Getting grey and black water level gauges to work?

[imq707s]

What's the best way to clean out the grey and black water tanks in order to get the level gauges to start working again? The fresh water gauge on our 2011 Zinger camper works fine, but the grey and black water gauges have stopped working last year......they both show empty all the time.

Any ideas?

[Harvey51]

As if you dry campers didn't know exactly how long you can go without dumping without looking at the gauges.

Yes, one gets to know the duration and signs. We know we need a dump every 4 or 5 days.

[Ralph_Cramden]

jplante4 wrote:

Dutch_12078 wrote:

jplante4 wrote:

E - don't worry, be happy. Just forget about the levels. Dump the gray tank when it backs up into the shower. Dump the black tank when you start to smell it.

Yep, that would be just perfect for that 6AM bathroom wake up call and you're on a no sewer site. 😉

Ralph Cramden wrote:
Exactly. Or if you search out the electric only or undeveloped sites in state parks or ACOE/Fed campgrounds like we do. When you're on night number 7 of a 10 or 11 night trip its nice to know if you can make it to night 11 without making a trip to the honey hole with the blue tote.

As if you dry campers didn't know exactly how long you can go without dumping without looking at the gauges.

I guess we would know exactly after enough dry camping with the same people or number of people, eating the same diet while consuming the same amount of liquids, and if we took the same amount of showers timing them to the split second along with measuring out the water used for doing dishes and such, but that seldom happens.

[down_home]

Ours have worked fine since day one.
We do flush our tanks, and not just drain them. That may contribute to good performance.
Fill three quarters or less full and all the ice cues you have. Put some water softener and dish soap into the mix and drive down a bad section I40 or somewhere.
Bleach will also cut grease and crud too so pour some of that in.
Flush don't just drain and refill and flush all the soap etc out again.
If that don't do it, well I haven't replaced any sensors, or checked wiring.
I do understand, I believe there is not a whole lot to the sensors to go bad.
So maybe the cleaning will do it.
Now I'm gonna sit back and watch someone tell you and me how to fix it right.

[ncrowley]

I had the Sea Level II system installed recently and we really love it! In our case, the sensor was on the wall of the tanks and they were coming loose.

[jplante4]

Dutch_12078 wrote:

jplante4 wrote:

E - don't worry, be happy. Just forget about the levels. Dump the gray tank when it backs up into the shower. Dump the black tank when you start to smell it.

Yep, that would be just perfect for that 6AM bathroom wake up call and you're on a no sewer site. 😉

Ralph Cramden wrote:
Exactly. Or if you search out the electric only or undeveloped sites in state parks or ACOE/Fed campgrounds like we do. When you're on night number 7 of a 10 or 11 night trip its nice to know if you can make it to night 11 without making a trip to the honey hole with the blue tote.

As if you dry campers didn't know exactly how long you can go without dumping without looking at the gauges.

[lanerd]

Ok, lots of different remedies here. Some good, some bad. So, I'll add my 2 cents.

I've owned several different types of rv's from pop-ups to our current mh. What I've always done to keep my tanks clean and in perfect operational condition (including my sensors) is this:

When getting ready to travel, I'll dump both tanks and rinse the black with the in-tank rinsing device. If you don't have one, I suggest you have one installed (fairly easy job). Then I'll dump again and add about 5 gallons of fresh water along with a cup full of liquid laundry detergent (I use Oxy-Clean) in both tanks. I'll then drive to my next destination and once there dump the soapy solution from the tanks and add several gallons of fresh water and use the tanks normally. The next time I travel, I repeat this process. If you can get your hands on some liquid Calgon water softener, add a cap full, or two, along with the cup of detergent. The Calgon will make the inside of the tanks slippery...hindering anything sticking to it (or the probes).

Keep in mind that water, lots of water, is your friend. When either using the toilet or dumping the tanks, use lots of water. ALWAYS keep water in both tanks....never let them dry out.

