Gray water tank won't fill.

[QZEE]

Hello all. I am new here and trying to google and research before asking you questions but this one has no answer that I can find.

My 2005 Jayco American Eagle 5th wheel's black tank fills up fast. BUT . . .I am not using the toilet. I've emptied the black water already. It was empty yesterday.

I've only used gray water and the gray tanks are not filling at all according to my electric panel which shows black 3/4 full and grays both empty. I suspect there is mixing some how?

I have both the black and gray valves pushed in. Any ideas?

Thanks!

[Grumpy]

Years ago the shower/sink was/could have been connected to the black tank that code has since changed.

[bankr63]

Your unit is an '05. Is the unit new to you, or is this a new problem, or has it been a problem for 10 years?
If the unit is new to you, I would take a serious look underneath at the plumbing. Perhaps the previous owner had a problem (leak) with the gray tank and rerouted plumbing to the black tank rather than replacing? Actually if it is an old problem I would still do the same inspection.
If it is a new problem, that would be a stumper! Looking forward to the answer to the mystery!

[QZEE]

I bought it three days ago at a bargain price of 9300.00. So far most everything else seems okay except that the fridge shorts out the circuits when on electric mode and some evidence of old leak at one of the slide outs. It has not rained hard yet so I am waiting to see what happens with the seals.

The problem is that I am ignorant and have no idea how to get underneath and look at the plumbing.

I am hoping the Grumpy above is correct because in fact the only thing I've really done is shower. Use the kitchen sink minimally and there was a little water when I just opened out the gray water. But most of it is in the black.

But when I just checked the lights now the black still shows 3/4 which is just not possible. So maybe the problem is in the sensors in the tanks.

Since I am using a composting toilet it doesn't matter a whole lot aside from the fact that the indicators may be wrong.

[BuddyRay]

Any chance the black and grey are mislabeled? And / or the sensors are backwards?


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[bankr63]

Those sensors are generally near worthless. A bit of toilet paper stuck on a black tank sensor will send a wrong signal, that happens a lot. You might look at replacing with Horst probes if you are planning a few upgrades.


My best suggestion to find out about the gray tank is to visually test it at home (wouldn't do this at a CG). Assuming the tank is really empty, and only doing this for the gray tank; would never do this with the black. Hookup to city water, uncap and open the gray valve. Run water down any of the outlets that should be hooked up to that tank - kitchen and bath sinks, and shower. Water should flush out at the end as it runs into the drain - have a spotter help.
I know some people will give flak for this, but I don't mind running my gray onto the ground when I know the water going in the top is clean.

[wags999]

Originally Posted by BuddyRay

Any chance the black and grey are mislabeled? And / or the sensors are backwards?


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I would add water from the toilet and see if the "grey" Tank level changes. Could be as easy as being mislabeled.

I would drain both tanks, add the water from the toilet and see when you go to dump, which tank has water in it. Also checking your tank level lights.

Good Luck.

[LiftedAWDAstro]

If the underside is exposed and you can see the tanks, the tank with the 3 or 4" outlet is the black tank. The one(s) with the smaller 1-1/4" or 1-1/2" outlet is the grey tanks. I also pay no real attention to the grey or black tank level indicator as they usually don't read accurately.

[justman]

Agree with others. The tank indicators are largely useless. The fresh water indicator works the best, primarily because there's not a lot of stuff that clings to them in there...or shouldn't be.

It's a little difficult to re-route plumbing to another tank, but I suppose it could be done. I suspect the gauges are just reading incorrectly. Do the test Bankr63 mentioned and it should tell you which tank you're filling.

[DadRich]

I don't know if your toilet is a straight drop to the tank so you can visualize the level, but I'd look down and see what the level really is. I have a 2010 29BHS, and last weekend I dumped my black tank The lights showed Empty. Drove it up the mountain, and after the first use it read 2/3 full. I just don't trust the factory installed sensor anymore in the black tank. After the first year, the sensor reading is unreliable. I have better luck just looking and seeing what the level really is.

I suggest that your tank really isn't full, the lights are misleading you due to gunk on the sensors. You could also get a clear elbow for the drain hose and see how much you are really draining out.

(I will install the Horst probes on day, but that's a project with more labor than rewards right now)

I just looked at the spec's for the tanks
Fresh:40
Gray 74-82
Black 37
You are going to see the black fill faster than the gray since the gray is twice the size. But I still think your sensors are in error

[BuddyRay]

I haven't had good luck with the Horst probes. I put them in both the black and gray tanks of my last TT. Over three years of use they gave false readings just as often as my old sensors.
They look logical but I think in some ways they are worse because when a piece of paper does wash up under the shield and hang on the sensor it's much harder to wash it off.


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[rtbreeves]

Originally Posted by BuddyRay

Any chance the black and grey are mislabeled........?

This is exactly what happened with my FIL's 2005 Jayco Eagle 322FK - the gray and black tank valve handles were mislabeled when he bought the unit new. He simply made his own labels to cover up the factory labels and all's well.