Black tank always reads 3/4 full?

[Danfrsocal]

What I do is dump after a trip and never dump unless Im sure the tank is getting close to full. Then I fush out tank a few times until the water runs clear and then I fill the tank about 1/4 full then drive it home unload the trailer /clean up etc etc then I go back and dump again. This allows the water to splash around and hopefully clean off any paper or residue thats clinging on to the sensors and then I always leave a little water in the tank even when not in use that is if you dont live where it gets below freezing

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Kaadk

Using 'SuperClean' would be a dangerous option up here. Not sure what it is down there, but up here in Canada it's a type of Gasoline:

https://retail.petro-canada.ca/en/fu...ngs/fuels.aspx

The thought of driving around with gas in a plastic tank doesn't scare me, but the fact that the tank probes check the level by passing an electric charge through the tank does!

Down here, it is a water soluble cleaning fluid. I buy it at Walmart.

[GeorgeFries]

Mike at “Prime Time” Manufacturing in Elkhart, Indiana said it’s not if but when the sensors in any of the tanks offer false readings. Whether it is calcium buildup, iron scale, toilet paper combined with particulate matter, or even mechanical - false readings will occur.

What worked for me? A mix of laundry powder and Dawn go into a ten gallon bucket, mixed with water, and poured into the emptied black tank. A garden hose with a straight variable spray nozzle goes down the commode and into the tank, the nozzle set at its most powerful yet widest spray angle. You play “Roto-Rooter”, twisting and turning while pushing more hose into the tank so the nozzle will turn upward hopefully powerfully spraying the sensors cleaning the debris off them. This is done up to and including suds coming out of the vent on the rooftop and throat of the toilet. Excluding the “mix”, this is repeated with the nozzle and garden hose until nothing but crystal clear water is seen (usually four or five times) exiting the sewer hose. Five or ten gallons of the aforementioned mix plus Calgon laundry supplement are again poured into the black tank to stay. (Calgon, kind of acts like Teflon adding longevity to valve seals.) This will keep the black tank slippery and moist with condensation and prevent suspect solids from more permanently solidifying to the sides of the black tank or sensors. The two detergents facilitate breakdown.

Learned from Mike, and others on Forest River Forums, is to never leave your black tank empty. Two or three inches (gallons) of water mixed with a bit of laundry powder and/or dawn, or both, do keep solids from caking or hardening. When on the road, the agitation and consequent sudsing action will facilitate a cleaner tank and perhaps minimize the "false reading" from sensors.

Otherwise, ignore the sensor or cover it up! I've often mentioned to my wife that were she to see the "bottom" of the holding tank through the throat of the commode, she uses her own judgement!

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by GeorgeFries

A garden hose with a straight variable spray nozzle goes down the commode and into the tank, the nozzle set at its most powerful yet widest spray angle. You play “Roto-Rooter”, twisting and turning while pushing more hose into the tank so the nozzle will turn upward hopefully powerfully spraying the sensors cleaning the debris off them. This is done up to and including suds coming out of the vent on the rooftop and throat of the toilet.

What do you do with the hose and nozzle when done? Me? I'd put it in a big garbage bag and throw it in the trash after wallowing in the you know what's in the tank.

FWIW, just the simple act of putting the hose in the tank and opening a water valve opens the possibility of contaminating a potable water supply. That's why the tank flush units have backflow preventers on them. Not all hose bib's on houses have the BFP's.

This is not a practice I would recommend. At least invest in a "Toilet Wand" and do it safely.

[Nancyc7]

We use Geo Method after nearly every black tank dump, which is way more than is recommended, have a built in tank washer, use Angel Fluff toilet paper and only poopy paper goes in the tank. We tank wash till it’s ridiculous. We do have a translucent section. (Barf.) We travel with a gallon of water and Dawn and water softener in the tank. Our tank is 35 gal maybe one gallon isn’t enough.
We still show 1/3 full even when completely empty, prior to Geo concoction. I have to say, never have a hint of unpleasant odors.

(I have a little plastic bag lined bin by the toilet for the other paper, empty it almost every day. My husband doesn’t use that so it’s just me. it’s not a problem. I can’t even imagine the cost of that many zip lock bags.)

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by Nancyc7

We use Geo Method after nearly every black tank dump, which is way more than is recommended, have a built in tank washer, use Angel Fluff toilet paper and only poopy paper goes in the tank. We tank wash till it’s ridiculous. We do have a translucent section. (Barf.) We travel with a gallon of water and Dawn and water softener in the tank. Our tank is 35 gal maybe one gallon isn’t enough.
We still show 1/3 full even when completely empty, prior to Geo concoction. I have to say, never have a hint of unpleasant odors.

