Grey Tank Filling

GSwalker2022 wrote:
Thank you all for the insight. I can now honestly take this as a rookie mistake and not make it again.

Mistake or not, If you truly have a leak you ought to find it. You don't want to camp someplace without water and/or sewer hookups and find out that you either run out of water, or fill up the tank.

were all rookies, we learn as we go. welcome aboard.

Thank you all for the insight. I can now honestly take this as a rookie mistake and not make it again.

agesilaus wrote:

1st - NEVER leave your RV for a few days with water hoked to it.... If you had a leak it could have been catastrophic..

Ditto on that, we had a line blow off the toilet and a mini flood.

The meters are notoriously wrong most of the time but on a brand new unit they might still be working. The problem is that the sensor, which is just a metal rod, picks up solid material which ruins their accuracy. The worse obviously is the black tank. There are better sensors but I've never heard of an OEM installation of the better units.

42 PSI should be fine, I have my regulator set about there. Less will give you anemic water flow out of the faucets and shower.

Thank you. 42psi has worked for my wife and I pretty well throughout.

valhalla360 wrote:
The fresh water gauges usually work OK. They are still pretty limited and we can get around 7-8 gal more into the fresh water tank after the gauge shows full (but be careful of overfilling).

Basically, they shove a metal electrode thru the tank wall at various heights and connect them to an electrode at/near the bottom of the tank. If water reaches an electrode, the water completes a circuit with the bottom electrode and a light on the gauge. With the black & gray, moist crud on the wall of the tank can create the same circuit even when the tank is empty. You can try and keep them clean but it's a losing battle.

The black & gray tanks...It's more an odd curiosity if they ever show empty. Get in the habit of emptying before storage and then try to get a feel for how many days you can go between dumping (it will vary based on your usage and how big the tanks are).

42PSI is fine...when you are present. If leaving for a longer period of time, at a minimum shut off the tap. If it's going to be days, disconnect the hose.

After waking one night on our boat many years ago (same basic water system design), hearing a hissing sound, we tracked it down and found a hose had split and was filling the bilge. Since then, we operate off the fresh water tank and pump. If there's a leak, we will hear the pump running and investigate. Also, worst case scenario, once the tank is empty, it won't pump anymore water into your RV. A leak behind a cabinet can soak the floor/wall and if left for a long period of time, can cause expensive water damage.

Thank you for the insight and personal experience/example.

Lwiddis wrote:
"We left our camper connected to water, power and sewage"

Leaving your camper attached to a pressurized water source is extremely dangerous. Something "pops" and you have ruined your RV. Was the sewer line open? Or closed?

Thank you.

Lwiddis wrote:
"We left our camper connected to water, power and sewage"

Leaving your camper attached to a pressurized water source is extremely dangerous. Something "pops" and you have ruined your RV. Was the sewer line open? Or closed?

It was closed.

The fresh water gauges usually work OK. They are still pretty limited and we can get around 7-8 gal more into the fresh water tank after the gauge shows full (but be careful of overfilling).

Basically, they shove a metal electrode thru the tank wall at various heights and connect them to an electrode at/near the bottom of the tank. If water reaches an electrode, the water completes a circuit with the bottom electrode and a light on the gauge. With the black & gray, moist crud on the wall of the tank can create the same circuit even when the tank is empty. You can try and keep them clean but it's a losing battle.

The black & gray tanks...It's more an odd curiosity if they ever show empty. Get in the habit of emptying before storage and then try to get a feel for how many days you can go between dumping (it will vary based on your usage and how big the tanks are).

42PSI is fine...when you are present. If leaving for a longer period of time, at a minimum shut off the tap. If it's going to be days, disconnect the hose.

After waking one night on our boat many years ago (same basic water system design), hearing a hissing sound, we tracked it down and found a hose had split and was filling the bilge. Since then, we operate off the fresh water tank and pump. If there's a leak, we will hear the pump running and investigate. Also, worst case scenario, once the tank is empty, it won't pump anymore water into your RV. A leak behind a cabinet can soak the floor/wall and if left for a long period of time, can cause expensive water damage.

I have my gauge set to 44psi. Just enough for the wife not to complain when taking a shower.

Both my gray and black tank idiot lights have read full for a few years now and I know they are both empty at the moment. I ignore them.

There was a piezo buzzer on the board that always squawked saying the tanks were full until I removed it.

Some RVers are so concerned about the damage a "pop" in the fresh water lines would cause that we fill our fresh water tanks and use the pump...and turn the pump off when not using water. Water is the your number one enemy.