Galley Tank shows 3/4 full

[bsivley]

I have a Forest River 2018 Sandpiper. I am hooked directly to an outside sewer system and all my tank valves are open . On my control panel I have sensors for Black water 1&2, Grey water 1&2 and Galley 1&2. All show empty as they should except Galley 1. We have not noticed any stopped up drains or any backups but the sensor says it’s 3/4 full. If there is water in the tank what can I use to clean it out.

[Wiscampsin]

Those sensors aren't always the most accurate. I would advise you not to leave the black tank valves open. You will get rid of the liquids but not the solids and they could build up on the bottom of the tank. Keep the valves closed and open to dump when necessary then use the black tank flush to clean out the tanks.

[lugoismad]

The sensors get dirty.

Next time you move your camper, put a couple of gallons of water in each black and grey tank, then add a 1/2 cup of dish washing detergent and a cup of calgon water softener or borax to each tank. That will help clean the insides of the tank as you go down the road. Then dump them when you get to your new destination.

[BandJCarm]

After draining my black tank last fall, and draining it well..........it showed 3/4 full, which is where it stays. TWO MONTHS later, the sensors dried off enough to show only 1 light. If I dump my black tank, it will go to 3 lights. If you pour one cup of water in an empty tank, all 4 lights immediately go on, and stay on.

Last week, a friend of mine told me about this stuff:

https://www.amazon.com/Walex-CMDOBG-.../dp/B0177AJ64G

I think he used another brand. I found that at local Walmart btw. He said he used it, per the directions, and his sensors worked.......for a long time. Then he had to do it again. It requires almost a day of fooling with the tank, so I'll mess with it sometime. But I'd never heard of this stuff till last week, and have never heard it mentioned in the 10,000 posts here on sensors. So, I'll try it and report back, probably in a few weeks.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by Wiscampsin

Those sensors aren't always the most accurate. I would advise you not to leave the black tank valves open. You will get rid of the liquids but not the solids and they could build up on the bottom of the tank. Keep the valves closed and open to dump when necessary then use the black tank flush to clean out the tanks.

I agree with Wiscampsin's statement I highlighted and for his reason.

lugoismad's comment (The sensors get dirty) is also correct. The sensors in my unit all work fairly well EXCEPT my sink sink/galley tank sensors. One splash of water in it makes the sensors show 3/4 full. I've taken one of my sensors out and it's covered with some kind of waxy looking stuff that won't wash off. If I were half my age, I'd remove and clean or replace mine ---- but now I use another method to determine if my galley tank is full.


.... and, for truth in advertising, I don't leave ANY valve open. I open them when I need to dump.

[Capt. Mike]

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

I agree with Wiscampsin's statement I highlighted and for his reason.

lugoismad's comment (The sensors get dirty) is also correct. The sensors in my unit all work fairly well EXCEPT my sink sink/galley tank sensors. One splash of water in it makes the sensors show 3/4 full. I've taken one of my sensors out and it's covered with some kind of waxy looking stuff that won't wash off. If I were half my age, I'd remove and clean or replace mine ---- but now I use another method to determine if my galley tank is full.


.... and, for truth in advertising, I don't leave ANY valve open. I open them when I need to dump.

I agree with Mr. Dan...especially that part about wanting to be half my age.

[llr]

there a different types of sensors too and they can fail and they must have had a bad batch.

my sensors seemed to somewhat work for the 1st few trips, indicated a reasonable level but would flash to full or empty at times. then they started never indicating full and about 1/3 max. this is all 4 tanks fresh, black & 2 greys.

just got my TT back from warranty service and they replaced all 4 sensors. I am not sure what my sensors are but there are not enough wires to be the screw through the tank type. I believe there are only 6 wires total for the 4 tanks

[Brother Les]

When hooked up to 'full service', keep your drain valves closed and let tanks fill up a few gallons before ever draining them (then close again). With valves open all of the time, solids will build up and sit in the bottoms of the tanks and be hard to remove later.

[cavie]

Originally Posted by bsivley

I have a Forest River 2018 Sandpiper. I am hooked directly to an outside sewer system and all my tank valves are open . On my control panel I have sensors for Black water 1&2, Grey water 1&2 and Galley 1&2. All show empty as they should except Galley 1. We have not noticed any stopped up drains or any backups but the sensor says it’s 3/4 full. If there is water in the tank what can I use to clean it out.

Do not leave your black tank open. This will allow the solids to stay in the tank and dry into a mountain of..welll.... let the tank fill and dump it. fill and dump it.

[TitanMike]

After I dump my tanks either at a dump station or campground hookup before heading home I just refill each tank with about 10 gallons or so of water and add some cheap dishwasher liquid detergent.

The miles on the road slosh the solution around and clean all the buildup of crud out. I then drain at my city public works dump station (free and right on the way between freeway off-ramp and my home).

It helps to keep the Gray Water tank clean if you avoid letting any cooking fats/grease go down the sink. I like to wipe out the skillet with a paper towel first and use plenty of Dawn on the rest of the dishes which emulsifies any remaining grease as good as any dish soap.

Another method that will clean sensors in Black Water tanks is to toss in a bag of ice to about 1/4 tank of plain water just before you hit the road. The sloshing ice cubes can knock off deposits that keep sensors from working.