(I have a little plastic bag lined bin by the toilet for the other paper, empty it almost every day. My husband doesn’t use that so it’s just me. it’s not a problem. I can’t even imagine the cost of that many zip lock bags.)

Not to mention the environmental impact. I believe CA has just recently banned plastic grocery bags.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

Not to mention the environmental impact. I believe CA has just recently banned plastic grocery bags.

It's happening everywhere, the banning of plastic grocery bags. Drive along the freeways out west and you'll see miles and miles of fencing with grocery bags hanging on them. When you see this on the fences in Wyoming or remote areas of Colorado, you know that they were just tossed out of moving vehicles.


As for storing used TP in any kind of bag or waste basket, not in my TT. Anyone ever hear of flies and what they're attracted to? Unless your storage container is sealed practically air tight, flies can and will find their way to it. Next stop the kitchen, dinner table, or someone's forehead.

[kandl]

Originally Posted by GeorgeFries

Learned from Mike, and others on Forest River Forums, is to never leave your black tank empty. Two or three inches (gallons) of water mixed with a bit of laundry powder and/or dawn, or both, do keep solids from caking or hardening.

Mike @ prime Time is likely well-intentioned but has no appreciation for those of us (we are legion) that endure six or more months of frozen hell each and every year. Two or three inches of a soapy H2O mix left in the stinky tank will very likely destroy that tank during those agonizing weeks of -30 temps. Just saying...

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by Nancyc7

We travel with a gallon of water and Dawn and water softener in the tank. Our tank is 35 gal maybe one gallon isn’t enough.

I think you might need more than a gallon of water...

On my 5'ver, a gallon won't even fill up the drain pipe to the bottom of the black tank.

I usually fill up the toilet to the rim at least three times or run the built-in tank flush for five minutes when I want to prime the black tank or use water to slosh the tank while travelling.

Oooppsseeyy...

Time for me to go out and drain my tanks as I'm getting ready to hit the road for the 400 mile final leg of my five month full-time journey to my new home in Yuma, AZ!

[Nancyc7]

Plastic shopping bags were banned in Seattle and you learn fast to bring your own. It’s just the 2 of us to shop for so it may be more of a hassle shopping for larger family. If I were a store I would jump on that. No buying plastic bags and if you want, buy a paper bag for 5 cents. And the store would look caring and environmentally correct. Grocery stores run on such a small margin.

I have zero flies. If I did, I would change my ways immediately.

[RandK-M]

Originally Posted by kandl

Mike @ prime Time is likely well-intentioned but has no appreciation for those of us (we are legion) that endure six or more months of frozen hell each and every year. Two or three inches of a soapy H2O mix left in the stinky tank will very likely destroy that tank during those agonizing weeks of -30 temps. Just saying...

When I winterize, I end up with a good gallon of antifreeze in both tanks.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by kandl

Mike @ prime Time is likely well-intentioned but has no appreciation for those of us (we are legion) that endure six or more months of frozen hell each and every year. Two or three inches of a soapy H2O mix left in the stinky tank will very likely destroy that tank during those agonizing weeks of -30 temps. Just saying...

I can appreciate freezing weather and thankfully it doesn't go that low where I live. That said it still freezes during the winter and I don't keep anything in the black tank during that time.

I do make sure that my last tank dump cleans the tank as much as possible without sending in a robot with camera and scraper. Keeping water and chemical in the tank during "camping season", especially while moving, had kept my tanks free of any buildup for years. Other than the occasional piece of TP that might get hung up on a sensor, because I put water and chemical back in the tank after dumping, and then subject the tank to a lot of sloshing back and forth on the way to the next destination, no issues.

I think that a survey of people who are having this problem would reveal that man of them are sitting in one site for quite a while and dumping the tank as needed through their hookup to the sewer system. Without the agitation provided by road travel solids don't liquify as readily and TP can remain intact.

I prefer to not obsess over whether or not my tank gauge shows partly full after I know I've totally emptied it and I'm not having an odor issue. My experience has shown that this problem tends to correct itself after a good road trip, starting out with a couple gallons of water and a pod of tank chemical to start with. Worked well with my oldd 1995 model TT that I sold last year. Tank was clean and never had an odor problem. The gauge? It still was hit and miss.

I laughingly say that the only reliable gauge is still a "yard stick". Use it just like a dipstick checks oil level in transmission and engine.

