Wrong Black Water Level

[tmac00]

Our black water tank level indicates full as soon as we set up and use the toilet once. Any thoughts? Do I need to flush it out? Fill it with clean water then dump? Help!!

[2112]

I gave up on the level indicators years ago.
I can look down into my black tank and know when it's getting full.
My shower gurgles when the gray is getting full.

[tmac00]

Thanks Folks.
Many helpful hints. We camp in Provincial and State Parks only. No hook ups (only electric). Do my best to limit use of potty for night time and mornings. We also do not use the shower (so far!!) and dishes are done outside (still camping like we are in our popup!). Know roughly how much is going in both grey and black tanks due to how much fresh water on board.
Tank starts out empty according to lights then fills quick.
Again thanks. Will do a thorough rinsing and see if that does the trick. If we have the gauges might as well have them working.

[dan-nickie]

obgraham wrote:
We know the average volume of each visit to the black tank inlet. Multiple that times the number of visits, and you know when it's time to empty!

Maybe the OP's volume does fill up the tank in one use. lol

[obgraham]

We know the average volume of each visit to the black tank inlet. Multiple that times the number of visits, and you know when it's time to empty!

[Old-Biscuit]

Toilet 'burps'........time to dump black tank
Sink/shower starts to drain slower.....time to dump grey tank(s)

Been using the above 'technique' for years. Lot easier than trying to keep the cheap OEM probes (stud) clean.

And my tanks are clean.......I dump when full, use built in tank flusher and water runs clear thru the clear adapter.

Worrying about the tank level monitor is just not worth my time.
Kinda like the battery 'level' monitor. JUNK
Don't really need either one.

[time2roll]

tmac00 wrote:
Our black water tank level indicates full as soon as we set up and use the toilet once. Any thoughts? Do I need to flush it out? Fill it with clean water then dump? Help!!

Always done this or is it something new? You may have a crossed wire. Do you have access to the tanks?

[Opie431]

Ours worked for ten years, year 11 it worked if we clicked our fingers against the thingy. Now we regard it as a liar and do not expect anything like the truth from it.
And it is as clean as possible inside.

[bshpilot]

raygreg wrote:
They only work the first use of your RV. Not worth worrying about.

SMDH ! they work fine IF you keep your tanks rinsed !

[raygreg]

They only work the first use of your RV. Not worth worrying about.

[myredracer]

You can prevent this.

The tank needs a thorough cleaning. There are RV chemicals for cleaning a tank and the "Geo method" (google it) and you can also use liquid drano if it is extremely clogged up. Our owner's manual says to use it. Never dump the drano into an on-site septic disposal system.

When using your black tank, always put 4-5 gallons of water in it before each use. When p**p goes into the tank, use lots of water to flush it. If you do not use sufficient water, it will get plugged up. Fill the tank to almost full before you dump the contents.

Use a clear back flush elbow for rinsing the tank if you don't have an in-tank rinser (flusher). When it seems to be coming out clear, fill the tank up with water and dump. Check to see if you can see the tank bottom using a flashlight. If you see white (TP), it's not clean.

If you have a tank rinser, use it repeatedly until the tank is clean and you can see the bottom. If you can see droplets of ABS glue, it's pretty clean. Use the tank rinser as many times as needed until you can see the tank bottom. Let it run for 5 minutes or so each time. Then fill up the tank to near full using the foot valve (not rinser) and dump. Repeat as necessary.

If you use adequate water during use of the tank and then clean it really well before you head home, you won't have any more problems. Cleaning the tank takes some work and it's the first thing I start when breaking camp. We replaced the OEM button sensors with Horst Miracle probes and along with thoroughly cleaning the tank each time, we no longer have false readings.

[ktmrfs]

nomad297 wrote:
Your tank gauges will never be accurate. Get used to it. It doesn't take much to get electrical continuity between each sensor -- it only needs to be damp -- you don't need a solid to get continuity. As I said; get used to it because there is no solution. Nothing is wrong with your wiring. Stop worrying.

Bruce

I agree if you have factory cheap probes. However, replacing those with Horst miracle probes and good flushing practices you can end of with reliable accurate probes. We have the horst probes on our tanks, flush them well when dumping, and I can count on them reading correctly.

In the OP case, I suspect that the tank needs a good cleaning, there is TP or gunk still left in the tank.

[mbopp]

Before I knew you could buy one, I made myself a flush wand to rinse the tank by going down the toilet. We had our HTT for 7 years and the black tank sensors still worked.
The new TT has a tank flush but I still need to use the toilet wand to get all the nasty stuff out. I'm lucky - I can dump at home using the sewer cleanout in the front yard.

[bshpilot]

I've never had the problem that the OP speaks of !

sure the accuracy of the typical (OE) gauge leaves lots to be desired (w/ only 4 levels) but it shouldn't read FULL after a single use (unless the tank is the size of a coffee can).

lots of folks abandon the minimalistic (typical OE) monitoring systems and retro fit with SeeLevel Gauges (using the original/OE wiring)

[doughere]

X2 to nomad297

Doug