It reads empty! - Montana Owners Club

jrgwdenner · 06-27-2005, 12:26 AM

For the first time in over a year, since buying our Monty new, our black tank reads empty. Glen turned the flushing system on and let it run and run. All was clear for a long time and then one little piece of white paper came down the hose. The culprit! Now our black tank reads empty! Miracles do happen!

Bill and Ann · 06-27-2005, 01:35 AM

The indicator must be broke. Kidding! I have tried everything and can't get it to read empty.

Glenn and Lorraine · 06-27-2005, 03:11 AM

YES!! But for how long? I had mine read empty a year or so ago and about 2 weeks later it started reading 2/3 again and I always flush and flush and flush. Like Bill I have tried everything and I have finally resigned myself to the fact that modern technology cannot overcome the crap.

jrgwdenner · 06-27-2005, 04:18 PM

What is it about the "2/3rds" full? What happened to 1/3rd? I've never heard of anyone getting that reading. Glen just went to check ours after our 325 mile trip today and two potty stops....it reads FULL. Too funny! Miracles do happen, they just don't last long.

PowellsMonty · 06-28-2005, 07:21 AM

I have a question about flushing, does everyone leave their black dump valve open all the time as the directions state or close it for a while to allow water to fill up the tank a bit for a greater flush? And if you do close it where will the air in the tank being displaced buy the water go? Won't hurt the toilet seals will it?
TIA

Montana_2779 · 06-28-2005, 08:01 AM

We leave ours (both greys and the black) closed until dumping (about every three days). We read a neat thread or article that noted the presence of fluid in these tanks reduced dry particulate buildup. Seemed pretty smart to us. We've also found that we get a better dump (specifically the black tank) if we wait until it's pretty darned full. As the dump "mechanism" is based on gravity and pressure from the volume in the tank, the more that's in there, the more liquids you have to push out the stuff that doesn't want to come out.

Someone recently suggested leaving the black valve open after dumping and then opening the grey. This would let the grey back up into the black tank a bit and help wash it out better. We've tried this a couple of times, and it does seem to be working! After some thought, I figured I'd better do this for a minute or two, close both, reopen the black/let it drain, close the black and then reopen the grey (Whew, what a mouthful! Couldn't find a better way to explain that one!). This would keep the black tank from being the last one open, and, as such, the grey should fully flush the common lines.

Air is vented by both an internal vent (often going to the top of the rig) and when you flush.

Bob & Lee · 06-28-2005, 08:39 AM

Now, that made me think as dangerous as thinking is I do it. Has any one ever opened all the tanks and closed the gate at the end (added on) and run the flush and fill the tanks up and open the gate and let it go.

Montana_2785 · 06-28-2005, 09:08 AM

Guys, when I fixed my grey tank leak the other day my tank level indicators wouldn't work worth anything either. After I opened up the belly by the grey tank, I saw that the nuts that hold the wires onto the studs in the grey tank were so lose that they were about to fall off. After tightening, the level indicator for that tank now acts like it is trying to work....

Perhaps you have loose/corroded electrical connections as well???Something to think about.

Eric

jrgwdenner · 06-28-2005, 04:44 PM

Glen says that the books states that you should flush with the valve open. We flush after all the tanks have been emptied.

Montana_2957 · 06-28-2005, 05:22 PM

Eric, I have had a similar experience with tank sensor nuts. When my TT was new, I went under and checked for any problems and found all the brass tank sensor nuts barely finger tight. I thought at the time that it could turn into one of those intermittent problems that can drive one crazy. I tightened them and locked them, and so far the sensors seem to work ok.

Parrothead · 06-28-2005, 05:44 PM

We did the black tank flush yesterday because we left the RV park we have been in for 10 months this morning. Ed had tried it once and said it didn't work. So I told him to let me try. We closed the valve for a while and let the tank fill up a bit and then dumped, we did this about 15 or 20 times and we finally got a clear run. AND THE SENSOR READS EMPTY! In our 15 years of RVing we have never had a black sensor read empty. Ed is now a believer.
Happy trails.......................

Montana_139 · 06-28-2005, 06:28 PM

We leave the "grays" open until a day or so before having to dump the black tank. We never leave the valve for the black open, because it would dump the chemicals which are supposed to prevent odors, etc. Then the black gets dumped, and subsequently the grays, to "wash" it out. Plus rinsing, of course. It still reads 2/3 full - oh, well! KK

sreigle · 06-29-2005, 02:00 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by PowellsMonty

I have a question about flushing, does everyone leave their black dump valve open all the time as the directions state or close it for a while to allow water to fill up the tank a bit for a greater flush? And if you do close it where will the air in the tank being displaced buy the water go? Won't hurt the toilet seals will it?
TIA

Mike and Debbie, I don't know for sure what it is the 'correct' way but when flushing the tank I close the valve and count off 300 seconds. By then I'm getting pretty nervous about it overflowing into the bathroom and pull the valve and let it drain. I do this several times.

I have NOT in the past just let it run with the valve open. However, I'm rethinking that. I still want to use the method above, fill and dump. But I think after the water seems to be pretty clear I'll let it run awhile with the valve open. I'm not sure where the spray goes but it might be helpful for the scouring action of the spray to knock loose anything on the walls and floor that filling and dumping failed to break loose.

As for where the air goes, I'm not sure. I think the tank is vented. I know the gray tank is. But it must go somewhere. I've never had a problem with it taking on water while flushing it out.

Montana_2230 · 06-29-2005, 03:54 PM

All the tanks are vented. Rather than countung seconds or other timing when filling my black tank for flushing, I just open the door to the basement storage on the side where the bathroom drain is. I listen for the sprayer/flusher noise and when the tank is nearly full the sound changes quite abruptly. I then cut the water off to the flusher and empty the tank. I always do this at leat two times when dumping at home. My sensor seems to work OK on the black tank, I leave the grey tanks in the drain mode, unless I am needing water to rinse the hose when I dump the black tank. I never use/notice the sensors for the grey tanks. I do use calgon and a little dish washing detergent in all my tanks after cleaning.

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