Black Tank Level Indicators

[Great Lakes]

Greetings All,
New member here! My wife & I just purchased a new 2104 Mini-Lite, & we couldn't be happier. Moved up from a Chalet pop-up. We were tired of the gymnastics required to move around in the old unit.

Took our first trip last week, and all went well except a small scrape with a vaulted underpass on a Pennsylvania back road. Tore a small hole in the awning, but nothing that a bit of repair tape couldn't fix.

The unit works great with a few exceptions. The black water level indicators don't work, and the flimsy shelf under the stove collapsed. I've already reinforced the shelf and it's better than new! How do you troubleshoot the waste water level indicators? If it's simple, I'd rather fix it myself than take it in for warranty repair.

This forum looks like a wonderful resource for information. Hope to see some of you at one of our favorite campgrounds this summer!

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by Great Lakes

Greetings All,
New member here!

Took our first trip last week, and all went well except a small scrape with a vaulted underpass on a Pennsylvania back road. Tore a small hole in the awning, but nothing that a bit of repair tape couldn't fix.

The black water level indicators don't work. How do you troubleshoot the waste water level indicators?

Welcome to the forum !!

Bummer on the awning.

How are the black water tank indicators malfunctioning. Are they showing empty when full, or full when empty ?? It could be as easy as using Calgon or a tank flusher if they are showing full with an empty tank.

[philandkara]

I have a problem with my tank indicators as well. We have had it in many times with no real fix. My wife and I have had many "discussions" about it. From this forum and talking with other people this seems to be a weak point with all makes and models. "I know they should work on a new trailer, but they don't.". "I know they should come up with a different system, but they haven't.". Just don't say, "Stick your arm in there and see if you can feel it is full."

[Great Lakes]

Originally Posted by mtnguy

Welcome to the forum !!

How are the black water tank indicators malfunctioning. Are they showing empty when full, or full when empty ??

The indicators are showing empty when full. I could visually verify by looking at the liquid level in the tank.

[sherdep]

Originally Posted by Great Lakes

The indicators are showing empty when full. I could visually verify by looking at the liquid level in the tank.

when the tank is empty does it show full?

If that is the case then my guess is that they hooked the wires up to the wrong probes giving you the opposite indication which would be an easy fix - there are 3 wires on the outside of the Black water tank just need to swap the top and bottom wire to fix.

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by sherdep

when the tank is empty does it show full?

If that is the case then my guess is that they hooked the wires up to the wrong probes giving you the opposite indication which would be an easy fix - there are 3 wires on the outside of the Black water tank just need to swap the top and bottom wire to fix.

Good possibility. Get them manufacture and model number from the gauge, find the website for that manufacturer, and see if you can get a wiring diagram.

Does the gray tank and fresh water tank indicators work ??

Another possibility, is that even though you have liquid in the tank, it may not be reaching the 1st probe. A test would be to fill the tank and see what indicator lights come on.

BTW, I moved these posts to a new thread.

[cat]

mine was actng up and it was the sensor was grounding at the frame

[rrdrtravelers]

We're on our 3rd RV and have always had issues with the indicators in all the units. Been told the sensors are not that accurate. We just started figuring it out through visual inspection when flushing. When camping full time, we usually dump and flush it once a week. But that all depends in your tank size. One helpful hint, paper in the tank can stick to the sensors and make them misread. We avoid putting any paper in the tank all together.

[Great Lakes]

Thank you everyone with your tips! - Good info. My black water tank indicates empty when it is actually full.

I was able to find the schematic for my unit and a troubleshooting guide at:

KIB Enterprises - Monitor Panels

I'll dig into the problem next week and report back.





____________________________

Tom T.
2011 Rockwood Mini Lite 2104 w/ Murphy bed
2011 Silverado 5.3 4x4
Days camped in 2011 - 5

[sherdep]

Originally Posted by Great Lakes

Thank you everyone with your tips! - Good info. My black water tank indicates empty when it is actually full.

