Freshwater Sensor Not working

[agdodge4x4]

I do have one question that maybe anyone can help with.

What if you have a problem with wire or you want to run more wire behind  a wall?  How do you get to that?  What about the 'box' that my shore cord lives in?  How do you access that?  I have no 'access panels' anywhere that I can see.  My freshwater tank connections are only accessible from below the floor, under the kitchen sink cabinet....but there is no access hole there.  I see nothing in the manual.  Did they build it and permanently close these things off?

 

[Robert_B]

If I flip up the storage compartment under my bed and remove a small (10"x18") panel (4 screws) I can access the back side of the water heater, the water pump and mess of wires just laying on the floor. The problem is you need to be 3 years old to fit in there. I had to get in there to winterize but the pump and bypass valve can be reached without to much discomfort.

I suppose it's no different than most homes when you need to run wiring behind the drywall. You disassemble and repair when finished.

My TT has a removable panel under the sink to access the back of the 12v switch board.

I can't see anything from underneath; the bottom is enclosed.

 

[NickB]

What if you have a problem with wire or you want to run more wire behind  a wall?  How do you get to that?  What about the 'box' that my shore cord lives in?  How do you access that?  I have no 'access panels' anywhere that I can see.  My freshwater tank connections are only accessible from below the floor, under the kitchen sink cabinet....but there is no access hole there.  I see nothing in the manual.  Did they build it and permanently close these things off?

Fishing wires in enclosed walls is challenging. It usually involves using an existing wire to pull multiple wires through (the new one(s) and one to replace the one you're using as a fish line).

If it's a laminated wall, it's pretty well impossible to fish and sometimes you'll need to install a raceway. If it's aluminum sided, sometimes you can tie a washer to the end of a line and use a magnet to direct it into place from outside. Carefully prying a panel off is often viable for wiring or accessing built in items. Sometimes a new access panel is installed when necessary.

 

[agdodge4x4]

Interesting.

One more question...about carrying fresh water.  Between camp sites, do people haul a full freshwater tank of water?  I can see how this would be wise from a preparedness standpoint, but then again, hauling extra weight is not economical.

What do you guys do?

 

[Robert_B]

I carry just enough to flush the toilet/wash hands a few times; 1/3 tank (15 gal) at most.

 

[kdbgoat]

Different people do different things according to their needs and comfort level. For now, we travel just locally, so we run with empty tanks. Some have no great agenda, and may run with full freshwater tanks because they don't know where life will take them. Some travel a few hundred miles at a time to get to their destination with brief stops along the way and may carry enough for basic flushing washing, cooking, coffee etc. Also some that travel like that carry some for their radiator in case of emergency. Some people also fill up their freshwater tank if bad weather is impending so they will have water during power outages or if they have to evacuate. 

 

[agdodge4x4]

Excellent information.  Thank you.

 

[chadjones99]

OK ran into a problem here just wanted to see if anyone else has seen this.
I have a 2012 Road Warrior 415 with a 100-gallon tank ( two 50s as far as I know ) I filled it up about 3/4 I am staying in the RV and long story short it's winter and was using tank until I could get an insulated water hose. Which I know do so I switched over to city water and have been using that. well, we are down to 1F this morning and now at 9 F . I was checked black tanks, etc trying to get everything drained and I noticed the freshwater reads empty... So I checked the under bell cause I would think 75 gallons of water if the tank had leaked would show and it feels light like no weight pushing down on the underbelly and no ice under RV so the water should still be there. The question is has anyone seen this sensor fail because of cold weather?

 

[steveblonde]

The sensor can be mounted anywhere. It your using city water you wont need the pump, but the fitting on both are cheap you may have cracked one

 

[chadjones99]

maybe I didn't explain the question... the quest was about the water level sensor and extreme cold weather. I am not using tank water and do not believe there is any reason to think the 4-way valve is bad. my Pump is OFF and I did not drain the freshwater ( it last had 3/4 tank and now shows empty a week later ) I was using the tank until I prepped the water hose properly and then turned the pump off switched to city water on the valve and hooked up the water hose. And have had plenty of water from city supply

Oh and what's up with the 50 questions about Santa Claus everytime I post ....

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

It's possible the low temperatures affected the sensor readout - most such systems merely read the electrical differential between multiple probes and ice vs water would probably alter that. You could have ice crystals for on the sensors (they are on the tank wall) without the entire tank freezing.  It's not a sophisticated system, or a very reliable one either.
There is a superior technology for RV water system gauges, of which the Garnet See-Level is the best known.

 

[Alfa38User]

Oh and what's up with the 50 questions about Santa Claus every time I post ....

Spam control, they will go away after a few more posts!

You also should have started your own thread on this question rather than tag on to an existing post!!!

 

[gwinger]

If you can identify the make of the indicator panel, you can call the manufacturer and see if the can help.
I had that problem with my TT when it was new. I figured I could troubleshoot is my self.
The company that made the indicator emailed me the wiring schematic and also told me how to test the panel. The tests proved the panel was good. I took it to the dealer and the tech found the problem in less than 10 minutes. Seems the factory used some CHEAP crimp on connectors leading to the sensors.
One of the wires was loose in the crimp. Dealer replaced all of the crimp connectors with waterproof wire nuts.
If the panel tests good, then let the dealer fix the problem. They will have to remove the coroplast cover to check the wiring.

 

[Allen@eastsiderv]

I will test the other tanks. I am going to look for obvious problems first. I dont want to haul it 50 miles to fix a disconnected wire. If its not obvious, then Ill take it in.

I think, based on the installation manual, I will have three resistor packs..one for each tank. And there should only be ONE WIRE per tank going to the panel itself. For some reason, I now have a suspicion its the blue wire on the back of the panel. These connectors are all installed and built 'as needed'. I bet that wire is loose or not stabbed in effectively.

 

[Allen@eastsiderv]

What kind of rv you got make and model that resistor is a k101 and if you know how to use a ohm meter I can walk you through how to test that but I almost bet you have a intermittent single check your grounds coming off the tanks

 

[Kirk]

I can walk you through how to test that but

The last post from agdoge4x4 was 6 years ago.

 

[uchu]

The last post from agdoge4x4 was 6 years ago.

Yeah, that's the beauty of revived zombie posts... I know that it's important to keep the forum welcoming and friendly to newbies but theere should be a strict rule against piggybacking to really old posts, IMHO.

 

[SpencerPJ]

I agree, would be nice if a 'Warning' popped up whenever you clicked 'Post Reply' on a thread that was longer than a month old without activity.