Black Tank oddity?

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LarsMac

LarsMac

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Joined
Nov 15, 2015
Posts
3,679
Location
Eastern Colorado
We had an adventure with the Black tank last week.
Let's just say that Charmin Ultra is NOT the ideal TP for an RV bathroom. Just take my word for that.

Since said adventure, The monitor for our tanks has consistently shown the Black tank to be at nearly full (about 3/4s or so) even after emptying it. It shows full after about a day of usage.
I empty it, and we are back to 3/4 full.
I am fairly certain that we are not using 30-40 gal of water in a day's time.
I wonder at the wisdom of perhaps just ignoring the monitor panel, and eyeballing the opening until I can see the top of the, um, water, when flushing, before emptying it.
I guess that I could drag a hose in and fill it manually and see how long that takes.

Knowing how the sensors work and where they are, usually, might help.
The manual has not really offered much useful info, yet.

I hope that I am not the only one around here who has done this.

Suggestions?
 
Larry N. said:
It might not quite be "ideal" but it works fine for us, and has for years.
Click to expand...
It seemed fine to us for the first week or so.
There was a 4-Old Great Grandkid involved, though.

 
Tank sensors do not usually work very well. I plan to tackle mine at some point but have not got to it yet. Out of the 3 tanks, the black tank is the easiest to manage. It takes in the least amount of waste during the time following a dump. My sensors do the same thing. It shows 3/4 when empty then quickly shows full. I view the contents through the toilet to gauge a dump schedule. Usually the odor is the main factor when it is determined a dump is needed. Also.. Be sure to fill a couple inches of water after a dump. Add your additives to that water. Make sure that users are aware of the system design and manage accordingly.
 
My suggestion is to bite the bullet and invest in a See-Level 709 tank monitor system, I retrofitted one to my coach a couple of years ago, cost was around $250 as a DIY project, it is so great to be able to accurately see tank levels in 3-4% increments.  For example we were on a trip a couple of weeks ago, and had unexpected bad weather one day, our black tank was at 70% full prior to the weather rolling in, and we managed to put off dumping the black tank until after it cleared out the following morning, at which point the black tank was at 91%
 
Are there any sensor upgrades or modifications that allow the use of existing control panels? That should be less expensive and easier to install.
 
Mine shows 2/3 full and If I put the clear adapter on the outlet and a 100 Watt light bulb I can look down the throat of the toilet and see the light. So I know it is 100% empty

But it still shows 2/3 full. 
 
The See Level can use the existing wiring, but the panel itself has to be changed because the one in there now can't display 4%, 12%, etc. and See Level shows every 4% to 5% from 0 to 100% for all three tanks (Fresh, gray, black), and can even be rigged to show LP (I don't have any on board). The installation puts electronic strips on the outside of each tank that will connect to your display through the existing wiring. It took the guy less than two hours to install ours.
 
My current panel includes a remote generator switch, generator hours meter and a water pump switch. (along with the tank levels)

I am guessing that the sea level panel would not include any of those?
 
You are correct, their are multiple versions of the See-Level 709 panel, 3 tank, 4 tank, with or without propane, also with or without extra switches (water pump and water heater), blue tooth, etc.  Though not one with generator switch/hours.

My original (Safari) panel was like yours with generator switch and hour meter integrated, I replaced it with a separate generator start/stop switch with LCD hour meter, plus added a blue LED switch for the water heater into a empty knock out on said generator switch.

I will try to attach the before and after pictures of my install

p.s. I used a cut down to length pre-manufactuered laminate countertop end splash panel to mount the new panels, it was finished on 2 edges, leaving the exposed rough edges pointing to the side wall, and ceiling
 

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Nice job. Looks clean. I do have the water heater switch on the same panel too. Everything works fine on the panel except for the tank meters. I think the propane sensors are closest to a working condition. The others are pretty much useless. I will look into this a little closer when it comes time. I would like to have working tank sensors but I have learned to manage the tanks without.
 
I just ordered the see level system ,should be here Tuesday. Will post back on install .
Been thinking about making the change for awhile then my fresh water  monitor quit so it made up my mind to do it.
 
Good choice, Bob... I think you'll be pleased with it. A key item is to make sure the tank surfaces are really clean where you're attaching the sensor strips. It doesn't hurt to even rough them up slightly with fairly fine sandpaper or emery cloth.
 
Thanks Dutch, I am going to start prepping today . The black and grey tanks are easy to reach and see. The fresh has a seam that is raised a bit I will have to sand smooth or smoother.
By the way  RV upgrades has the see level sensors for $ 179 and free shipping
 
Yes, they are a peel and stick mylar flexible circuit board with a series of 5 or 6 of metallic contacts that are sensors, it is unclear exactly how they work, maybe measuring capacitance, but they do generally work, unless there is VERY thick buildup on the inside of the tank..

The sensors strips come in 3 lengths, they can be cut down (with scissors) if too long or 2 can be connected end to end for extremely tall tanks.
 
So, the sensors are on the outside  of the tanks?
Click to expand...
In the See-Level system, yes. In your rig as it came from the factory, NO.

Most RVs still use sensors that go through the wall and protrude into the tank. The in-tank sensors simply short electrically when the water level reaches them and the display panel shows that.  They soon get contaminated with slime and bits of toilet paper and anything else people put in the toilet (I'm always amazed at what some people flush), so soggy slime or TP on the sensors makes them respond as if the tank was more full. 

There is a replacement thru-wall sensor that claims to be more resistant to clogging. It's called the Horst Miracle Probe and is now sold by Valterra. I have no idea how well it works, though.
https://www.rvprobes.com/home.html
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
In the See-Level system, yes. In your rig as it came from the factory, NO.

Most RVs still use sensors that go through the wall and protrude into the tank. The in-tank sensors simply short electrically when the water level reaches them and the display panel shows that.  They soon get contaminated with slime and bits of toilet paper and anything else people put in the toilet (I'm always amazed at what some people flush), so soggy slime or TP on the sensors makes them respond as if the tank was more full. 

There is a replacement thru-wall sensor that claims to be more resistant to clogging. It's called the Horst Miracle Probe and is now sold by Valterra.
https://www.rvprobes.com/home.html
Click to expand...

THANKS, Gary.
That clears up a lot.

 
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