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Old 09-25-2019, 03:26 PM   #21
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The trick with the ice, really works! Did mine last year.... Cleaned Black tank, Put in the water and ice, and drove one of the most windy roads, for an hour, worked great....

Cheers David

Is there no problem with the ice damaging the sensors?
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Old 09-25-2019, 05:22 PM   #22
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They are working !
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Old 09-25-2019, 06:12 PM   #23
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I have never had a problem with my sensors. That includes previously owned cab-overs. We use good ol' fashioned RIDEX. 1/4 cup to 10 gallons of water at the start of the season, and after every dump. In 12 -24 hours the good enzymes take over the digestion of the waste. The only other thing we use is a citrus based tank deodorant (no formaldehyde), when necessary. As far as toilet paper we use Walmart "Everyday Soft" (green package). The paper dissolves in 20 minutes. That's it.

I save the ice for cocktails, the Dawn for dishes, ...and the Calgon? Don't have a use for it period.
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Old 09-25-2019, 06:34 PM   #24
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Is there no problem with the ice damaging the sensors?
There is no chance of damaging the sensors. If you look at Mr Dan's pictures in post #6 you will see there isn't any moving parts involved. The sensor is not an electrical or mechanical device as you may think. Basically they are nothing more than a round head bolt held in the hole by a compressed gasket with a wire attached to each sensor.
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Old 10-03-2019, 07:29 PM   #25
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Dip stick

If your toilet has a straight drop to the black tank you can take a 3/8 dowel and mark it as to depth of " stuff " . When tank is empty and the water is off fill it in 5 gallon increments and mark stick in 5 gallon increments until full. Sounds a little crude but you clean the stick after observing the level by turning the water back on and let the toilet water flow rinse the stick b4 removing. It gives the most accurate reading of
Your " stuff " level.
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Old 10-03-2019, 07:44 PM   #26
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Shut off water pump. Push down on foot valve, look inside with flashlight, see where liquid level is. Problem solved.
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Old 10-03-2019, 07:58 PM   #27
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One other thing to check and I mention this because you say it goes from 1/3 to 3/4 with just a bit of water added. On our Cruise Lite we had a similar issue with the grey tank. Turned out they had two wires on the sensors swapped. Easy to check if you have one tank working properly - look at the sequence of the color of the wires and see if they match the non-working tank.
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Old 10-03-2019, 08:07 PM   #28
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Our sensors in the black tank will not go below 1/3 full, even after emptying. It will then go quickly to 3/4, even tho it isn't. My husband times how long it takes to empty and it isn't long. So we KNOW it isn't 3/4. We have filled it with water and put a solution purchased at RV store in there. We have used Dawn, didn't work. We have had it almost empty and put ice in it, twice! We are really baffled. We don't think sensors are bad. This happened once before and we were able to "fix". Also, the gray tank sensors work fine. And no, we don't leave value open when we are parked. Any other suggestions? We will be going out middle of October again. What are opinions regarding "Happy Camper" sensor cleaner? Thanks.
We have a 2500 TS Sunseeker
We don't worry about it anymore. Be nice if sensors worked but not worth the repeated efforts. If you look down your drain in toilet you will know whwn youare getting close to dump time.
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Old 10-03-2019, 08:24 PM   #29
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Happy camper works for us!

On our last dump, my sensor stayed on 3/4 full even when I just emptied it. I used Happy Camper for the first time - 1 scoop in 1 gallon of water dissolved. I was waiting for the wand to arrive in the mail just in case the Happy Camper solution doesn't work. I received it in one day, got ready to use it but when I checked my tanks, surprise, surprise! It registered empty. So I guess the trick is to wait at least 24 hours for the solution to work in the tank? I followed the solution with another gallon of water per instructions. Hope it works the same for you!��
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Old 10-03-2019, 10:44 PM   #30
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If your toilet has a straight drop to the black tank you can take a 3/8 dowel and mark it as to depth of " stuff " . When tank is empty and the water is off fill it in 5 gallon increments and mark stick in 5 gallon increments until full. Sounds a little crude but you clean the stick after observing the level by turning the water back on and let the toilet water flow rinse the stick b4 removing. It gives the most accurate reading of
Your " stuff " level.
If making a dip stick for the black tank I'd suggest either plastic or metal rather than wood. Wood will absorb bacteria and you risk contaminating wherever you store it.

If using a metal rod, file notches, 1 for first 5 gallons, 2 notches for ten, and on and so forth.