[retiredff]

I had an RV maintenance guy tell me to fill it 2/3 full of water, dump in a couple bags of cubed ice, and drive around. I've also found that although it might show 1/4 full after i dump, rinse, etc, it may show empty after sitting empty for a period of time, which might indicate to me that whatever is on the sensor, actually dried up and won't show unit it gets wet again.

[RandK-M]

Like I mentioned earlier I've used the Horst Miracle Probe sensors on two campers since 2010. Instead of getting the occasional correct reading, I get the occasional error reading. And I never drive with more than a gallon of water in the black tank since we always go to full hookup sites. No Geo method, no Ice, no ridex, just the standard tank deodorizer and a tank flush after dumping and I usually read empty.


Now granted, neither of my last two campers had an enclosed underbelly so install was just a quick 20 minutes, but they are a big improvement.


Ray

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by retiredff

I had an RV maintenance guy tell me to fill it 2/3 full of water, dump in a couple bags of cubed ice, and drive around. I've also found that although it might show 1/4 full after i dump, rinse, etc, it may show empty after sitting empty for a period of time, which might indicate to me that whatever is on the sensor, actually dried up and won't show unit it gets wet again.

Go watch the video in Post #46.

[ARRCan Solutions Ltd.]

I have read several cures for it. One friend told me it's toilet paper or a grease build-up on or near the sensor. You can try near filling the black tank with near to hot but warm water and a lot of Dove dishwasher detergent before a trip. Once it has cooled off on the trip add three or four bags of ice-cubes making sure your tank is not already at capacity, leave room for the cubes when adding the hot/warm water. The rest of the trip the ice cubes will slosh around removing crud. I thought it was a great fix.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by ARRCan Solutions Ltd.

I have read several cures for it. One friend told me it's toilet paper or a grease build-up on or near the sensor. You can try near filling the black tank with near to hot but warm water and a lot of Dove dishwasher detergent before a trip. Once it has cooled off on the trip add three or four bags of ice-cubes making sure your tank is not already at capacity, leave room for the cubes when adding the hot/warm water. The rest of the trip the ice cubes will slosh around removing crud. I thought it was a great fix.

Go watch the video in Post #46.

[GeorgeFries]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

What do you do with the hose and nozzle when done? Me? I'd put it in a big garbage bag and throw it in the trash after wallowing in the you know what's in the tank.

FWIW, just the simple act of putting the hose in the tank and opening a water valve opens the possibility of contaminating a potable water supply. That's why the tank flush units have backflow preventers on them. Not all hose bib's on houses have the BFP's.

This is not a practice I would recommend. At least invest in a "Toilet Wand" and do it safely.

Mike,

You sound like you've never gotten your hands dirty! Before there were companies to provide the service, how do you think we emptied our septic tanks? (My brother's and me... a bucket pushed down with a pole, then pulled up full and emptied in the garden!) And too, our 360 dairy cattle didn't clean themselves! (Ever pick up horse buns and throw ‘em at someone?) You’re far more likely getting soiled cleaning your sewage discharge line.

Kidding aside, this method has proven "foolproof" for me eliminating false readings of black tank level. Back flow prevention devices work well and are available at any ACE Hardware Store. (I carry three with me.) That combined with positive pressure flow, it is unlikely potable water sources will be contaminated. There is no water wand I'm aware of that is as effective. My 5th Wheel's built in flushing system is convenient to fill as many times as I like, empty, then partially fill the tank again, but useless getting stubborn debris off tank surfaces. Is it a bit anal? I guess. The garden hose and nozzle used are washed and cleaned in soapy water when at home (or the dump station), coiled and secured with large wire ties. It's then stored in the basement of the 5th Wheel. Finally, I guess I should have mentioned, the thorough cleaning is not done every time the black tank is emptied, but when back home or perhaps on extended stay. This is moreso to prevent solids from sticking and solidifying more permanently.

Please, don't construe this "general use" garden hose to be the hose used for our potable water! It’s not although it could be. It’s used for other utilitarian purposes too. Also, since maintaining water in all three of our tanks when traveling, the natural agitation has allowed the additives to work better than expected. Again, no false readings. I'm sure this remains a scenario of, "it's not if, but when" the sensors send false readings. (And from reading some after-posts, please note; an exception to my practice of leaving my 3 tanks partially filled could probably be made when in sub-freezing temperatures.)

George

[stormer]

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

I'm thinking maybe my black tank is always at least 3/4 full because I'm married............

lol! I was thinking the same thing. Ha

[Brand2328]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

Implement the Geo Method:

https://sites.google.com/site/cbruni/

Makes Sense I will give it a try thanks for the info