Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Montana Owners Club - Keystone Montana 5th Wheel Forum > GENERAL DISCUSSIONS > General Discussions about our Montanas
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 05-23-2012, 01:23 PM   #1
TerryClaudia
Montana Fan
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: The Villages
Posts: 176
M.O.C. #12055
Black water tank sensor issues

Black water tank never shows below 1/3 full. We are at campground and on full hookup and we don't know why it doesn't indicate empty. Is this a common problem? Will be so glad when we figure out all the ends and outs of the Monty. Thanks again. Claudia & Terry
 
TerryClaudia is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2012, 01:35 PM   #2
racerjoe
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: silver creek
Posts: 1,507
M.O.C. #7770
we lost our black tank gauge about a year after we got it. we know that for two of us we have gone 7 days without filling tank. Is it worth replacing the sensors? depends on your use. if you have a lot of people coming in to use it especially little ones, then you really need to keep an eye on it. but if it is mostly just the two of you, you will be able to know how long.
racerjoe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2012, 02:03 PM   #3
bncinwv
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Winfield
Posts: 7,327
M.O.C. #6846
The black tank sensors on about all of the units are only slightly better than useless. Any contamination on the sensor inside the tank and it will not read properly. Sometimes the black tank flush will remedy this situation for a short time. We dump ours every other day (four people using it) and do not rely on the sensors.
Bingo
__________________

Bingo and Cathy - Our adventures begin in the hills of WV. We are blessed by our 2014 3850FL Big Sky (previous 2011 3750FL and 2007 3400RL) that we pull with a 2007 Chevy Silverado Classic DRW CC dually.
bncinwv is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2012, 02:57 PM   #4
DonandJudy_12
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Sioux Falls
Posts: 729
M.O.C. #3206
None of our RVs have ever had reliable sensors- I dump every 5 or 6 days or earlier if the stool "burps" when flushed- I believe better quality sensors are available at some reputable dealers but I question the value- JMHO- Don
DonandJudy_12 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2012, 03:39 PM   #5
The Weekenders
Montana Fan
 
The Weekenders's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Harvey
Posts: 329
M.O.C. #8863
Quote:
quote:Originally posted by DonandJudy_12

None of our RVs have ever had reliable sensors- I dump every 5 or 6 days or earlier if the stool "burps" when flushed- I believe better quality sensors are available at some reputable dealers but I question the value- JMHO- Don
I to rely on mostly on the "burp" method. I back flush the black tank several times when dumping and usually gets the sensors clean.
The Weekenders is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2012, 03:40 PM   #6
garyka
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Tonawanda
Posts: 551
M.O.C. #3662
They don't work
garyka is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2012, 03:41 PM   #7
ols1932
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Cedar Rapids
Posts: 4,876
M.O.C. #1944
Probably about 95% of all RVers pay no attention to the sensors. The only one that works is the fresh water sensor. You'll know when the black water and/or the grey water holding tanks are full or near full. The black water tank will "burp" when you flush the toilet--dump it then! We don't worry about the grey water tank--we just dump it when dumping the black water tank. If by chance we have run a lot of water and the grey tank fills before we dump, we know it when we take a shower. So, then we dump it.

Orv
ols1932 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2012, 04:27 PM   #8
DQDick
Site Team
 