I was able to find the schematic for my unit and a troubleshooting guide at:

KIB Enterprises - Monitor Panels

I'll dig into the problem next week and report back.





____________________________

Tom T.
2011 Rockwood Mini Lite 2104 w/ Murphy bed
2011 Silverado 5.3 4x4
Days camped in 2011 - 5

I bet if you look at the black tank and just swap the top wire and the bottom wire it will fix your tank level issue.

[Great Lakes]

Well, I guess it's time to end this odyssey. Today I filled the black water tank using a hose, and the level indicators worked perfectly.. Maybe it is a grounding problem. Guess I'll find out next trip.

____________________________

Tom T.
2011 Rockwood Mini Lite 2104 w/ Murphy bed
2011 Silverado 5.3 4x4
Days camped in 2011 - 5

[The_Stuff]

did you crawl under and look to make sure the wires to the pegs in the tank are connected firmly? Also while you got that tank full and waiting for next outting put a double shot of your blank tank treatment stuff in there and let it make a good bacteria colony!

[Herk7769]

Check out this thread
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...1-a-12710.html

[Labzy]

Hmm......I just got back from our 'maiden voyage' and also had some discrepancies with the black tank monitor.
On our 3rd night I could start to see toilet paper nearing the top of the tank when we flushed, however the indictor still showed 1/3 full.
The next day when we left, I poured in a bucket (3 gallons) of water because I wanted the level to be up before we dumped, but it still showed 1/3 full even though the level of waste was almost at the toilet valve.
But by the time we drove to the dump station, it read 2/3 full so it must have settled. I then poured more water in, but I did not get it to read 'full' even though it seemed 'full' to me.

Does using too much TP and not enough water when you flush cause the sensors to not read properly?
I think my DD was not filling the bowl with enough water prior to her 'flushes' and then using alot of TP as kids tend to do........;p

[Herk7769]

We will be camping at a campground this weekend with no sewer connection so our new probes will get a good functional check.

With water alone they work perfectly and I can't wait to see how much improvement there is with real "stuff" in there.

[ken0042]

I recently thought my black indicator was malfunctioning. (See this thread)

As it turned out I didn't have nearly as much "stuff" in my tank as I thought. All I had to do was measure how many Home Depot 5 gallon buckets of water I added.

[BigDTx]

RV Digest IT will keep your sensors clean, I used to have the same problem with the sensors, after using the digest it, no more problems with false readings.

[sherdep]

Originally Posted by Labzy

Hmm......I just got back from our 'maiden voyage' and also had some discrepancies with the black tank monitor.
On our 3rd night I could start to see toilet paper nearing the top of the tank when we flushed, however the indictor still showed 1/3 full.
The next day when we left, I poured in a bucket (3 gallons) of water because I wanted the level to be up before we dumped, but it still showed 1/3 full even though the level of waste was almost at the toilet valve.
But by the time we drove to the dump station, it read 2/3 full so it must have settled. I then poured more water in, but I did not get it to read 'full' even though it seemed 'full' to me.

Does using too much TP and not enough water when you flush cause the sensors to not read properly?
I think my DD was not filling the bowl with enough water prior to her 'flushes' and then using alot of TP as kids tend to do........;p

I usually use the flush pedal to put more water in the tank
I usually help my daughter so I dont have that problem - it is hard for kids to understand the concept of less paper and water versus being at home.
I cant recall if I ever had mine to full but I know it has been way up there in the 2/3 full mark though

[MtnGuy]

Y'all gotta remember that these tanks aren't very deep, but they are long and wide. Looking down the toilet, the water level appears close to the tank, even when 1st starting to use it. My 2/3 light won't come on until the tank level is close to the toilet pipe.

[Labzy]

Originally Posted by mtnguy

Y'all gotta remember that these tanks aren't very deep, but they are long and wide. Looking down the toilet, the water level appears close to the tank, even when 1st starting to use it. My 2/3 light won't come on until the tank level is close to the toilet pipe.

Hmmm...... how to ask this tactfully???

Do you still 'use' it when it is like that?