Holding tank cleaning

I tried Geo and find it to be pretty much worthless. Just my 2 cents.

Google "Geo method" and you will find the method that many use to keep tanks clean and sensors working. We use Dawn with water softener now, just switched, no difference yet.

Anybody that thinks they have the solution to keep sensors working properly, is proof that they are inexperienced,......have not been RVing very long.
This topic has been discussed hundreds of times, and always w/ the same conclusion,......if you want to spend 1/2 your life, and 1/2 your money on cleaning tank sensors, you might keep them working 1/2 the time. The sooner you learn and believe this the sooner you will find much better things to spend your time and money on, and the sooner you will learn that you don't need no tank sensors anyway.

Read "Redracer's post above, and just believe it !!

I have black and grey holding tanks that are original to my 1988 coach. They never read very well even after a professional cleaning. However, I have been using a water softener (most times) and over the last year or so the tank readings are getting more and more accurate. My gray tank now reads right or close enough to right and the black tank reads 1/4 even when empty but goes to 1/2, 3/4 and full as appropriate. I cannot attribute this to anything else but I am pretty dang happy!

False readings are normal and if you don't have them, something is very wrong, lol... :) Easiest way to check level is to peer down the toilet with a flashlight (if toilet drops straight down). I installed a shutoff valve behind the toilet so I can look down and see the level and for checking during the flush & rinse process.

Holding tanks come in many configurations and sizes and some are easier to flush & clean and some aren't. A few different ones are in the photos. A back flush elbow may not do much and same with an in-tank rinser. The spray just can't get to where the sensors are to do much and even if it does there isn't enough force to flush the crud off. Sometimes the factory installs the sensors at the wrong elevations.

I installed Horst Miracle sensors in a previous TT and they worked great. Installed them in our current TT and they don't work at all.

I run our in-tank rinser for 15-20 minutes when breaking camp and sometimes it gets it back to reading empty but usually not. Helps to fill the tank to near full before dumping and sometimes need to repeat it once or twice more. I use Liquid Drano (won't hurt metal or plastic) once or twice a year and while it gets the tank back to factory clean, it's not long before the false readings return.

Dusty R wrote:
SeeLevel works for me.

Dusty

x2. IMHO the normal tank sensors are problematic forever. Horst miracle probes are a big step up but still are a probe inside the tank, and prone to issues.

SeeLevel and at least one other solution use external sensors and rely on the change in capacitance of the tank as water fills the tank. much much much more reliable and repeatable. However, even these can go bonkers if you let **** build up on the walls of the tank. in the grey tank grease buildup can end up making the seelevel erratic.

and the seelevel will give you reading every 5 percent, rather than 1/4 etc.

SeeLevel works for me.

Dusty

It ain't the crud on the sensors, it's the crud on the tank walls between the sensors. By the way, a "sensor" is nothing more than a bolt thru the tank wall, not some fancy electronic device.

JDsdogs wrote:
Revisiting Gray water sensor issue.
After trying a recommended tank cleaner x 2, sensor still shows the tank to be 2/3 full when fully emptied.

I'm thinking I need to remove the sensors from the side of the tank and either clean them manually or replace them. It appears that each sensor is held to the side of the tank with a single screw and a sealing compound of some type. Other than the removal of the compound, it doesn't look too complicated.

Anyone out there have any experience cleaning or replacing tank sensors?

Thanks in advance

Do you know the type of grey tank monitor system you have? Is it the KIB Electronics system? Or another manufacturer?

If it is a KIB system I can help with that.

Ed

Revisiting Gray water sensor issue.
After trying a recommended tank cleaner x 2, sensor still shows the tank to be 2/3 full when fully emptied.

I'm thinking I need to remove the sensors from the side of the tank and either clean them manually or replace them. It appears that each sensor is held to the side of the tank with a single screw and a sealing compound of some type. Other than the removal of the compound, it doesn't look too complicated.

Anyone out there have any experience cleaning or replacing tank sensors?

Thanks in advance