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Old 04-10-2015, 01:45 PM   #1
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Tank sensors

My dealer told me the sensors are fine in my TT but, they are still reading half full and qtr full when in fact, the tanks are empty. They (dealer) told me to put ice cubes in the tank and drive around with them to clean the sensors off. Am I being scammed here fellas or are my sensors shot?
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Old 04-10-2015, 01:50 PM   #2
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The best advice that I got on the topic of sensors was to not put toilet paper in the tanks. We got one of those small diaper pails that fits next to the toilet and dispose of the toilet paper in the pail. We haven't had any problems since.
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Old 04-10-2015, 02:04 PM   #3
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The next time you go camping and dump the tanks, empty the ice from your cooler into the toilet before you drive home. As soon as you get home, dump the black tank again into a 5 gallon bucket. (You can dump that carefully into your toilet at home.) The ice sloshing around in the tank will actually clean the sides of the tank. You may leave some TP in the bottom, because you aren't dumping a full tank, but the sensors are on the sides.

After you do the dump at home, then put about 3 gallons of water in the tank, along with chemicals, so the TP will be dissolved before you travel again. And be aware - you should always put chemicals and about 3 gallons of water in the tank before you store the trailer. That keeps everything smelling fresh and lets the chemicals dissolve anything left behind - and you're all set for the next trip.

Also - a tip I got from the Outbackers.com forum is to put a capful of liquid Calgon water softener in the tank at the same time as the chemicals, after every camping trip. The Calgon makes the inside of the tanks slick, so less stuff will stick. I've done this for 8 years and never had a sensor problem. (The only place I've been able to find the Calgon is at Walmart, in the laundry detergent section.)
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Old 04-10-2015, 02:06 PM   #4
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My dealer told me the sensors are fine in my TT but, they are still reading half full and qtr full when in fact, the tanks are empty. They (dealer) told me to put ice cubes in the tank and drive around with them to clean the sensors off. Am I being scammed here fellas or are my sensors shot?
Typically stuff will get stuck on the sensor inside the tank, this will make the sensor give a false reading, OR you could simply have a bad sensor.
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Old 04-10-2015, 02:10 PM   #5
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The best advice that I got on the topic of sensors was to not put toilet paper in the tanks. We got one of those small diaper pails that fits next to the toilet and dispose of the toilet paper in the pail. We haven't had any problems since.
You can get RV/Boat TP at Walmart pretty cheap. Then you won't have a bucket of stinky TP in your bathroom. The toilets and black tank system are designed to handle TP, as long as you buy the kind that will dissolve. Watch this YouTube video:

Read my other post and believe that taking those measures, I've had no sensor problems in 8 years of owning and using an RV toilet.
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Old 04-10-2015, 02:19 PM   #6
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I am willing to bet it is not your sensors. Your tank is dirty and needs a good cleaning. Warm or hot water works best. I would fill and drain the tank numerous times until it runs clean. We use a clear sewer adaptor this allows me to see that my tank is coming clean. Most of the time a campers tank problem comes from not using enough water. We all want to conserve water and not have to empty the tank too often.
I have heard from many campers that the crushed ice works. Add the ice when you travel. Hope it works for you.

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Old 04-10-2015, 02:27 PM   #7
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I also have a wand that I put down the toilet into the tank, hook up a hose, then rinse the tank. It has a high-speed rotating head on it (like a mini-lawn sprinkler). It works great! I always do that at the end of every season. But my new Jayco has a black tank flush inlet as standard equipment. Hope that works well.
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Old 04-10-2015, 02:34 PM   #8
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There is a on-line video about ice in black tank. A guy built a clear plastic tank, put on sensors, clogged them up with tp and other junk, dumped in lots of ice, then drove for several miles over some very rough roads. Final results showed the sensors still clogged. Less tp is better, ladies use lots to blot, so we have a container for blotting paper. Not ready to save the soiled stuff yet. Water is most of the answer, but they will still clog on occasions. Use a flashlight down the hole, easy to see when its nearing full.
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Old 04-10-2015, 02:35 PM   #9
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Thanks everyone!! I truly appreciate it!
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Old 04-10-2015, 02:51 PM   #10
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I also have a wand that I put down the toilet into the tank, hook up a hose, then rinse the tank. It has a high-speed rotating head on it (like a mini-lawn sprinkler). It works great! I always do that at the end of every season. But my new Jayco has a black tank flush inlet as standard equipment. Hope that works well.
The black tank flush built into our Greyhawk seems to work well. Using a clear 45 degree connector, I can dump-wash-dump-repeat until the effluent looks clean. So far no problems with the tank sensors.
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Old 04-10-2015, 03:02 PM   #11
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You can get RV/Boat TP at Walmart pretty cheap. Then you won't have a bucket of stinky TP in your bathroom. The toilets and black tank system are designed to handle TP, as long as you buy the kind that will dissolve. Watch this YouTube video:

Read my other post and believe that taking those measures, I've had no sensor problems in 8 years of owning and using an RV toilet.
This isn't my first rodeo. We tried that dissolving TP it still seemed to get hung up on the sensor. Those diaper pails have a seal on them, no odor escapes. But to each their own. This is our 5th RV and each one had this exact same problem. Once we switched to this pail the problem went away. Not saying it's not impossible for that dissolving TP to work, I'm saying this works for us, and the magical dissolving 1/4 ply toilet paper doesn't. Besides all that, I'd rather pitch my TP in a odor sealed trash can then having my hand go through that dissolving TP, and everyone here knows what I'm talking about.
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Old 04-10-2015, 03:26 PM   #12
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Just replace black tank sensors with these…….it's the minute electrical connection between the cheap probes in the tank. Horst miracle probes

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Old 04-10-2015, 04:07 PM   #13
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Another option is to install SeeLevel gauges. They sense the level of fluid from outside of the tank and are not as affected by a build up of whatever on the tank walls. I have them installed in our trailer, and they work well, but they are expensive. Link to SeeLevel Gauges.
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Old 04-10-2015, 05:20 PM   #14
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Whatever you do, don't use triple ply toilet paper. I learned that the hard way. What worked for us was using more water during flushing than you think you would need. Also, on the rare occasions where we do have a full service site, we take the time during packing up to fill and flush the black take with fresh water a few times. That really does help to flush out the residue.
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Old 04-10-2015, 06:06 PM   #15
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We learned the hard way over the years on problems with black tanks and sensors. This is what works for us now and have not had problems in the last several years.


The first thing is to use dissolving TP. Angel Soft worked for years but has changed their formula and it no longer passes the dissolve test. Costco brand TP does dissolve and works well for intended purpose.
If you think you are using a lot of water when you flush the toilet, use more.
Add that clear plastic hose fitting when draining tank and run water through the tank until it runs clear.
The problems we have had in the past before we did this is sensors not working with black water flushes on the tank, completely plugged drain pipe and TP stuck in the closing valve so water would leak past the valve.
The sensors we resolved with a flushing wand. The plugged drain required a call to the local septic tank guy and he used his suction pump. The valve had to be removed and the TP removed from the valve seat.
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Old 04-10-2015, 07:33 PM   #16
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The black tank flush built into our Greyhawk seems to work well. Using a clear 45 degree connector, I can dump-wash-dump-repeat until the effluent looks clean. So far no problems with the tank sensors.
Good to know! I have a clear extension with a gate valve I used for years. It allows hooking up a water hose to backflush by opening the tank valve, but closing the gate valve on the extension. Like you, I can see when there's no more "stuff" coming out. Sounds like now, it will be easier.
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Old 04-10-2015, 08:01 PM   #17
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If you think you are using a lot of water when you flush the toilet, use more.
Something I've found that really helps is to fill the bowl halfway before assuming the position. You won't get any Klingons and the extra water keeps the bowl clean and helps break down what is in the tank.

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Old 04-10-2015, 08:05 PM   #18
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Like Scoutr2, I have a wand with a rotating head, that deliveries surprising pressure. However, regardless of the pain in the butt it may seem, I hook up the hose and rinse the black tank down through the toilet whenever I am at the dump site. I do a good spray and rinse of my grey water tank at home.
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Old 04-10-2015, 08:10 PM   #19
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My grey tank sensors work pretty well, but when empty it still reads 2 red lights out of 4. And the way I deal with the black tank "always" being full (even when empty), is use a flashlight to check, and don't worry, be happy.

Now if my grey tank sensors read full all the time, that would be something I couldn't deal with at all. The only way I'd know it was full would be when I see dirty water bubbling up from the bathtub drain.
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Old 04-11-2015, 06:21 AM   #20
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Something I've found that really helps is to fill the bowl halfway before assuming the position. You won't get any Klingons and the extra water keeps the bowl clean and helps break down what is in the tank.

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