DQDick's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Wilsey
Posts: 18,799
M.O.C. #11455
Someday we may put external sensors on, but for now we dump when the main grey tank is full. What your water and toilet usages are will result in how you manage it, but it really isn't hard to figure out and what works for you will work every time after that.
__________________
Dick, Joyce, Diego, Picatso and Gustav
2017 3720 RL, and 2013 HC 343RL
Pullrite Hitch, IS, Disk Brakes, 3rd AC, Winegard Traveler, Bathroom door mod, Dometic 320, couch for desk swap, replaced chairs, sun screens, added awnings, etc.
DQDick is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2012, 05:10 PM   #9
bigskyjimmy
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Washington Coast
Posts: 2,688
M.O.C. #10696
I HAVE never HAD ONE THAT WORKS GOOD I HAVE HAD MY 2012 FOR 2 MONTHS NOW, ALREADY DEAD NO BIG DEAL JUST DO LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE WHEN IT "BURPS" DUMP IT
__________________
[
bigskyjimmy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2012, 02:24 AM   #10
1retired06
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Lake Gaston
Posts: 8,773
M.O.C. #12156
Agree, they are a waste. Burp is good, you dont want to dump until full anyway.
__________________
Mike and Lorraine
2002 3655 FL, 2005 3650RK
2010 3665RE, 2015 3910FB
F350 crew cab dually 6.7
1retired06 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2012, 03:21 AM   #11
lasater
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Rapid City
Posts: 739
M.O.C. #77
What sensors? Oh, do mean the little electronic gizmos that you pay extra for that only work during the PDI and never again?

When it burps, I flush...several times. Sometimes, I even remember to add the deodorant.
lasater is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2012, 08:12 AM   #12
CamillaMichael
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Land O Lakes
Posts: 2,783
M.O.C. #10246
Guess it all depends on how you maintain your tanks...seems some folks don't do much to maintain their tanks and have problems with sensors. Others spend some time maintaining their holding tanks and have better luck with more accurate sensor readings. Of course, there are the opposite results out there: folks maintaining their holding tanks and getting faulty readings while some do not do anything but put waste water/etc into their holding tanks and get accurate readings. GETTING THE PICTURE???????????? We each seem to end up with different results. We devote some effort into trying to maintain our holding tanks (adding chemicals designed for the purpose; rinsing as best as we can; not putting grease down any drain, etc) and have fairly accurate readings...our only issue is the forward grey tank...the body wash Camilla uses seems to cause the 1/3 level sensor to show full to that level for some time after the tank has been drained. When this happens, we put some tank cleaner in that tank and usually that will solve the matter. From what I have seen on this site, you will not see total agreement for this issue...part of the problem is that some of the sensors appear to be of low quality.
CamillaMichael is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2012, 10:29 AM   #13
simonsrf
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Pagosa Springs
Posts: 3,711
M.O.C. #3120
Our sensors never worked. We watch for the burp, just like others. Our black holding tank is 38 gallons, and with just two people being conservative and not flushing the yellow every time, we can make it easily 14 days. That works out to be 1.3 gallons per person per day.
simonsrf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2012, 02:56 PM   #14
RJI47
Montana Fan
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: No. Attleboro
Posts: 338
M.O.C. #6002
Send a message via AIM to RJI47 Send a message via Yahoo to RJI47
We have the same problem with the 1/3 reading on the indicator. Even when completly empty. Like others have indicated, we just empty both tanks at the same time every few days. I learned the hard way that you do NOT want to leave the black water valve open full time. That's the best way to get a clog, and they are certainly no fun.
RJI47 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2012, 03:00 PM   #15
TerryClaudia
Montana Fan
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: The Villages
Posts: 176
M.O.C. #12055
Thanks everyone for your comments. I told my wife Claudia that we might get these types of responses, but I was hoping someone would tell me there was a trick. I will take CamillaMichael's response to heart and try using tank chemicals more often and get a tank cleaner to put in the tank. I'm having this trouble with my 2012 Monty and I didn't have problems with my 2000 Rialta. Guess they don't make them like they use to. Terry
TerryClaudia is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2012, 01:16 AM   #16
ols1932
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Cedar Rapids
Posts: 4,876
M.O.C. #1944
Quote:
quote:Originally posted by TerryClaudia

