Tanks and battery help

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Ahmetd

Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2016
Posts
13
Hey guys I am completely new here and new to RV life as well. Just running into a couple little issues that are probably easy but I have no idea yet

First I have a 2003 jayco granite ridge I bought this about 2 weeks ago now. the command center has three water tank lights. Fresh, holding, and gray. I just dumped the gray and black for the first time (this will bring up another issue in a second) when I returned to check the level in my RV the holding tank went only down to 2/3 full and my gray is at 1/3. My question is, when pulling both the black and gray tank release will this get rid of the holding or is there a fully separate holding tank that I somehow can't find? Or does it just sound like my sensors are messed up?

Also to go with my first time emptying the tank, I unscrewed the cap and a bunch of the waste water came pouring out, absolutely disgusting. It came out for a little bit then stopped. Any idea why there would've been about a gallon of this water in there before it stopped?

Onto my battery issue. I just replaced my battery, which didn't seem to be holding a charge well (who knows how old it was) with 2 12 volt 80 amp hour batteries in a parallel circuit. Everything is working fine and they are holding a charge but the generator will not charge them. The car being turned on does.  When installing them I connected it wrong (they thought it was a good idea to make the positive wires black) obviously a blew the fuse right behind it, not sure which it was but I replaced them and everything is powered fine.  Anyway with the generator not charging the battery what could I have done?

Thanks a lot guys I hope I'm going about asking these questions in the right way, have already gained a bit of knowledge off this forum
 
Normaly, you should always start with the large handle being your black water and  then you dump the gray waters; by doing so, your gray water rinses partially your dumping hose.
The levels shown in your rv are just monitors that are installed at different levels in respective tanks and often, mainly in the dark water tank, they might be clogged with toilet paper and that appends to all of us; your best way to figure when you should dump your dark water tank is by experience knowing that normally you should last between 3-7 days using your toilets without dumping !
Concerning your batteries not charging while connected to the generator or from the shore power, there must be a breaker, maybee two, on your converter that jumped when you misconnected your batteries.
 
Welcome to the group!!!

My question is, when pulling both the black and gray tank release will this get rid of the holding or is there a fully separate holding tank that I somehow can't find? Or does it just sound like my sensors are messed up?

Many RV have 3 tanks, minimum, 1 fresh water tank, 1 grey water tank (often the galley and shower/washroom sink) and 1 black water tank (toilet, but sometimes the washroom sink is plumbed to the black tank), these are often referred to collectively as holding tanks with no specific tank necessarily labelled "Holding Tank". The gauges , especially the black tank one, but the gray does it too, often get fouled and read incorrectly. The black tank is especially prone to this behavior because of paper that hangs up on the level detection probes inside the tanks. The best solution for a black tank is a thorough flushing after dumping using a built-in flush system, if you have it, or one of the add-on types available. Use lots of water when flushing the toilet. Most of us learn to guesstimate when the black tanks needs dumping and just ignore the gauges and do not dump  until the tanks are at least 2/3 full, (Guesstimate every 3, 4,5 days etc) adding water if necessary before dumping if needed to get a good flush

With a small output, where a much larger one was expected from the black tank you may have a blocked tank outlet commonly referred to as a Pooh Pile , or other similar names, that has broken up a bit and blocked the 3" outlet pipe. A search using the search function on the menu line (not the box on in the right hand corner), you will find many ways to rid your trailer black tank of this.  It is most likely a parting gift from the previous owner...

On to my battery issue

If you connected the batteries backward, even for a second, it is most likely that you have blown a fuse or fuses on the output of the converter. They are placed there for that very reason, to protect the converter should this happen. These fuses, depending on make and model of the converter, could be located right on the converter itself or on the power centre itself near the other 12V fuses. As an FYI, for questions of this nature, it would useful to provide us the make and model of the converter and/or the power centre.

