Black Water Gauge - NEVER empty?!?

[Montana_6076]

Hello All!

My husband and I are new Montana owners and took "The Escape Pod" out to Utah's canyon country for her maiden voyage! All went well, however we are unable to get an "empty" reading on our black water tank, no matter how long we let it empty. The gauge showed full...so I know it works...but only empties out to a reading of 1/3. Help! Please tell me how to get that thing to EMPTY!

Any thoughts, suggestions, perils of black water wisdom?

[Bill and Ann]

The answer is easy. Never pay attention to the gauge. Ours does the same thing, except sometimes it reads full. As long as you know it is empty is all that matters. We can tell when it is getting full when it starts to "burp" then we empty and rinse it out. You will get to know how many days you can go before it needs to be emptied. I think others will tell you the same thing. All kinds of remedies have been tried as you will find out when others start to respond.

If you can't play a sport....Be one.

Bill and Ann
Napanee, Ontario, Canada
2004 3670RL Big Sky
2003 GMC 2500HD Crew Cab 4x4 Short Bed
20K.Reece Hitch
Duramax/Allison
Prodigy Controller

[Parrothead]

If you have the black tank flush that is the only way you will ever get it to read empty. It takes a lot of times of filling and emptying to get there but it does happen. Also the Borax or other type of water softener helps. But even then we do not worry about what the gauge says. This is our 3rd fifth wheel and they have all been the same.
Happy trails.........................

Sue and Ed Rowe
Hemet California

2005 3400RL

2006 GMC 3500 Dually, D/A, Crew Cab, Long Bed

[tmarshall]

I'm like Bill, I don't pay attention to the guage. I wait until it burps. You can also smell the distinct pleasant black tank odor when it is ready to empty. Or you can just wait until you can see the water level coming up the downpipe in the toilet hole when you flush. This happenned to me this morning. Either way the toilet will burp and smell.

Tim Marshall
2004 3670RL Montana
2002 F-350 powerstroke diesel

[Glenn and Lorraine]

First of all, WELCOME to the MOC family.

Forget the gauges. Get yourself a system and get on with the RV life.
Forget the ice and dragging the rig around, forget the Pine Sol, forget the Calgon, forget all the additives and gimmicks about trying to clean the tanks sensors. While all these additives and gimmicks may or may not work and even when they do work, one thing is sure, in a short time you will be right back to a full tank even though you just dumped it. Imagine That!
We just gave up on the gauges and developed a system.
Get into the habit of dumping AS NEEDED and get on with life!

What is dumping as needed?? Believe me you'll learn at which point the RV life will be so much easier.



Glenn
Montana Owners Home Page
RV Related Links

Glenn and Lorraine
M O C - 4 2 0


We are using a 2005 White GMC Sierra SLE 2500HD Extended Cab, Short Bed, 4X4
with the Duramax/Allison Combo and Firestone Ride-Rite air bags
to drag around our 2004 Montana 2955RL 32'
using a PullRite 16K SuperGlide Automatic Sliding Hitch
Our Monty & GMC
"We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us!"
You know you are retired when you wake up in the morning with
nothing to do and go to bed at night with it only half done.
BUT, Keep in mind, doing nothing can be a very
tiresome job because you can't stop to rest

[Montana_6076]

WOW...you guys are all great! Sounds like this problem of ours is a surprise to no one. Thanks for all of your suggestions...especially the "non RV Store TP". I thought that's all one could use in an RV tank! I think it could have ended up costing us more than fuel! I'm going to learn to live with a 1/3 full reading and camp on!

[tmarshall]

I use Scott brand toilet paper. It says "septic and RV safe" on the packaging. I have now switched to the quilted double ply Scott due to supply in stores and haven't had a problem. Oh yeah, most of the time my black tank meter reads 2/3 full after I dump so don't be disappointed if you can't even get it down to 1/3 full. Have fun campin'

Tim Marshall
2004 3670RL Montana
2002 F-350 powerstroke diesel

[sreigle]

Every Rv we've ever owned had the same kind of gauges and they all worked or not worked the same way. The biggest problem is the sensors are inside the tank. You can buy aftermarket sensors that go on the outside. Those don't get clogged up.

But we just ignore those gauges now except for the freshwater tank gauge. The shower tank is full when it backs up into the shower. The galley tank when it backs up into the sink. The black tank is ready to dump when you get that little plop when you flush. The clean flush water kind of jumps up. Not really a splash back but I think probably something to do with air pressure from a full tank. In any case, we've learned how many days we can go on the black tank, how many showers on the shower tank, etc.

See another Montana or Mountaineer on the road? Flash lights twice, it might be one of us!
Steve Reigle (pronounced Regal)
Fulltiming since 3/21/03
'03 3295RK
'05 Ford F250 SD Lariat CC SB 6.0L PSD/TS FX4 4x4

Our RV Travels (now Firefox-compatible)

[gkbutler]

Like everyone else, we just ignore the the sensors. I think they are put in just to raise our blood pressure!=) We dump when the toilet burps at us then use two different back flush methods to get the tank a little cleaner.

Gary and Karen
SFC USAR Ret.
MOC (4049)
2006 2950RK
2005 Chev 2500HD Duramax/Allison SB
16K Pull rite Super Glide
Prodigy brake controller

"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the things you did, so throw off the bow lines, sail away from safe harbor and catch the trade winds in your sails." Mark Twain