When finished measuring, rinse then sterilize by holding over campfire or running a propane torch back and forth over the surface.
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Old 10-04-2019, 08:58 AM   #31
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Interesting reply. As a newbie to RVing, the sensors have been a source of frustration and concern for me and my wife. What do you mean by when it "burps"? Sorry, haven't heard that expression before.
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Old 10-04-2019, 09:25 AM   #32
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Interesting reply. As a newbie to RVing, the sensors have been a source of frustration and concern for me and my wife. What do you mean by when it "burps"? Sorry, haven't heard that expression before.
When you flush, you'll get a little bit of an air bubble that comes up through the toilet. That's when you know it's time to dump.
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Old 10-04-2019, 10:12 AM   #33
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Geo Method!

I dump my black & grey completely, then add a cup of Calgon water softener, a cup of cheapest liquid laundry detergent, and about 2 gallons of water. Leave mnixture in there until the next camping trip and dump again when the tanks are full. I do this about twice per year and I do not have problems with the sensors.
I used a wand when we first got the TT, but dragging a hose thru the whole camper to reach the toilet was a messy PITA, and you cannot do anything to the grey tank, so I began the Geo Method. After 5 years with no issues, I recommend it to everyone. No need for harsh chemicals or nauseating odors.
Also, it is much better if you do not flush the tissue down the toilet, Even the expensive camping TP can foul the sensors. A Dollar Tree waste paper can, and a Walmart plastic bag are all you need! One more thing, don't ever run the bathroom exhaust fan while you are flushing the toilet ... the odor is sucked right out of the black tank into the bathroom and if you have a weak stomach, you could be heaving your stomach contents on the floor.
Good Camping Swampy
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Old 10-04-2019, 11:46 AM   #34
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X2, some water in the black tank and dawn inthe toilet when road tripping to help wash out the tank
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We keep dawn soap and calgon in the black tank along with the treatment tabs. Also flush out really well after emptying.
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Old 10-04-2019, 12:15 PM   #35
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A Dollar Tree waste paper can, and a Walmart plastic bag are all you need! One more thing, don't ever run the bathroom exhaust fan while you are flushing the toilet ... the odor is sucked right out of the black tank into the bathroom and if you have a weak stomach, you could be heaving your stomach contents on the floor.
Good Camping Swampy
The idea of saving used toilet paper in a cheap waste paper can is enough to make me want to hurl. At least if I'm close enough to the toilet with it's open dump valve I can aim for it and not end up with my stomach contents on the floor.

BTW, once the used TP receptacle is full, what do you do with it then? Burn it in the campfire so everyone else can enjoy the aroma? Put it in the camp garbage so someone else can run the risk of contamination when dumping it?

Sorry, I'm sticking with my time tested method of flushing my used TP and just making sure there's enough water in the black tank to dissolve it and just dump it all where it belongs. Got my first TT in 1972 and have had no issues with tank gauges that haven't cleared themselves up after filling the tank with plenty of water, driving it a few miles, then dumping.
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Old 10-04-2019, 12:28 PM   #36
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My sensors gave also false readings. Looked under rv to see where on the tank the sensors are located. In my instance on driver side of the black water tank. Black tank empty. Bought spray wand and connected to water hose. Held toilet valve open with my foot. Lowered wand past toilet pipe and sprayed tank wall from left to right while lowering wand to the bottom off the tank.
15 seconds of spraying and all the sensors are working again. Attachment 215648
I agree mostly. This worked for the first year. It doesn't work anymore the second year. I like the photo of the dirty sensor. I understand now. Like others have said, I'll just learn when/how my tank fills and adjust. I'm already pretty good at hearing the fresh water tank when it is almost full. When I don't have full hookup.
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Old 10-04-2019, 01:15 PM   #37
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Out of curiosity, has anyone ever used a pressure washer with a 90 degree fitting on the end of the pipe so the nozzle sprays to the side?

Certainly would provide more scrubbing action than the Camco type toilet wands that work on water line pressure.

If one knows which side of the tank the sensors are on the pressure washer stream could be focused on that side.
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Old 10-04-2019, 01:35 PM   #38
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That might work only if you knew exactly where they are located. I have no clue where mine are and don't want to shoot a pressure washer Willy nilly in the black tank!
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Old 10-06-2019, 02:29 PM   #39
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If you really want to know how full your tanks are, install the seelevel tank system. Accurate every 3% and easy to install as long as you can get to the outside of the tank.
Installed mine 7 years ago and love them. The expense was worth it (if you plan on keeping your RV for a while). Not only do I have accurate tank sensors (4 tanks), but I removed probably 100 feet of wire that looked like it was routed by a three year old. Now the bottom of the trailer is neatly wired, and I know exactly when to empty the tanks.
The sensors attach simply to the exterior of the tank, and it uses a common wire for all sensors. This means one sensor wire and one common (ground) wire. Not one common and one sensor to each screw "sensor" in each tank.
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