. The Horst probes really helped on a previous TT but did almost nothing in our current TT. Another thing that can happen is that the factory sometimes installs the button sensors in incorrect elevations and they won't read right no matter what. For more a lot more $$ you can get the SeeLevel sensors that go on the outside of a tank. If you have an enclosed underbelly, changing sensors is not a simple job tho.Preventive measures will help for the black tank - 3-5 gallons of water before use, fill tank to near full before dumping and flush/rinse as best you can before heading off. A built-in flusher works well for us (can be retro-fitted). A Valterra backflush elbow worked great on a previous TT but does nothing for our current one. If the toilet pipe drops straight down to the tank, a wand type flusher will help.If you have a really plugged up tank or it's walls are coated with slime and short-circuiting the sensors, the best method of all for cleaning is Liquid Drano (or equiv.). Our owners manual actually says to use it. It needs to be the type that doesn't not attack metal and do NOT dump it into a private on-site septic system. We've used it 2 or 3 times and it is amazingly clean afterwards. Sadly, it doesn't take long for false readings to come back. :M

Dutch_12078 wrote:I found the best solution for us years ago, was to replace the existing "screws through the tank wall" monitor system with an external capacitance sensor system. I like the "SeeLevel II" series that uses the existing wiring. With normal tank flushes, we've never had a misreading tank level. I also like that the SeeLevel II display reads in percentages instead of the inaccurate "Empty, 1/3, 2/3, Full" displays common on OEM and KIB systems.I just installed the SeeLevel II as well after first trying several ways of cleaning things. So far I'm pretty happy with these new sensors and they were quite easy to install.

Your RV tanks can be cleaned using a variety of tools, such as a tank cleaning wand. This solution is specifically designed to clean the sensors in RV black water tanks. It cleans your tanks on all sides in a circular motion by spouting water at high pressure.

I don't think there really any good way. Stuff stick to them and that's whats causing the miss-readings. I have found the best way to keep them working is to dump all your tanks completely. Then add a 3-5 gallons of water and a bit of Dawn Dishwashing liquid (stronger is OK). Then take it for a good drive, or travel to your next destination.The sloshing of water will pound against the sensors beating off anything that's stuck to them. The Dawn will help clean the tank and the sensor too.Beyond this, there's really not much else that can be done. You can try different chemicals in your tank, but it's the sloshing while on the road that works the best.

I found the best solution for us years ago, was to replace the existing "screws through the tank wall" monitor system with an external capacitance sensor system. I like the "SeeLevel II" series that uses the existing wiring. With normal tank flushes, we've never had a misreading tank level. I also like that the SeeLevel II display reads in percentages instead of the inaccurate "Empty, 1/3, 2/3, Full" displays common on OEM and KIB systems.

Cleaning Holding Tank Sensors | Good Sam Community

Lynnmor
Explorer
May 13, 2016
beemerphile1 wrote:
When the toilet burps, the black tank is nearly full.

When water backs up in the shower, the gray tank is full.

I guess the next thing to do is dump it in the Walmart parking lot? Staying in a campground and traveling are two different things. It would be very helpful to know the tank level so one can plan on dumping on an intelligent schedule.
Oasisbob
Explorer
May 13, 2016
My guages lie like politicians. I use a sprinkler type tank flusher which temperarally helps.
beemerphile1
Explorer
May 13, 2016
Lynnmor wrote:
beemerphile1 wrote:
When the toilet burps, the black tank is nearly full.

When water backs up in the shower, the gray tank is full.

I guess the next thing to do is dump it in the Walmart parking lot? Staying in a campground and traveling are two different things. It would be very helpful to know the tank level so one can plan on dumping on an intelligent schedule.

I don't see the need for the smart response. Anyone RVing for long knows that the gauges are nearly worthless. After a while it is relatively easy to estimate "an intelligent schedule" as to how long it will take to fill a tank.
DutchmenSport
Explorer
May 13, 2016
Yuck! You're standing in the shower and water starts to build up around your feet! You're all soaped up. What do you do?

"Hey honey! .... quick! Run outside and pull the lever! I'm about to drown in here!"

"Sorry deer you're on your own! ... plop... plop ... I've got my own problems!"

Now actually .... that's funny!
jake2250
Explorer
May 13, 2016
X2 on the Calgon softener, I bought a gallon jug of Calgon at Wal Mart, I am not as precise. I just put a few glugs of Calgon down the toilet before each trip.
So far sensors work and tank flushes good!
DrewE
Explorer II
May 13, 2016
beemerphile1 wrote:

I don't see the need for the smart response. Anyone RVing for long knows that the gauges are nearly worthless. After a while it is relatively easy to estimate "an intelligent schedule" as to how long it will take to fill a tank.

I guess I haven't been RVing for long, because I find my tank level meters somewhat handy. They also seem to keep working without overly much effort, mainly the occasional use of a blank tank sprayer wand. Figuring a consistent schedule is not always a practical thing to do, especially if you camp with different groups of people at different times.

I have noticed that there is a very real correlation between posters who can't keep their sensors working well (for whatever reason, be it the specific RV design or whatever) and the posters who insist that they're of no value whatsoever and don't give any useful information and you're better off entirely ignoring them.

At any rate, there have been some decent answers given for trying to clean the tanks, and for using a capacitive sensor that is less affected by incidental buildups. I suppose a dipstick through the toilet would also work pretty reliably for the black tank (assuming it's a straight shot down, as it often is), but...eeew.
time2roll
Nomad
May 13, 2016
I use Quckie-Flush with a custom spray pattern. Installed with PEX to get full pressure on the business end. Extra directed at sensors and lots toward rear of tank. Sensors work perfect. Although it only takes about a quart to go from empty to one-third. The bottom sensors don't really matter anyway. It is the Full and maybe two-thirds that matter.
Lynnmor
Explorer
May 13, 2016
I think you will find that the KIB systems trigger the tank level lamps to illuminate correctly under pristine conditions. Once used, there will be some amount of scum on the tank walls. If the system was built to allow for some accumulation of scum before triggering the light, much of the problems would go away. I built a device to compensate for this problem, and my sensors are working. When I mentioned this before on this very forum, I recieved the smart remarks.

Glug, Glug
jake2250
Explorer
May 13, 2016
Oh,, in addition to the Calgon, I installed one of these,, hook the hose up to it and let 'er rip!! I drain Black then Grey then run the whizzer thru a couple of dumps,, doesn't put out allot of water so it takes time to get the black tank to at least half.. If I got people waiting on me dumping then I just run one rinse,, then finish at home!!
The Whizzer!!
TakingThe5th
Explorer
May 14, 2016
Oops-posting on the wrong thread. Sorry.

Forum Discussion

Cleaning Holding Tank Sensors

About Technical Issues

Related Content

cleaning sensors in black water tank

How often do you clean your MAP sensor?

SENSORS

Awning Cleaning???

Cleaning Question