2021 Entegra Emblem - TV and Black/Gray Draining Questions

[nmorgan]

Newbie here... first week with our new RV and have two topics that I need help with.

FIRST - TV Cable Hookup
I'm trying to get cable TV to work. We've been watching TV via antenna, but the campground does have cable TV at the post.

I've confirmed that there is a good signal at the post (maintenance tested with their own TV and signal was good). I've connected through coax from the post to the input in the wet bay. Inside the coach, I've turned off the antenna power supply (found that by reading the manual ).

Next, on the TV, the input source is set to TV. I click "Menu," select "Channels," and perform an "Auto Channel Search," and I switch it over to "Cable from the wall."

Nada! It completes the search and returns that no channels were found. Help!

SECOND - Which lever is for black / gray tank for draining
I'm not confident that I understand which lever is for draining the black tank and which is for the gray tank.

Here's our configuration:
1. Bay to the left of the wet bay has two levers:
a. Large lever for knife valve directly connected to 3 or 4" pipe
b. Smaller lever for knife valve on passenger side of coach - again, a 3 or 4" pipe

2. Wet bay has two levers:
a. Large lever for knife valve for 3 or 4" pipe to which we connect the flexible hose for dumping
b. Smaller lever for knife valve that I've traced under rear of coach

We've managed to drain both black and gray tanks during our first week of usage, but I really want to know exactly which lever does what. And the gauges inside the coach aren't a tremendous amount of help as I believe I've fully drained one or both tanks, and both are showing 33% full.

Bonus points: our display panel shows TWO gray tanks and one black tank. Do we really have two gray tanks, or is that just a manufacturer setup error? Specs on the coach call for:
Fresh water = 72 gals
Black water = 40 gals
Gray water = 40 gals

 

[Larry N.]

Some rigs do, indeed, have two gray tanks, and it's possible that yours is one of those.

Often the valve(s) for the gray will be a gray color and the valve for the black will be black in color. The black tank will usually have a larger diameter pipe coming out of it than the pipe from the gray tank. Your description of the two bays does sound as if there might actually be two separate tanks, especially if one of them is also on the passenger side of the coach.

A picture of each of the bays may help us determine which is which, also.

But since this is a 2021 rig, didn't the dealer go over all those details during the walk-around when you purchased it? Each new rig I've purchased included the dealer spending an hour or two walking me through the various systems on the coach. Of course sometimes it helps to have video'ed the walk-around, just to help recall what was what.

 

[Rene T]

As far as the tv, just before you did the the search for channels, you should have had the option of antenna or cable.

Now your tanks. Don’t rely on the indicators to be accurate. They will get covered with crap and give false readings.

To find out which valve is the black tank, go out and purchase a clear adapter and screw it onto the sewer outlet on your RV then screw the sewer hose onto that adapter. Then open your drain valves one at a time. You’ll know right away which one is for the black tank.

 

[HappyWanderer]

Which Emblem model, they have different plumbing layouts. For example, my 36U has two black tanks and one gray tank.

Try connecting the cable TV coax to the satellite input in the wet bay. There’s an ongoing problem with them being wired wrong.

 

[nmorgan]

Which Emblem model, they have different plumbing layouts. For example, my 36U has two black tanks and one gray tank.

Try connecting the cable TV coax to the satellite input in the wet bay. There’s an ongoing problem with them being wired wrong.

We have the 36H. Pictures attached. The one with the orange hose shows the left-hand compartment. The extended lever must be gray tank b/c we've been showering and the tank monitors show 0% for gray tank #1. The lever traces to the passenger side of the coach.

Doing the black tank wash plus draining what was in the black tank shows that the black tank is the upper valve (currently closed).

In the second picture, the open valve flows out to the hose to sewer. If you look closely, there is a smaller valve (currently closed) just above the blue hose on the right of the picture. Could this be the second gray tank valve? I've traced it to a tank located at the rear of the coach.

So... only question left is whether there is a second gray tank. Guess I'll either call the manufacturer or close the gray tank valve to see if there is a backup in the shower or the second tank indicator starts to climb. Thanks all for the guidance. Time to invent tank monitors that are accurate all of the time.

 

[HappyWanderer]

The 36H does indeed have two gray water tanks. The rear tank is dedicated to the (optional) washing machine. The front tank, with the valve shown near your orange hose. is for everything else.

There should be three valves in the wet bay: black tank, rear gray tank, and macerator bypass. The bypass valve is the one your sewer hose is connected to. You'll want to keep the black tank valve closed except when actually dumping the tank.

It might be worth experimenting with equalizing gray tanks by leaving both gray tank valves open, with all other valves closed. If it works, you could increase gray water capacity by having water from the front tank overflow into the back tank.

 

[John From Detroit]

Black tank is the larger valve.

TV: one thing you need to do is make sure (unless you are original owner) the cable from the park-inlet is actually connected in back of the wall plate. I recall one RV where NOTHING was connected behind that plate.

Then if you can tone out or other wise make sure the cable is good. One way is to bring the "RV to Park" cable inside and measure resistance

Center to sleeve (NUT or the metal around it) Infinity
Center to center (end to end) zero or near zero.
Sleeve to Sleeve Also zero or next to zero.
Things I've seen and heard
NO continuity inside to out (my own rig never did find the break, it developed over time)
Screw, staple or nail shorting cable (not my rig)

Those are the major points of concern.

 

[Jeff in Ferndale Wa]

Am I reading this right, you are doing your channel search before switching to the cable input? Try switching to "cable from the wall" before you do the channel search.

 

[nmorgan]

Thanks for all of the help! I've figured out the tanks... and, yes, there is a second gray tank for the washing machine (Thanks, @HappyWanderer; and my wife thanks you as well as I got a load of laundry done testing this out!).

Cable is still a mystery. Original owner here. I did verify there are cable wires behind the two inputs in the wet bay. I've also tried both in case they were cross-wired. I don't have a meter with me to test the coax from post to RV, but I can test it when I get the rig home.

Essentially, the steps that I'm following are:

1. Plug coax from post to RV in wet bay (I've tried both input connectors in case of cross-wiring)
2. Turn off antenna power
3. At the TV, performed an auto channel search choosing the "cable from wall" setting. No channels.

 

[HappyWanderer]

Hey, good news on figuring out the tanks!

As to the TV, it seems that you’re doing it right. You might try to remove the plate that the amplifier button is on, and check that the wires are actually attached. I’ve heard reports from people that they were never connected in the factory.