Tank monitors

[Foster15]

Morning. My black and gray tank monitors have not worked since we purchased our 2015 Seneca. Therefore I am wondering if anyone has replaced with Sea Level system with external tank senders?

Thanks.

[mike837go]

By "not worked" do you mean "totally irrational readings" or "nothing showing, ever".


If the system is faulty "nothing ever shows" then you have a warrantee repair issue.


If the black reads 2/3 full and the grey reads 1/2 full after only 1 day, then you've got a 'normal' system.


The fresh water tank usually gives a reasonable reading. The other 2, not so much.


I get the impression, most of us just live with the semi-irrational readings. The shower stops emptying when the grey is overfilled. And when the flush water is hitting the rest of the waste in the black tank too soon, it's time to dump.

[Jm9301]

I agree with mike, it seems it doesn't take much to throw off the factory tank sensors sadly. I am curious to see if anyone has a non factory monitoring setup and how it operates

[norty1]

Horst probes are another option: https://www.bing.com/images/search?q...nsor&FORM=IGRE
I don't have them but know others who do and are much happier than with the factory ones.
I don't have them because as mike837go stated, most of us know without even looking at the sensors after camping in the rig for a while. We are pretty consistent in our water usage.

[Camper_bob]

IMO, for the cost of those systems, it's not worth it. With some experience, you know when your tanks are full or approaching full.

The toilet will "burp" when the black tank is full, and as mentioned, the gray water will come up in the shower (if you let it get that far). In my experience, the gray monitor is still relatively accurate, but I still know how much use will make it full, so I've never had it come up in the shower.

The fresh tank is somewhat accurate as well. But I don't depend on it to tell me how much water I have; I measure how much goes in by time and flow (5 GPM from my setup, I measured it).

Also, I carry a small "utility bucket" (cat litter can) to handle the chore of "bleeding off" a full gray tank. I will fill my bucket using a hose adapter on the gray tank outlet and dump it in the black tank. If I need to dispose of more, I carry a small 15 gal portable water tote in the truck that I can use to take away extra waste water. Over the course of a 2 to 3-night trip, I know how much water we use, and it's not much. I've never actually been forced to drain the gray tank during a trip, and that's with both of us taking showers each night (Navy showers, of course).

Like I said, IMO, it's not worth the cost for a fancy schmancy monitor. Just pay close attention, measure what you can to determine usage, and properly drain/dispose as necessary.

[Jagiven]

The sensors fail in the tanks. Couple things I have found that helps. Never drain the tanks completely. Always add a few gallons of water in them after dumping to slosh around, this is especially important in the back tank. Periodically I add 1/2 cup of liquid fabric softener or water softener down the drains after dumping with a few gallons of water. The softener breaks the water tension and helps loosen "stuff" that is stuck onto the sensors. Then the sloshing while driving rinses the "stuff" off.

[John K.]

I bought an RV swivel stick that you put down the toilet and, when it's connected to water and you open the stick valve, water gushes out from a rotating head to wash down the sides of the tank. I've used it twice, and both times it led to the tank monitors showing the tanks empty, which they were even though the monitors showed they were full. I'm guessing the monitors show the tank is full because "stuff" clings to the sensors in the tank. The problem is, after a few days of camping and using the toilet, the sensors get gunked up again, so you have to use the stick again. I can pretty much figure out how full the tanks are, so I'm less inclined to use the stick. Here's a link to something similar to what I bought:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...v+swivel+stick

[Foster15]

Thanks for the responses. I was hoping someone had made the change out. These internal probe systems never seem to work so do not understand (cost?) why manufacturers continue to use them. What is downside of external senders?

[Grawe]

Sadly, this seems to be one of the defects we all end up having to live with. Generally wouldn't accept this as an answer myself but these sensors are unreliable across all manufacturers. If it's still under warranty, you can ping your dealer.

2015 Jayco Pinnacle FLSA & 2008 Chevy Duramax

Anxiously awaiting retirement where I have been told everyday is a Saturday

[abarkl]

Many RV owners choose to replace the factory installed sensors and monitor with the aftermarket See Level sensors and monitor from Garnet Technologies Inc.

[pconroy]

I'll bet its one of those "always been done that way" things. The existing sensors are Good Enough for most people, even if that means we pretty much consider them inaccurate.