Again, this is my proven solution that has worked for me for years and years. It will even keep the odors down so that no black tank chemicals is required...ever.

Like I said... my 2 cents. Take it or leave it.

Ron

[myredracer]

Best way to clean? Liquid Drano. That's what our KZ owners manual says to use. It won't hurt metal or plastic, including the seals. We use it from time to time to get the tanks back to factory fresh condition. Have used it for the 3 prior seasons. Problem is, it doesn't take very long before the sensors aren't working again. 😞

The Horst Miracle probes may or may not help and it depends somewhat on the shape, dimensions and location of the outlet pipe. They worked great on a previous TT but hardly make a difference on our current TT.

After you've been using your tanks for a while, you get to know about when they need dumping. Looking down the black tank works - adding a shutoff valve behind it helps.

[Dennis12]

Completely fill grey and black tanks, Hot water if possible, overdose it with Dawn dish liquid. let set overnight. Buy a Valterra A01-0187VP Flexible Tank Wand by Valterra $ 16 95 Amazon. Drain tank. On the open black tank drop the wand turned on high slowly down the commode slowly spinning it. take it down as far as you can even till you do not see it and you are spinning it by the hose. Do not be in a hurry, let it blast the tank. Now drain the grey tank and do the same thing but go into the dump opening. The statement above " to use septic safe toilet paper as it breaks down easier in the tanks and is less likely to wrap around or attach to the sensors." I don't agree with. If you take any brand of toilet paper and put a sheet in a glass of water and let sit overnight it will be like mush when you try to pick it out.

[Ralph_Cramden]

Dutch_12078 wrote:

jplante4 wrote:

E - don't worry, be happy. Just forget about the levels. Dump the gray tank when it backs up into the shower. Dump the black tank when you start to smell it.

Yep, that would be just perfect for that 6AM bathroom wake up call and you're on a no sewer site. 😉

Exactly. Or if you search out the electric only or undeveloped sites in state parks or ACOE/Fed campgrounds like we do. When you're on night number 7 of a 10 or 11 night trip its nice to know if you can make it to night 11 without making a trip to the honey hole with the blue tote.

I have put the Seelevel system on every trailer we have owned, and have found it's better than sliced bread.

[Dutch_12078]

jplante4 wrote:

E - don't worry, be happy. Just forget about the levels. Dump the gray tank when it backs up into the shower. Dump the black tank when you start to smell it.

Yep, that would be just perfect for that 6AM bathroom wake up call and you're on a no sewer site. 😉

[Lynnmor]

imq707s wrote:
I'm sorry.....i guess I didnt say that right. They are both stuck at 1/3 full. The black water stopped working first....then a few months later the grey water stopped working.

The "sensors" are just bolts thru the tank side. As scum builds up between the sensors, electricity is conducted thru that scum and turns on a level light. Cleaning the tank wall will restore the functionality for a while, but keeping the wall clean is next to impossible. A hand held flushing device inserted down the toilet often works, depending on the system. The gauge is designed to work correctly with pristine conditions. I built a device to compensate for the added conductivity of the scum and it works for me.

[imq707s]

I'm sorry.....i guess I didnt say that right. They are both stuck at 1/3 full. The black water stopped working first....then a few months later the grey water stopped working.

[Dick_B]

X2 on a connection problem. When ours fail they always fail in the 1/3, 2/3, F levels. We used to worry about it....

[jplante4]

Ralph Cramden wrote:
You could.........

A - Change the probes to Horst probes. They work better but are not 100% immune to fouling.

B - Look down the toilet with a flashlight which seems to be the preferred method over on another board.

C - Buy into the "geo method" and spend the rest of your days buying soap and water softeners.

D - Drop a couple bones and install See Level2 which actually works, and forget about it.

E - don't worry, be happy. Just forget about the levels. Dump the gray tank when it backs up into the shower. Dump the black tank when you start to smell it.