Thanks everyone for your comments. I told my wife Claudia that we might get these types of responses, but I was hoping someone would tell me there was a trick. I will take CamillaMichael's response to heart and try using tank chemicals more often and get a tank cleaner to put in the tank. I'm having this trouble with my 2012 Monty and I didn't have problems with my 2000 Rialta. Guess they don't make them like they use to. Terry
Terry,
I wouldn't get too excited about having clean sensors. If there are some people who use chemicals and say that their sensors are clean, they are in the minority. I personally know of no one who has had clean sensors. When you first purchase a new rig, the sensors are clean. The black water sensors are the first ones to act up and that's understandable. I have been able to clear ours up temporarily by using one of those flexible water wands pushed down through the toilet into the holding tank and turning the water on. The water swirls out at the end under pressure and washes the sides of the black water tank (inside, of course) and sometimes, not all the time, the sensors come clean. The sensors on these tanks are located at the deepest end of the tank near the discharge outlet.

Personally, if I were you, I'd just live with it. It's not worth getting worked up about and being concerned about what you can do to make the sensors clear.

Orv
ols1932 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2012, 01:48 AM   #17
RJI47
Montana Fan
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: No. Attleboro
Posts: 338
M.O.C. #6002
Send a message via AIM to RJI47 Send a message via Yahoo to RJI47
I agree with Orv. The black water tank won't overflow as long as you pay attention when flushing. The "burp" is the sure give-away
RJI47 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2012, 08:42 AM   #18
Art-n-Marge
Montana Master
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Murrieta
Posts: 5,816
M.O.C. #9257
Send a message via MSN to Art-n-Marge Send a message via Yahoo to Art-n-Marge
Yup, my sensors are unreliable, too. But they work most of the time, other times they are screwy. I dump every 2-4 days no matter what. DW likes long showers (I love her long hair, but she says she must wash it every day) and we'll wash dishes with a full sink, but the rinsing can be lots of water.

When I dump the black tank I always run the backflush sprayer that hopefully keeps the sensors cleaner than not. I can only imagine that if the black tank is full then something is gonna want to hang on to the sensors as it's dumped. When leaving the campground I backflush several times by using the backflush sprayer and close the black valve to refill and release junk from way up high in the tank. I do this several times. Then I fill with deodorizer/degunker and a couple gallons of water then on the drive home hopefully this sloshes enough to get the sides.

If you follow whatever flush procedures that work for you, then you don't have to rely on the sensors much. Beats camping and having to dig a hole or two.
Art-n-Marge is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-26-2012, 05:13 AM   #19
jdvier
Montana Fan
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Colorado Springs
Posts: 178
M.O.C. #10130
I too have a problem with the sensors. I dump about every 4 days and flush each time. If the gray tank needs emptied I dump the black also.
God's speed on the road.
jdvier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-26-2012, 03:57 PM   #20
Recumbent
Montana Master
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Rock Island
Posts: 1,074
M.O.C. #10457
The DW washes clothes alot and we leave the grey tank open to drain most of the time to avoid an accidential overflow at the washer. We learned this the hard way. We only close grey valve say one day before dumping the black tank so we will have some shower water to flush out the drain lines. None of our sensors are working, not even the fresh water tank. We have the black tank flush hooked to the outside shower line fulltime and while flushing I run the water both hot and cold for about 5 to 10 minutes. I think this helped keep the little lights working for about 1 year after purchase, but all are now bogus red lights. The burp for black, and water standing in shower for grey are the two best notices you can have. The OEM sensors are for sales staff demos and a few times at the campground for the buyer. There are replacements that have a little hood over the sensors that are perported to work better.
Recumbent is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
black tank water flush will not take water jimkottke Maintenance 15 12-18-2010 02:20 AM
black water tank Doug and Anita Repairs & Service 2 07-19-2008 11:29 AM
black water tank auvernjr Montana Problems, Problem Solving & Technical Help 2 06-09-2008 02:21 PM
Black Water Tank mikeandcarol General Discussions about our Montanas 21 01-09-2007 08:39 AM
Black Water Tank Montana_4010 Additions & Improvements 4 06-23-2005 03:26 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Montana RV, Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:49 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.