They're probably cheap to make.

I'm not sure my behavior would change too much if they were wildly more accurate. I'd probably just postpone doing something.

[edatlanta]

Originally Posted by norty1

Horst probes are another option: https://www.bing.com/images/search?q...nsor&FORM=IGRE
I don't have them but know others who do and are much happier than with the factory ones.
I don't have them because as mike837go stated, most of us know without even looking at the sensors after camping in the rig for a while. We are pretty consistent in our water usage.

Agree with this completely.

Trying to get the tank sensors to work properly is like trying to catch a mirage.

[TaftCoach]

Perhaps there is a cost benefit analysis here. How much are people willing to pay for an accurate measurement tool? $100? $500?

For folks camping weekends and a week long trip once a year or who are always on full hookups, it probably isn't worth much.

For boondocking full timers, it is probably worth much more.

The views expressed may not be mine in five minutes.

[WaltW]

Foster15, I am also thinking of replacing the sensors. My Tiffin RED's sensors were pretty accurate for all tanks even after 5 years. My Seneca tank readings for all but fresh water are useless almost since day one. For the price we paid for our Senecas Jayco should have used better components. I have read on other forums that Sealevel with the external sensors has worked much better and am considering getting them.

Some of the replies to your question indicate that the respondents do not even have black tank flush. They make a good argument for better separation of forums.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by WaltW

snip...

Some of the replies to your question indicate that the respondents do not even have black tank flush. They make a good argument for better separation of forums.

Tank systems are not unique between models or even classes of RVs. There are varying differences in size, and the availability of a built-in tank flush across all models, but that's about it. We're all dealing with the same basic equipment in this case.

I have a tank flush, and I still do not rely on the waste tank sensors. I use many of the techniques listed by the other respondents here as well (in addition to the tactics mentioned in my previous post), such as fabric softener, using multiple "full-tank" flushes when the resources are available, flowing a high volume of water into the tank through the toilet, etc.

I'm not even sure I would use the sensors to their full potential if they were accurate, at least not after having used my RV for a while. They *might* be handy in the beginning when you're still learning/testing your limits. Other than fresh water, I rarely look at them anymore whether they're accurate or not.

ETA: Incidentally, with all the things I have integrated into my waste tank processes, my sensors are still relatively accurate most of the time.

[Foster15]

This morning I got out the creeper to get under the chassis. What I thought might be an easy swap of tank monitors may not be so easy. Fresh water is in open; I can see but not reach gray and cannot even see black.

Probably stuck with what's there.

[pconroy]

(Warning - I did time as a Jr. Scientist!)

I think mine are accurate, just too coarse grained. If my fresh water is less than 2/3rds but more than 1/3rd, I'd like to know a more precise reading just than what the lights tell me.

If I've got over 1/2 a tank, I'll worry about water tomorrow.
If it's barely above 1/3rd, then I'd worry about it today.

So it's not accuracy, per se, that I'm after.

[LSA376]

I installed the See Level and love them! The monitoring boards stick to the outside of the tanks and give the readings in percentages from 0-100% and use the factory wiring. I have them on the black, grey and fresh tanks, they even offer one for propane. Easy installation.

[Robbbyr]

Originally Posted by LSA376

I installed the See Level and love them! The monitoring boards stick to the outside of the tanks and give the readings in percentages from 0-100% and use the factory wiring. I have them on the black, grey and fresh tanks, they even offer one for propane. Easy installation.

Putting these on my Seneca's tanks is my one of my Spring projects. Any words of wisdom you can share regarding installation on a TS? I am going to incorporate my propane tank also, I know that I will have to run new wires to hook up to the sending unit I purchased already.

Does your new monitoring panel incorporate a water pump switch and indicator light? I never use that switch anyway since I have 2 others, I may just skip it.

Thanks much!

[LSA376]

Rob, being that we have the same floor plan the hardest part was accessing the grey tank which is accessed through the driver side fender skirt. I was shocked at the mess of heater duct and water piping in there!


I mounted the new sending units close to the existing bolt sensors making sure the wiring could be reused without extending. You trim the sensor to the height of the tank, then it's a peel and stick.


My existing monitor panel had a water pump switch in it, I ordered the monitor panel with a water pump switch. Wiring is a snap.


It is so trick, knowing you have an actual % reading. Very nice.