HTH
 
As far as the water you're getting when you remove the end cap, your drain valve may be leaking just a little bit and over time, it fills the pipe. The best thing to do is buy a spin on drain valve and mount it on the end of your sewer pipe. That way it will act as a backup valve and stop any liquids from escaping until you connect the sewer hose. Also it's a good idea to put a clear 45 degree elbow between the valve and the sewer hose. This way you can see what's coming out of your black tank. Just keep flushing until the water becomes clear.  Put your end cap on the elbow fro travel.

https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-T58-Twist-On-Waste-Valve/dp/B000BGHYJS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473719389&sr=8-1&keywords=rv+waste+valves

https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-T1026-1-45%C2%B0-Clearview-Adapter/dp/B000NCS7GE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1473719479&sr=8-3&keywords=clear+sewer+elbow+for+rv

 
Hey guys, thanks for all the help!  simple question as I am still having a little trouble with getting the generator to charge the battery and I have checked the fuses.  Is it strange at all that the car can charge the battery? also I have an onan 4000 micro quiet generator I read people talking about fuses on the generator, if anyone is familiar with this generator can they direct me to the fuses if this one has any? can't seem to find them with the faceplate off.  Thank you
 
And is the converter and transfer switch the same thing? I'm having a difficult time finding my converter if that is something different? Really at a loss right now!
 
Ahmetd said:
And is the converter and transfer switch the same thing? I'm having a difficult time finding my converter if that is something different? Really at a loss right now!

When it's real quiet, you should be able to hear it humming. I would start listening next to the entrance panel. Mine is right behind it.
 
Ahmetd said:
And is the converter and transfer switch the same thing? I'm having a difficult time finding my converter if that is something different? Really at a loss right now!

NO!! The converter is an electronic device that takes 120V from your plugged in or generator powered unit and converts it to 12V to charge the batteries and help supply 12V to everything else in the RV, like lights, fridge control, hot water heater control, furnace etc... It could be a stand-alone unit or part and parcel of the power centre where the circuit breakers (and fuses) reside. Knowing the make and model of said power centre would help us identify this for you.

The Auto Transfer Switch (ATS) is a stand alone unit usually and, when equipped, could reside anywhere but could be near the built in generator outputs or perhaps behind the power centre, for example. electrically it is wired to the power panel usually and the outside power goes through it as well as the generator. It acts as a switch, between the generator and the outside (plugged in) power as the name suggests. If you find an extra 30 amp socket near the the cord storage area, you do not have an ATS and you need to plug in your supply cord there instead of using the campground power in order to use the generator.

I have an onan 4000 micro quiet generator I read people talking about fuses on the generator, if anyone is familiar with this generator can they direct me to the fuses if this one has any? can't seem to find them with the faceplate off.

The "Fuses" on the generator are most likely "circuit breakers" and are likely on the outside control panel (where the start button is located) for that generator. This link will automagically download an Onan 4000 manual with sketches to  locate the c/b. Just pick the correct model for your needs.

https://power.cummins.com/sites/default/files/literature/rv/F-1123-EN.pdf
 
Some basics:

1. The generator does NOT itself charge the batteries. The generator provides 120vac power to the RV, just as if it was plugged into shore power. When 120vac power is available, whether shore or genset power, the Jayco's onboard converter/charger should be charging the batteries. If your genset provides power for things like the air conditioner and microwave, then it is working fine. If you have no 120v power at all when the genset runs, further investigation is needed.

2. The generator has circuit breaker(s), not fuses.

3. The transfer switch selects either shore or genset as the external power source for the RV, so it is located where genset power and shore power lines come together. This may be in some outside compartment or close to the main 120v power center (breaker panel).

4. The converter/charger produces 12v power from external 120vac (shore or genset). It is may also be located near or behind the 120v breaker panel, but could also be located by the batteries. If you have both circuit breakers and fuses on the same power center panel, the converter/charger will be located there as well.

5. The engine alternator provides battery charging as well, but it is independent of shore and genset power. There is a dedicated path that allows alternator DC voltage to charge batteries, both the engine starting battery and the house auxiliary power batteries. Therefore it is not at all surprising that engine charging may work when other charging does not.

6. Your RV probably has a "battery disconnect" switch, sometimes called a Use/Store switch. If this switch is off, the onboard converter/charger may not be able to charge batteries.
 
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