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03-20-2012, 05:34 PM
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#1
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Established Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Visalia
Posts: 14
M.O.C. #11272
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Black & Gray tank guage readings
I'm getting inaccurate readings from the guages for the black and gray water tanks. Have others had the same problem? What can I do to get accurate readings? I'll be dry camping all summer, so I really need to know how full they are...
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03-20-2012, 05:59 PM
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#2
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Copperas Cove
Posts: 1,426
M.O.C. #12096
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No, your gauges will probably never read accurate. You can try to get your tank as clean as possible but some gauges just don't work the way they should. Not sure but there must be different ways that gauges are installed or different brands. On my Alpenlite they were extremely accurate and I even had an adjustment on the panel to make it dead on the money. I never had any false lights. But on the Montana my black reads totally full. and Grays are all over the board. Just depends on the RV if they work the way they should or not.
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03-21-2012, 01:46 AM
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#3
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Montana Master
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Ontario
Posts: 722
M.O.C. #1328
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In our last Montana I replaced the tank probes with these and it read correctly until we traded it. Replacing the probes in the new Montana is on my to-do list but a low priority since we don't dry camp too often.
http://www.rvprobes.com/home.html
__________________
Mike & Donna Ishler Ontario, NY KE2LU FN13
2017 3720RL TST S637's
2017 Dodge 3500 Laramie CTD 4x4 Auto
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03-21-2012, 01:55 AM
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#4
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Montana Master
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: corning
Posts: 694
M.O.C. #6635
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The stock gauges do not work worth crap. IMHO if they look like they are working, they are far from accurate. For dry camping, you picked the camper with large holding tanks so you can go a long time with conservation. After a while you begin to get a pretty good feel for how full your tanks are getting. Typically your black tank will " plup" back at you when you flush when it is ready to dump. That happens when the vent gets covered with water.
Good luck.
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03-21-2012, 05:25 AM
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#5
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Montana Master
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Lake Gaston
Posts: 8,773
M.O.C. #12156
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Agree, We have never had good readings, the sensors get fouled up quickly. We normally just leave the gray tanks open. If no sewer hookups and gray tanks closed you will know it is time to dump when you have standing water in the sink or shower. And as indicated, with the black tank, the toilet will burp when black tank is full.
__________________
Mike and Lorraine
2002 3655 FL, 2005 3650RK
2010 3665RE, 2015 3910FB
F350 crew cab dually 6.7
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03-21-2012, 06:32 AM
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#6
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Wilsey
Posts: 18,799
M.O.C. #11455
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My grays work just fine, but the black has never worked, except when Keystone Customer Service fixed it and then it went right back to not working again. They claimed they flushed it, I'd bet they replaced the sensor. I can't flush it and clean it. Anyway, at some point when it's in for something else I'm having outside the tank sensors installed.
__________________
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.
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03-22-2012, 04:12 PM
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#7
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Montana Master
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Cedar Rapids
Posts: 4,876
M.O.C. #1944
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Personally I don't even use the gauges. If I relied on them I'd be dumping right after I dump. Just now worth the concern.
Orv
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03-23-2012, 03:21 AM
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#8
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Montana Master
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Land O Lakes
Posts: 2,783
M.O.C. #10246
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You would think different questions are being asked given the answers! We have had mixed results with our tank sensors... the answer for us has been to use tank chemicals designed to deal with waste water and to rinse often. When we start getting what we believe to be false readings, we add more chemicals and rinse the tanks longer. On the other hand, I believe our tank sensors are in good working order and have been installed correctly...a bad sensor or incorrect installation will foil any attempt to get a good reading...I think.
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03-24-2012, 03:46 AM
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#9
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Montana Master
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Mayville
Posts: 629
M.O.C. #2486
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I use the Honey sensor method. Honey the shower water is not going down. Honey I think the toilet is full. Honey the galley sink wont drain. This method has worked for years and I always know my drain plumbing is tight.
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03-24-2012, 04:49 AM
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#10
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Montana Master
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Land O Lakes
Posts: 2,783
M.O.C. #10246
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by old turbo
I use the Honey sensor method. Honey the shower water is not going down. Honey I think the toilet is full. Honey the galley sink wont drain. This method has worked for years and I always know my drain plumbing is tight.
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We all look for a solution that works for us....the only reason I like to know how much waste water is in our tanks is that I like to pick the time of day to empty the tanks. Finding out that the tanks need to be emptied...NOW...and that time is in the middle of the night and it's raining out can be more fun than I can stand!
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03-24-2012, 06:35 AM
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#11
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Montana Master
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: San Jose
Posts: 526
M.O.C. #6790
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I don't even check the sensors. I mostly travel by myself now, so I have determined times for dumping the tanks. I have two gray and one black tank. The gray tank for the shower and bathroom sink I dump after I have used the shower twice. The galley gray if doing alot of dishes ever other day to be safe. Some people get their galley tank too full and have leak problems, as the tank sags and pull away form the drain, manufactuer defect. If I am going to be parked for awhile I just leave the value open for the galley. The black tank every third day, to be safe. I always empty the tanks in the morning, so no worrying about a night time problem. You will know if you have a problem, you will see water dripping from under the rv in place that it should not be.
__________________
2006 Montana 3650RK with Improvements.
2014 Ford 6.7L PSD 4WD CC LB Dually & Hadley's.
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