Tank guage lies

[ice2fire]

When I empty the waste water tank, the guage indicates it is still full. Obviously the contacts inside the tank have got gummed up ? Our trailer never moves, it is on a fixed site. What can I do ?

Thanks

[wa8yxm]

Oh this is a ultra high tech (NO IT IS NOT) System that is so delicate and (Ok enough bull black tank filler let's get down to facts).

The "Sensor" in the tank is nothing more than a nail. or metal rod.. About as opposite of High Tech as you can get

IF it is WET than non-pure water conducts electricity and the water in that tank is about as far from PURE as it gets. (Pure. Distilled water. IS AN INSULATOR believe it or not.. also darn hard to find. I'm talking lab grade stuff here).

Well some of the "Stuff" in the tank is a tad.. er.. Scummy.. this coats the wall of the tank where ther sensors are and you can see the result.

HOW TO FIX

THeory (have yet to test) Horst Miracle probes will do it
Many report going to the SEE LEVEL (or is it SEA level) system works

I have had LIMITED success with a home made Master Blaster..
THe "Genuine article" is made by Valterra. Look it up

I took a 1/2 inch PVC pipe glued the proper fittig on one end (Hose) and a cap on the other.. Drilled a hole a bit smaller than a quarter inch in the SIDE of the cap (NOTE exact size not important)

Put city pressure to the top (Via a vacuum breaker) With the thig in the tank

Drill the hole in line with either the printed or blue line on the pipe

Aim toward the wall and BLAST away.. Limited success.. There is a better way but you are not moving the trailer so it's out.

[myredracer]

If you don't have false readings, something is VERY wrong! IOW, it's normal. There are some really annoying things about RVs and this is one of them.

Give up now - resistance is futile... :M

Thing is, even if you could clean it to brand new, factory original condition, false readings will return pdq. We use Liquid Drano (as per our factory manual) once or twice a year and the sensors quickly get gummed again. Chemicals, ice or the Geo method aren't going to work without motion to make the tank contents slosh around.

The only real & permanent solution is See Level sensors which go on the exterior of a tank. Not easy to install if you have an enclosed underbelly. An in-tank wand or back-flush elbow may or may not help depending on the particular tank dimensions, configuration, outlet & inlet pipe locations and sensors locations. There are many many different tanks.

Tank sensors have even been known to have been installed at the wrong elevations or mis-wired.

You should be filling your tank to full or near full before each time you dump. And don't skimp on water when you flush in an effort to conserve water and/or make the tank last longer - it won't and can make things a lot worse. TP type may or may not matter much. You want one that disintegrates quickly. "RV" TP prices are a rip-off and some don't even disintegrate anyway. Some ordinary brands work great like one that Costco sells.

Chemical treatments that you put in a black tank before each use of the tank are no help. Water is your friend.

Easiest thing is to just get to know about when your tank will be full based on days and no. of people using the tank. You can also look down a toilet to see where "stuff" is at, but this may be quite inaccurate if you have a pyramid of poo. Regardless, when your tank really is full to the brim and can't take any more, you will def. know.

[jplante4]

If you use a tank wand with the rotating end, make sure you check the end before use. We've had a few instances in the shop where the end came off and jammed a dump valve.

[EdTheEdge]

I have used a tank wand almost from day one. MY MH is almost 6 years old and the tank indicators are quite accurate.

[Dave_H_M]

Go to Walley's or on line and get one of those flexible wands with the rotating end on the want. Stick it down in the tank and rinse it out.

Has worked for years for me.

[Dusty_R]

I added SeeLevel sensors to my tanks. They work very well. And they measure in percent instead of thirds. To me thirds is almost useless, quarters would be much better, percent is great.

Dusty

[jjrbus]

Wizened old timers tip #10,371. If the black water tank is directly under the toilet, turn the water off, flush the toilet and shine a flashlight down into the tank, reveling the level.

My gauges do not work, I have the time, knowledge and tools to fix them, it is not worth it.

[ItsyRV]

Since you are on a fixed site, and you have exceptionally hard water in Tucson, I guess you're having the RV version of septic caliche in your tank. The stationary water level with no sloshing has allowed the organic material to bind with the minerals in the water creating scale the likes only those in the SW desert can understand.

Solutions: Blast it away. Use a industrial septic cleaner. Try those foaming RV tank cleaners like Tank Blaster or Commando. Fill tank with water and CLR or Lime Away and rock the tank from time to time. Fill the tank with vinegar and rock the tank from time to time.

I suspect a contributing factor is your tank isn't getting sloshed causing minerals to settle where they are, allowing other minerals and waste to just build on top of each other. For what it's worth, I know many with the exact same issue when their unit is in used but sitting fixed for a long time.

Good luck.

[RJsfishin]

Yep, try this, try that, try the next thing, and when you spent way too much money and time, then you do like we do. Anymore, I doubt I'd use them if they did work.

[time2roll]

My Quickie-Flush tank rinser with custom spray pattern seems to keep mine working just fine.

[MrWizard]

before you head north this summer you can try this
fill with clean water and put in 'waste digester' used for septic systems
it takes months to work but will eat the waste

then when you come back next winter, rinse multiple times with clear water

for now you might try a power rinse tool/nozzle
one of those things you stick down into the toliet
a lot of people whose campers have bathroom windows (to bring a hose thru) use them

[drsteve]

Well... there are aftermarket sensors that are not cheap, or you can get a spray wand, shove it down the commode, and let 'er rip. You can try the calgon/ice/drive around thing.

Or you can do what most of us do, ignore the useless lights and just figure out how full the tank is by usage and time. After a while it's easy.

[ScottG]

Ignore them, they're always like that. You'll find you can judge the tanks fullness by time and use.
I haven't checked my tanks since the first day I had the RV. Then I just made sure they worked.

[agesilaus]

They hardly ever work. You can try adding calgon and dawn detergent, soaking overnight. Then draining may take several applications. Some people say dumping ice cubes into the tank and then driving around make beat the deposits off.

There are better sensors you can go with. Amazon. I see a sensor cleaner there too.

If you click on that cleaner item you'll see other tank cleaners. I don't trust anything with 4 reviews.