Black water sensor not working

[Bduck100]

Tricks to determine how much is in the Blackwater tank when sensor is unreliable? Reads full and I am certain it is not. 2014 33sw

[gmc]

Originally Posted by Bduck100

Tricks to determine how much is in the Blackwater tank when sensor is unreliable? Reads full and I am certain it is not. 2014 33sw

Sensors are notoriously inaccurate.
Flashlight shining down the hole while flushing (assuming straight drop into tank...) or when it stops flushing...
Won't take long to get a feel of how long you can go between dumps - then the gauge doesn't really matter anyway.

[Bob Denman]

I agree: a peek down through the bowl bottom should do the trick for you! But never doubt the reading of full: what would happen if it was right... and you weren't?

[JamieGeek]

If you have external access to your black tank, or under access, you can always rap on the side.

Aside from that the above suggestions will work. You can make that easier by turning off the pump or the water supply so that when you flush your view isn't obscured by the incoming water (and you won't further fill up the tank with your checking).

[gmc]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

I agree: a peek down through the bowl bottom should do the trick for you! But never doubt the reading of full: what would happen if it was right... and you weren't?

If I didn't doubt the reading of full - I would be dumping MUCH more often... lol...
If by chance it is right - its not going to be a scene from the RV movie.... Its just not going to flush... take your foot off the pedal and go dump it...

You will know how long you can go in short order... and only times it would be a real issue is if you were trying to boondock longer than that...

[Bduck100]

My system has a shute to the tank so looking down not an option. Was hoping for some way from outside the tank. Maybe some external device to determine how full the tank is?

[ComputerChips]

There are other types of measuring systems that work from external sensor strips but may be expensive. The regular ones have to be rinsed off regularly to be reliable, because they are inside the tank. Yuk. The slightest amount of residue will give false readouts.

[Bduck100]

Thanks all, any idea about where to look for external/ outside the tank reader?

[DenverTransplant]

Originally Posted by Bduck100

Thanks all, any idea about where to look for external/ outside the tank reader?

Look at SeeLevel - I installed a set on my ACE 30.1 within 6 months of when we got it. Our old trailer had the same crap point sensors that the ACE came with. The trailer sensors started lying to us right away.

Its a fairly simple DYI project depending upon where your tanks are. I have the wired version - simple wiring intercept and fortunately all my tanks were easy to access. You can install the monitor wherever you want. I put mine inside above the OEM panel. I think you can have parallel monitors. They also now make a bluetooth version, but I have no experience with that one.

Lots of posts around this forum and IRV2 on installation.

https://www.garnetinstruments.com/pr...-tank-monitor/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URrKFZmSNXY

[Bduck100]

Thanks DT, that's very helpful and what I am looking for. GREAT photos.
I will let you know how it goes.

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by gmc

If by chance it is right - its not going to be a scene from the RV movie....

You HAD to mention that scene...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHgRmR024BE

[brucev]

Originally Posted by Bduck100

Thanks all, any idea about where to look for external/ outside the tank reader?

assuming the fluid in the tank will change temps much slower you may be able to use something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Buch-Bros-Hor...ank+temp+strip

[JamieGeek]

Wow those Sealevel sensors look a lot like my DIY solution: http://www.thorforums.com/forums/f27...nsor-1177.html

Although I'd bet that even with all my experimentation I spent less than what the Sealevel costs--and I can look at the tank levels on my smartphone

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

Wow those Sealevel sensors look a lot like my DIY solution: http://www.thorforums.com/forums/f27...nsor-1177.html

Although I'd bet that even with all my experimentation I spent less than what the Sealevel costs--and I can look at the tank levels on my smartphone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBh895KdXAU

[DenverTransplant]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

Wow those Sealevel sensors look a lot like my DIY solution: http://www.thorforums.com/forums/f27...nsor-1177.html

Although I'd bet that even with all my experimentation I spent less than what the Sealevel costs--and I can look at the tank levels on my smartphone

As I get older I find that more and more jobs fall into the “Write a check” category

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by DenverTransplant

As I get older I find that more and more jobs fall into the “Write a check” category

Yup...

We start reaching the point where it's not worth the aggravation anymore...

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by DenverTransplant

As I get older I find that more and more jobs fall into the “Write a check” category

Oh many many things fall into that category for me as well. Making the DIY tank level monitor, however, fell right into my "tinkering" wheelhouse with the electronics and programming required.

[DenverTransplant]

When I was in college, the Chemical Engineering Dept office that has a plaque that listed what a Chemical Engineer Knows. It finished with
...Knows enough electricity to confuse himself.

If it’s not ohms law, I don’t go there. I had an agreement with a long time electrical engineer colleague that if it had enough voltage to hurt me it was his work.

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by DenverTransplant

When I was in college, the Chemical Engineering Dept office that has a plaque that listed what a Chemical Engineer Knows. It finished with
...Knows enough electricity to confuse himself.

If it’s not ohms law, I don’t go there. I had an agreement with a long time electrical engineer colleague that if it had enough voltage to hurt me it was his work.

In other words:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG2cux_6Rcw

[JamieGeek]

Naah its more like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX3kxAA2L4Q