more "sewer" questions

[popbreed]

While troubleshooting my indicator light issues, I have come across another question. The distance form the toilet rim top to the bottom of the black tank is 26 3/4". The distance from the top of the toilet rim top to the end of the pipe dumping into the black tank is 23 3/4". The tank appears to be approx. 8" deep in this area. The pipe is less than 3" off the bottom of the tank. This does not seem correct to me. Once the tank is approx half full, the solids will not fall into the tank must must be "pushed" into the tank by subsequent flushes. This MH uses the elevated floor under the toilet and the 14" high Toilet. I assume FR uses a extension pipe on the floor plate to reach the top of the black tank inlet. Maybe the extension pipe is too long?? Anyone else run into this?

[popbreed]

Mr. Clemens, please see my post "sewer" question below. Could you provide a factory rep name and number (or email adess) to answer this question?

[blue eyes]

This is the exact problem that we were facing, we were getting a smell once the tank was approximately 1/2 full, we installed an electric vent fan on top of the trailer to draw the smell out, however, we still got that awful smell once we approached the mid way full line. We ended up pulling the toilet to find the problem and had to shorten the pipe. After many and i mean many flushes we were able to get the tank clean and all works great now..

[popbreed]

blue eyes, thanks for the post which reaffirms this is a problem. WE have noticed a smell but it has not been very frequent. Keep in mind the MH is not a year old yet. My concern is the pipe is blocking any wand flushing and the tank probes are all ready not working correctly probably due to contamination. I am worried about solid build up directly below the pipe since once the liquid level reaches the pipe end, the solids will remain in the pipe until "pushed" by the following flushes. Did you do the "fix" yourself or take it to a dealer. I have been contemplating doing it myself. We have an excellent dealer but it is 40 mile trip over there and then scheduling, etc. The rig is still under warranty. However, doing it myself would enable me to see "in there" and do some tank "flushing" while the toilet is off. If you did do it yourself, was it difficult to break the pipe loose and pull it out? Did you replace the rubber seal in the tank where the pipe enters? Would appreciate any input you might have.

[blue eyes]

yes, we did the work ourselves...We did have a build up that was causing the smell , hubby also wanted to see what was in there...Thank goodness he is handy with just about anything,,because we did not have a warranty.... He kept thinking that this was the problem all along, because we would never empty completely out due to the build up, and once it was 1/2 full again the smell would start..He would go onto the roof and there would be no smell coming out of the draft pipe, but when he mentioned it to the rv dealer that is close to where we camp, they said they havent experienced any problems with the pipe being too low into the tank.. So he decided to investigate. ..The pipe was a bit of a pain to break loose and pull out,,We did replace the rubber seal too..If you feel it is something you are comfortable with tackling then go for it,,however, if ours was under warranty, it would have gone back to the shop. Good Luck

[popbreed]

Thanks blue eyes,

I think I will call the dealer Monday AM. I will keep posted progress. Thanks again.

[blue eyes]

Good Luck, please keep us posted with the results...

[popbreed]

Well I am now beyond "sewer tank issues". The following is an update on my directions.

1. Further investigation including talking with FR reps, finding a drawing of my black tank with measurements, more and better measurements and filling and dumping the tanks with known quantities leads me to believe:
a. The tank "in" pipe extends approx. 2" into the tank. This is 1" further than the FR rep. stated as "normal".
b. The black tank holds 30 gals when full (but not up to the toilet flange).
c. The gray tank holds 32 gals when full to the shower drain.
d. I will leave the in pipe "as is" since the tanks do accept 30 gals without problems and the pipe is only 1" further than "normal"

2, Regarding the probe readings, I have installed the Horst probes on both waste tanks. The OEM probe placement does not follow the panel manufacturer's guidelines AND the OEM probes (1/3 & 2/3) are far from in the correct position on the tanks. I have moved the ground and 1/3 probe up to a level of approx. 2.38 up from the bottom of the tank and positioned them approx. 12 " apart. The 2/3 probe should be 1.62 further up from the 1/3 probe but this is tricky because there is a molded in clamp impression so I stayed below that clamp ledge. The FULL probe is mounted at the same level as the OEM probe. The original probes remain in their original positions and new holes (.375 dia) were drilled for the Horst probes. The new probe positions were calculated using the tank drawing but the tank has drafts and radii molded in and therefore the calculations could not be exact.

3. With the new probes installed, the following gallons were added to light the respective level lights:
1/3 now 9 gallons was 2 gallons
2/3 now 14 gallons was 8 gallons
Full 28 gallons no change

4. A further observation is the tank capacities/level readings are very sensitive to the vehicle "level position" in the width axis. These two tanks are 17" wide X 85" long X 6.5" deep tapering to approx. 4" deep. Not the best shape to provide stability in gaging. BUT, the underside of these vehicles restrict greatly on shape choices.

I am happy withe the results and consider my tank problems closed.

[Herk7769]

Don, You are THE MAN!

[MikeInColo]

Popbreed, I think that you are going to be one of the very few RV owners that will get an accurate reading of your black tank. I know from experience that my black tank readings are not entirely accurate.

[rbarrieau]

Problem with my camper , When the slide is pulled in ,it blocks the bathroom door completly. How are you expected to flush your black tank if you can't access the toilet when at a mobile dump station.

[popbreed]

Thanks, it may not be perfect but it is many steps closer!!

[blue eyes]

So glad that you found a solution...