Grey Tank

[RMK-JAY]

We are our maiden outing with our new Jayco Redhawk 24B. Emptied both black and Grey tanks last night. One shower and breakfast and the tank indicates it is approaching 2/3 full. Unusual? 2023 Redhawk.

 

[pconroy]

We are our maiden outing with our new Jayco Redhawk 24B. Emptied both black and Grey tanks last night. One shower and breakfast and the tank indicates it is approaching 2/3 full. Unusual? 2023 Redhawk.

yes



Unless you took a really long shower.

 

[Grumpy]

Could be humidity in the tank causing the sensor to read incorrectly. They are not the best.

 

[CAG-JAY]

There are so many threads here about how inaccurate the gauges are.



Simply, ignore the readings, leave the gray open, dump the black when it "burps".

 

[Redhawk 26M]

I recently picked up a '24 Redhawk. Upon delivery I was told to not rely on the gauges. I've found the grey to be off, not as bad as yours though.

 

[Kevin Cooper]

Do not use soap. Bar soap causes soap scum. Coats the tank, like it does a shower or tub. Use liquid “soap” which is really detergent, not soap. No scum.
Borax and detergent for black tanks, and Borax and degreaser for gray tanks. Sensors will work again.

 

[Irishwake55]

Do not use soap. Bar soap causes soap scum. Coats the tank, like it does a shower or tub. Use liquid “soap” which is really detergent, not soap. No scum.
Borax and detergent for black tanks, and Borax and degreaser for gray tanks. Sensors will work again.

Perfect answer agree 100% …..
Will help sensor stay clean longer…

 

[Kevin Cooper]

Perfect answer agree 100% …..
Will help sensor stay clean longer…

Bought used Alante. Sensors both stayed at 1/3 when empty. Three short trips for weekends, sensors work perfectly. Soap scum in gray, struvite in black are the problems. Not TP, and not waste. No digesters! That is a septic tank product, not a holding tank concern.
Just my opinion based on outcomes and professional tank cleaners.

 

[JFlightRisk]

We are our maiden outing with our new Jayco Redhawk 24B. Emptied both black and Grey tanks last night. One shower and breakfast and the tank indicates it is approaching 2/3 full. Unusual? 2023 Redhawk.

If your tank is indeed not that full, and the OEM sensors are gummed up, if you're up for it, you can change them out for better sensors.

https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-T21302VP-Horst-Miracle-Probe/dp/B0136USMXW/ref=asc_df_B0136USMXW/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693330410595&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13219613308051738746&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9005616&hvtargid=pla-491211206306&mcid=d2a72d84dcf43598ae46c524fb85a744&gad_source=1&th=1

Ours started reading 1/3rd full when empty, so I bought these, and found a You Tube video on how to safely get the old ones out so I could install the new ones in the same holes in the tank. Amazon has a great discount on them right now.

If you want to persue that, I'll find that video for you.

 

[JimD]

Whether the gauge is accurate or not greatly depends on the person who took the shower. If it wasn't a "navy" shower where you turn the water on and off and use the minimal amount you can, I could see the tank filling up. If they left the water running the entire time, they need to be advised. This only holds true when you are not hooked up to sewer. When hooked up to sewer you simply leave the gray tank open all the time and forget about conserving.

Newbies to dry camping will eventually learn just how much you need to conserve water. Not only for the amount of fresh water available but for the space it takes up in the gray tank.

 

[Redhawk 26M]

Do not use soap. Bar soap causes soap scum. Coats the tank, like it does a shower or tub. Use liquid “soap” which is really detergent, not soap. No scum.
Borax and detergent for black tanks, and Borax and degreaser for gray tanks. Sensors will work again.

Never entered my mind, soap scum. How much do you think it could / does take to alter the sensors? Is the OP's situation unusual? My gray tank will read 1/3 full after maybe 3 "navy" showers and washing a few utensils in the sink w/ detergent. This has only been done 2x, brand new RV.
In what ratios would you suggest for borax / detergent / degreaser usage in black / gray tanks?

 

[Redhawk 26M]

Ours started reading 1/3rd full when empty, so I bought these, and found a You Tube video on how to safely get the old ones out so I could install the new ones in the same holes in the tank. Amazon has a great discount on them right now.
If you want to persue that, I'll find that video for you.

I'd be interested in watching it if you can find it. Thank you...

