Anyone use a water meter?

[Sjm9911]

Ok, so recomend to me a garden hose style water meter. My TT does not have a gravity fill or overflow and i can not tell how much water is in the freash water tank. If you fill it up too much it can pressurize, wich is bad. Normally not a problem but when i was sanitizing it i forgot to swap over the valve, so i had no idea how nuch water i had in the tank. Then i forgot to switch the other valve over to shut down the siphon hose because i didnt see it. The controlls and pump are under the couch inside and its a pita to see or feel to open and close the right levers. They should make it easier! Lol. Or i should mark them one day.........

[2112]

Sjm9911 wrote:
Ok, i thought it had a vent but no overflow, was corected a ways back , and found 2 tubes. Where they go i have no idea since my TT is sealed underneath. Im guessing one is a vent and one an overflow....

If one is Red and the other is Blue with either valves or caps on them they may be your low point drains.

[TenOC]

I had dirt wasps build a nest in the vent line completing blocking the line. Has to take a small wire and dig out the dirt. I then add a small amount of screen material over/in the line to keep them out.

[Lwiddis]

Filling slowly is the key.

[ajriding]

Yes, all tanks have an over-flow.
Air escaping will go out faster when filling than water will when full and it is over-flowing. The air just moves faster than water. The water, by going slower, will cause the tank to pressurize. Solution is to fill it slower so the water can escape out that little tiny overflow tube faster/as fast as you can pour it in with water hose pressure from the city.

Unlikely it is clogged as the pressure would blow out most things that would clog it.

Most likely you are just filling faster than water can escape.

Find where the overflow tube goes, or yank it off and run new tubing so you know where it goes and know it is not kinked or anything else.
It only needs to be 5 inches higher at its highest point before pointing back down to exit the floor, higher might be better.

As mentioned, if there is a low spot on the overflow tube and water is trapped there then it will take more pressure to blow that water out with the displaced air, but it will move eventually.

[Sjm9911]

Bumpyroad wrote:

FrankoToo wrote:
I have something like this.
https://www.amazon.com/Rainwave-RW-9FM-Digital-Water-Meter/dp/B007NHS9M4/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3TE0GGYK91R...

I can see that of value only the first time you fill your empty tank. assuming it is 40 gal (or whatever) and you fill it with 39 gal, but then when you use some water, ??? gal, how do you know how much water is in the tank then? every RV I have owned had a translucent tank where the fill level was visible .
bumpy

The TT has a closed bottom and is insulated. So you can see no tank at all, translucent or otherwise.

[Sjm9911]

rk911 wrote:

rlw999 wrote:

Sjm9911 wrote:
Ok, so recomend to me a garden hose style water meter. My TT does not have a gravity fill or overflow and i can not tell how much water is in the freash water tank. If you fill it up too much it can pressurize

I'm curious where the air in the tank goes as you fill it if there's no overflow pipe?

i was thinking the same thing. the gravity fill on our first MH back in '86 had a vent built into the fill port. but if there is zero venting how does any water flow into the tank??

Ok, i thought it had a vent but no overflow, was corected a ways back , and found 2 tubes. Where they go i have no idea since my TT is sealed underneath. Im guessing one is a vent and one an overflow. It still dosen't fill fast so the vent must be clogged. Like on your gravety fill, if the tube has spider webs or something in it the water flow is greatly reduced, or the tank will just spray back at you. Since mine is not open , im guessing thats how it over pressurizes and breaks. I will blow air in them this week and see how it goes.

[Bumpyroad]

FrankoToo wrote:
I have something like this.
https://www.amazon.com/Rainwave-RW-9FM-Digital-Water-Meter/dp/B007NHS9M4/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3TE0GGYK91R...

I can see that of value only the first time you fill your empty tank. assuming it is 40 gal (or whatever) and you fill it with 39 gal, but then when you use some water, ??? gal, how do you know how much water is in the tank then? every RV I have owned had a translucent tank where the fill level was visible .
bumpy

[rk911]

rlw999 wrote:

Sjm9911 wrote:
Ok, so recomend to me a garden hose style water meter. My TT does not have a gravity fill or overflow and i can not tell how much water is in the freash water tank. If you fill it up too much it can pressurize

I'm curious where the air in the tank goes as you fill it if there's no overflow pipe?

i was thinking the same thing. the gravity fill on our first MH back in '86 had a vent built into the fill port. but if there is zero venting how does any water flow into the tank??

[Sjm9911]

Found the overflow hoses, i never noticed them.before, bit i also never looked for them. Ill blow them out in a bit. Almost done dewinterizing and the lable maker, i was going to lable the shut offs , is out of lables. Lol.

[dedmiston]

Your tank will pressurize if you fill it faster than the overflow can vent the air. If the air can't displace, then you've pressurized it.

Do you have a drain valve? Can you empty the tank and start from scratch so you'll know how much water you're adding?

And yes, fill it slowly enough that the air can vent from the tank. Also, you might have more than one tank, so the water needs to equalize from the first tank to the second (while air vents from both of those tanks).

[Sjm9911]

No, not water heater stuff. It was just the way they made these kzs, i think it only lasted 2 years because there a pita. One is for the siphon, the others change the direction of the water from the pump to the tank. So , sort of like diverter valves. Screw one up and because im an idot and never mark them, you spend an hour turning them back and forth and still dont know if you have it set corectly to fill the tank. And as i said ,under the couch and slide, so if its wrong no water in the tank. So the valves are un marked and on the water lines in and around the pump. They are not for the water heater, those are seprate.

Now that you mentioned the overflow, i will see if it needs to be blown out, that could also be why it takes a while to fill. Not sure because i might have the valves in the wrong spots!

[Old-Biscuit]

I fill my fresh water tank until water flows out overflow...mine is just behind rear axle
Being doing that since 2007.....use tank/pump only so tank gets filled to overflow a LOT. Never an issue

Yours should be within reason to where fresh water tank is located

And What are all the those valves you are having to access and operate?
Those sound like Water Heater Valves
Cold IN...Hot Out....Bypass

Where you connect water hose...isn't there valves/switches for City/Fill ???

[Sjm9911]

The problem for me is the valves are under the couch , and that cant be accessed without opening the rear slide bed. So, i have to remember to set the valves the corect way before heading out. I usally dont and then have to bring water in by jerry can and fill it through the inside siphon. Plus, its not one valve to fill, there are 3 and they move a lot to go from filling to pump to city water. Good thing I mostly camp with hook ups. Lol. I dont know why they wouldn't have a gracity feed, or an easy way to swap the sytems over. Other think is the tank is not visible, and its insulated so i can not determine how full it is. Yea, the sensors, they never worked since i got it.

[DrewE]

One way to help avoid any risk of pressurizing the tank is to slow down the filling when you get near the top so as not to overwhelm the overflow/vent lines. If things are designed and working properly, that ought not be necessary in general.

I just open the fill valve on my motorhome and let the water flow until it starts to come out underneath, then stop filling. I've never had a bit of trouble doing that.

[Sjm9911]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Fresh water tanks have Overflows & Vents
Vents can be small diameter and if vent line sags water can get trapped in low end and block all venting

Overflows come out top and extend below enclosed underbelly
Should NOT have shutoff valve on it...should be open pipe typically 1/2"

Even the KZ Manual states...."Each storage tank has an over flow line."

Several Garden Hose Meters available on Amazon for $16-$30
Rainwave, Orbit, P3 ---pick one

I didnt see that in my maual but it does say do not overfill the tank as it could burst. It is not designed to hold pressure. That leads me to the no overflow. But you are correct it says there is an overflow. I will have to look for it. As filling untill it overflows is ideal.