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

CA_Traveler
Explorer III
May 13, 2016
Don't use city water, instead use the pump only and the fresh water level will be a good guide for dumping.

99% of the sensors are only intended for the salesman to sell the rig - "And it comes complete with a great tank monitor system."
1fanman
Explorer
May 13, 2016
A Hearty Thank You to all that replied, I hadn't thought about using Dawn but definitely will do so. Thanks again and smooth Roads to each of you.
1Fanman (AKA Del)
ksg5000
Explorer
May 13, 2016
Gray water tank sensors tend to get mucked up with grease - I have found that Dawn seems to be the easiest way to tackle those sensors.

Black water tank sensors tend to get much up with toilet paper and other "stuff" ... I use a "butt wand" sold at any RV outlet which you put down the toilet and use a high pressure spray to clean off the sensors. If your patient you might consider adding a bottle of septic tank cleaner to the black water tank ... fill to the brim and wait a week --- tends to dissolve everything. Many RVers tend to ignore the black water tank sensors - you kinda know when that's getting full .... gray water tank is more important in my book.
Dutch_12078
Explorer II
May 13, 2016
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.
DutchmenSport
Explorer
May 13, 2016
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.

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