 

[craigav]

I (we) use liquid shower soap and rarely does my grey tank sensors fail to read accurately. However, at times they still read that the tank is not empty when I know it is. I suspect that the reason in my case is more related to washing the dishes in the sink and in particular the dishes used to prepare and serve foods like bacon and eggs (as they often coat the plate I am using more so than other foods).

While I suspect that there are lots of remedies (solutions to use), what has worked well for me is to simply add about 1/2 cup of dawn dishwashing soap and ~1/2 gallon of vinegar to about 2/3 full grey tank (poured down the sink drain) and let that sit overnight or sometimes I leave it in when driving between campsites so it can slosh around some. Doing this, I have gone years without any gauge reading errors. ~CA

 

[Kevin Cooper]

Never entered my mind, soap scum. How much do you think it could / does take to alter the sensors? Is the OP's situation unusual? My gray tank will read 1/3 full after maybe 3 "navy" showers and washing a few utensils in the sink w/ detergent. This has only been done 2x, brand new RV.
In what ratios would you suggest for borax / detergent / degreaser usage in black / gray tanks?

I use 3/4-1 cup Borax dissolved in hot water then poured into tank. I also use one clothes washer pod in the black. Or 2/3 cup of dawn. The dawn made lots of foam.
Same Borax for gray and 1/4 to 1/2 cup degreaser. Like purple power or similar.
Struvite and scum buildup on the tank sides will hold water for a while on the sides of the tank. The water allows electrons to travel between the electrodes so they report level to the pins above the water line, causing mis-reads.

 

[Kevin Cooper]

I (we) use liquid shower soap and rarely does my grey tank sensors fail to read accurately. However, at times they still read that the tank is not empty when I know it is. I suspect that the reason in my case is more related to washing the dishes in the sink and in particular the dishes used to prepare and serve foods like bacon and eggs (as they often coat the plate I am using more so than other foods).

While I suspect that there are lots of remedies (solutions to use), what has worked well for me is to simply add about 1/2 cup of dawn dishwashing soap and ~1/2 gallon of vinegar to about 2/3 full grey tank (poured down the sink drain) and let that sit overnight or sometimes I leave it in when driving between campsites so it can slosh around some. Doing this, I have gone years without any gauge reading errors. ~CA

Haven’t tried or needed the vinegar. But will if my sensors start reporting incorrectly.
Thanks Craig!

 

[craigav]

Haven’t tried or needed the vinegar. But will if my sensors start reporting incorrectly.
Thanks Craig!

I don't use borax often but I have used it for many things. One thought to share as that lowering the PH in the grey tank by using something acidic (vinegar for example) will remove soap scum and mineral deposits. Using something like borax will raise the ph and likely work better for grease and oils (but not mineral deposits) converting them into soap which will then dissolve in the water. Most detergents such as Dawn (and I suspect all dish cleaning soaps) are very close to ph balanced (7).

Point being, while it may seem like a good idea perhaps to use borax and vinegar together (which no one here is saying to do but for FYI), I wouldn't recommend using both at the same time simply because a change in ph (high or low) will provide benefits in cleaning something like a grey tank and mixing the two would tend to neutralize the lower ph vinegar with the higher ph borax which would reduce or possibly remove the positive aspects you would otherwise have just by using one or the other. (FYI you shouldn't mix an acid and a base together in most cases, especially those products that are very acidic or alkaline). I would add though that if one or the other (borax or vinegar) didn't help, that I would certainly try the other (after emptying the tank) ~CA

 

[Kevin Cooper]

Craig,
100% agree! The Borax is not being used in the black tank for PH. Although it probably will change it a little. It is for softening the water. One of the three ingredients of struvite crystals is hard water. I’m in Fl. At the beach right now but manganese and ??acid were the other two. Two come from #1 and #2 toilet ingredients. So, they are there. Soft water stops the forming of the crystals. Vinegar was listed as a way to test a soft rock being Struvite. So, it should work very well if you put enough in! Just haven’t had it that bad yet.

 

[JFlightRisk]

I'd be interested in watching it if you can find it. Thank you...

I found the video. This really works like a charm to remove the old sensors.

 

[Redhawk 26M]

Thank you...

 

[CAG-JAY]

Do not use soap. Bar soap causes soap scum. Coats the tank, like it does a shower or tub. Use liquid “soap” which is really detergent, not soap. No scum.
Borax and detergent for black tanks, and Borax and degreaser for gray tanks. Sensors will work again.

Actually never had that problem or found it to be a problem. Dawn does away with soap scum, if you have it and, I never saw that as an issue.