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luvmydogs's avatar
luvmydogs
Explorer
Dec 29, 2017

SENSORS

In a 23 ft travel trailer for about 6 months and the black water and grey water sensors are stuck at 2/3 for the last month. We tried some of the granular stuff from camping world but didnt do a thing. Any ideas of how to get sensors working again? Seems strange to us that both are stuck on the same reading when they are different tanks. Anywhere else I should look for a malfunction?? HELP!
  • Thank you all or your info, got a good laugh from most and found out that the general consensus is, sensors dont work. lol lol I will try to Liquid Drano and the dish soap, guessing Dawn might be best. Sure wish they wouldt make these things so dang cheap!!! Thank you all.
  • I haven't even paid any attention to ours for over 8 years.

    After 6 months you should have a good idea when each tank is getting full

    Just remember:
    When toilet 'Burps' ---time to dump black tank
    When sink/shower starts to drain slower---time to dump grey tank(s)

    And if using pump.....when it goes 'burrrrrrrrrrrrr' ----time to refill fresh water tank
  • If you don't get false readings, then something is really wrong, lol... There's many thousands of posts on this topic if you do a search- plenty of reading enjoyment! Slime covers the tank walls and short-circuits the sensor surfaces. Not the easiest or quickest of jobs to clean them.

    First, make sure to add a few gallons before each use of the tank after dumping, don't skimp on water with each use (esp. no.2) and fill the tank to or near full before dumping. Sometimes it helps to do a second or third filling of the tank to flush more stuff out. After finishing dumping, use a rinsing method of your choice - built-in rinser, back flush elbow or down the tank wand. Don't rush the rinsing process. I let our in-tank rinser run for something like 15-20 minutes when breaking camp and attending to the other chores.

    Then everyone has their own choice of tank chemicals. Some use the "geo method" to clean sensors (google it for details). There are some commercial cleaners (Thetford, etc.) but needs to be warm out. Our owners manual says to use Liquid Drano. I do that once or twice a year but the sensors stop working properly shortly afterwards. With any cleaning chemical products, you need to drive around to make the contents slosh around but not possible if set up on a site for a long period.

    Most simply keep tabs on the number of days the black tank has been in use and/or peer down the toilet. Horst Miracle probes are an option and easy to install if you have access to the tanks. We installed them on a previous TT and they worked great but on our current TT don't help at all. (Depends on your particular tank configuration.) The only reliable sensors are the SeeLevel ones that are external.
  • The sensors are unreliable. There are some aftermarket sensors that folks have tried with some success.

    I've learned how long we can go without dumping based on the number of people we have with us on a trip or if it's just my wife and I. There have been a couple of times where my guess has been wrong. I carry a blue boy tank for just that reason so I can dump off some and give us another day or so before having to dump.

    Be sure to train guests on how to use the sinks, shower and toilet so you can extend the length of time before needing to dump. Too much running water will fill the tanks quickly.
  • I have had similar problem, solved by letting the tanks dry out. Kind of nasty but once home I put a five gallon bucket under the dump value open them up, usually don't get to much out, leave it open a couple days and dry's out the tanks. Condensation is the issue I believe, may not be the best way but it works if you are suffering from condensation on the inside of the tanks.
  • They very seldom work.
    Debris gets on them that is hard to get off.
    I use dish soap to aid in cleaning them. Doesn't always work! I put the soap in while we are traveling. The sloshing cleans part of the debris off.