These methods only work for the sensors that penetrate the wall of the tank. If your tank is equipped with external sensors that sense water on the other side, all bets are off. Bad sensor or monitor are the likely causes.

[bsivley]

Thanks
I live in the camper full time. My dealer techs told me to leave all valves open on this model if I was connected directly to a septic system but I see why closing and dumping the black water should be better. Is there anything I can occasionally add to the tank to break down solids. Also I will have to see if I can find out how to flush and clean out the tank on this model.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by bsivley

Thanks
I live in the camper full time. My dealer techs told me to leave all valves open on this model if I was connected directly to a septic system but I see why closing and dumping the black water should be better. Is there anything I can occasionally add to the tank to break down solids. Also I will have to see if I can find out how to flush and clean out the tank on this model.

Dealer personnel will often give bad advise because they don't actually live in the RV's they service.

If you leave the black water tank valve open, all liquid drains immediately but solids will form a "mountain" directly under the discharge tube from the toilet. In short order this "Mountain" rises to the point where all "deposits" just fill the pipe because they have nowhere else to go. The more liquid in the tank the more chance that solids are dispersed.


If your unit doesn't have a built in Black Tank Flush system with separate city water connection, get yourself a "Wand" that attaches to a hose and has 4 holes that send jets of water out to literally the four corners of the tank.

After dumping the tank insert the wand (with it's valve turned off) into the toilet through the open valve. Turn on the valve on the wand and both rotate and raise/lower. Continue until you feel you've flushed any solids that are remaining. A clear discharge elbow at the drain hose connection will help let you know when the tank is clean as only clean water will be visible flowing out of the tank.


Don't forget to rinse off the wand before storing.

[Kaadk]

Originally Posted by bsivley

Thanks
I live in the camper full time. My dealer techs told me to leave all valves open on this model if I was connected directly to a septic system but I see why closing and dumping the black water should be better. Is there anything I can occasionally add to the tank to break down solids. Also I will have to see if I can find out how to flush and clean out the tank on this model.

The easiest way to flush the black tank will be to pick up one of these (or something similar):

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-40103-H...ack+tank+flush

Even if your rig has a built in tank rinser, if you've been using it with the valves open then this should work better as it will help you direct the blasts of water around the tank instead of only where the tank rinser is spraying.

There's a lot of debate about the whether or not to leave the grey tanks open, but I'm one of the ones who's view falls on keeping them closed too. This way, if you end up with little bits of food, hair or other non liquid things that could end up in there, having a full tank when you dump helps to drain those items too. With the tank open, there's no guarantee those little bits will make it all the way out of the tank.

[TitanMike]

A nearly full gray water tank is nice when dumping the black water tank. Dump black first and then dump gray to flush out the hose.

That way whatever drips out of the hose as you put it away won't be any worse than the last morning's shower rather than part of last night's dinner.

[Brother Les]

Originally Posted by bsivley

Thanks
I live in the camper full time. My dealer techs told me to leave all valves open on this model if I was connected directly to a septic system but I see why closing and dumping the black water should be better. Is there anything I can occasionally add to the tank to break down solids. Also I will have to see if I can find out how to flush and clean out the tank on this model.

sDealer tech needs to be retrained.

Not only does the solid build up needs fluids to be pushed out of the tank(s). But also the possibility of sewer gas coming into your unit is greatly increased.... PEEE-UUUU

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

.... and, for truth in advertising, I don't leave ANY valve open. I open them when I need to dump.

That's our summertime practice. Let them fill. Drain black tank into Blue Boy. Then drain gray tank into Blue Boy, which flushes the hose. Then empty Blue Boy.

In the winter, the water is off, and the black tank remains empty. But we run a dehumidifier which lives in the shower. If we were to close the gray water valve, water builds up in the ABS pipe from the gray water tank to the valve. It freezes and splits the pipe--in multiple places. We have the experience to prove it. So we leave the gray water valve open and hose connected to the Blue Boy, so the condensed water drains to the Blue Boy.

Larry

[bedubya]

It's a shame, but entirely likely that a dealer told bsivley to leave the valves open. I don't think my dealer has any techs that have spent even one night in a camper.

If I am camped with full hook-ups, I will dump everything before I leave. But every second or third trip, I will then fill my black & gray about 3/4 full. After driving an hour or two, thereby sloshing everything around, I'll find a dump station and dump and flush with my Camco 40074 Flexible Swivel Stik with Shutoff Valve.

A side note: When we took delivery of our camper, the wires were crossed for the black and gray tanks. I figured it out after dumping my "full" black tank and then having my shower overflow. My dealer offered to fix it. I decided it was simpler to just re-label the lights.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by lugoismad

The sensors get dirty.

Next time you move your camper, put a couple of gallons of water in each black and grey tank, then add a 1/2 cup of dish washing detergent and a cup of calgon water softener or borax to each tank. That will help clean the insides of the tank as you go down the road. Then dump them when you get to your new destination.

X2 and do it again and again and again until the tank is clean inside.

After it is clean, do it every time and it will STAY clean, and indicating correctlyt!

[cavie]

I can't use a wand. I have 2 45's between the toilet and the tank. I use the orange pods sold at Walmart between every dump out. No, I don't eat them.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by cavie

I can't use a wand. I have 2 45's between the toilet and the tank. ....

Same here.