Isata 5 DB Black Tank fills quickly

[janeenb]

After getting our 2017 Dynamax 5 DB last summer, it went back in the shop and at that time they moved the black tank sensors up because we could only flush the toilet about 10-12 times and it would read 2/3 full and would not let you flush anymore. Well we just took it out for the 1st time this year and the same thing happened. We emptied the tanks and came home yesterday and did a little experiment and ran the bathroom sink water for about 5 min. Well guess what, the black tank read 1/3 full and the grey still read empty. So my question is, should the bathroom sink drain to the black? Is it possible to change it to the grey? I feel in an RV this size we should be able to use the toilet more than what we are able to. It is the new mascerating toilet.

[bclemens]

We often run the lav sink into the black tank because the blank tank doesn't always get enough liquid. Most of the time, its the gray that fills up first due to showers.

can you try the same test with the kitchen sink? make sure that is not dumping in there? Then, I would read the owners manual on the toilet. There is a way to reset how much water gets used in that macerating toilet.

[bclemens]

PS. there are also two sets of probes. Did the dealer move the right ones? There are probes for the black tank and there are probes that come with the toilet that also install on the black tank. That is what makes the light go red, not the tank probes.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Our 2015 RV 24TB has a macerating toilet and the bathroom sink runs into the black water tank.
Sometimes it's the only way to get a sufficient amount of water into the black water tank to dump. However, you do want to restrict the people who keep the water running while brushing teeth, shaving, etc.

[bclemens]

^^thank you^^...I think sometimes people think I make this up

[sseaner]

I found that the Black tank gauges to be inaccurate. It hits 1/3 on the 3rd or 4th flush and 2/3 three flushes later..... then it goes forever before indicating full. The 2/3 indicator is definitely installed in the wrong spot. They are screwed in so I don't think I can move them to increase its accuracy.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by sseaner

I found that the Black tank gauges to be inaccurate. It hits 1/3 on the 3rd or 4th flush and 2/3 three flushes later..... then it goes forever before indicating full. The 2/3 indicator is definitely installed in the wrong spot. They are screwed in so I don't think I can move them to increase its accuracy.

The macerating toilet has a slightly different problem. It has an electric flush feature. Ours has two settings based on water levels.

As bclemens pointed out, there are separate toilet sensors which you cannot control or see. When the sensors tell the toilet that the water level is at a certain level, you cannot flush the toilet.

We've found that we have to make certain we use the backflush after we dump to make certain the sensors are cleaned frequently. It's a cool toilet, but it does have some maintenance issues.

[GWP]

Originally Posted by sseaner

I found that the Black tank gauges to be inaccurate. It hits 1/3 on the 3rd or 4th flush and 2/3 three flushes later..... then it goes forever before indicating full. The 2/3 indicator is definitely installed in the wrong spot. They are screwed in so I don't think I can move them to increase its accuracy.

I had near the same issues as you on our 2017 Isata 5 with the tank readings. Long story short I asked Dynamax to send me the stick on probes for the black tank, similar to those illustrated in BC's drawing.
I removed the wires from the stationary probes and rewired them into the "stick' on's (3 sensors).
To get the toilet sensors readings to be closer to lighting up "RED" or indicating full I had to remove them by heating them a little with a hair dryer and reattaching them with some super glue.
For me it was better than trying to get into a dealer to get something done again, they didn't get it right the first time. The hardest part of all was just removing the cover and to get to the wires for the sensors....
Levels seemed to be reading better on my fill test, we'll know for sure in June.

[Richard W Eason]

Inaccurate tank level sensors can be an issue; however, I won’t address that here. My wife and I often boondock or stay at spots where the dump station is a block away and a bit of a hassle to dump. To conserve water but more importantly, waste holding volume, I installed a flow control valve ahead of the toilet and a severe flow restriction nozzle on the bathroom sink (which discharges to the black tank). The toilet valve is adjustable and I minimize that flow, yet keep it useful. The sink nozzle provides an irritatingly fine spray, but is adequate for hand washing. For the grey tank, we use Navy shower rules, and wash dishes with a trickle. I installed a shower head with a convenient on/off valve and a quality metal jacket hose. We typically can go a week between waste dumps, sometimes longer. We often fill the grey tank before the black.

When we have full hookups, we bask in luxurious showers. It’s funny; when we return home, I continue to conserve hand washing and dish water to a trickle. It takes a few days to fall back into “wasting water” mode.

[janeenb]

We did the test with the kitchen sink and it is draining to the grey tank so all good there. Thank you for the information on the other set of probes, we will try to locate them and go from there.

[bclemens]

here is the manual

[buffwso]

All-
I have a Isata 35DB. My black tank decided to start leaking this fall. I took it into the local Forrest River dealer (not a Dynamax Dealer) and had them pull the black tank and re-seal it. Now, it's doing it again....only when it is near full.

They are telling me that it is a design flaw. They say that when the tank expands, it pulls the vent pipe out from the top of the tank itself which obviously leaves an open source for liquid to run out and into the side hatches. They further explain that the vent pipe needs a slip joint of sorts so that it can flex with the tank rather than being pulled from the top opening.

Anyone else had this problem? I've got to think this is a design issue. Or, maybe I have a lemon. I have found some other shoddy work done in the coach---found a metal bracket in the cab over bunk had not been attached in anyway, just throw in there loose.

Beyond that, it's an amazing coach.

Thanks in advance.

[Richard W Eason]

The tank is flexible. My bath sink discharges into the top of the black water tank near the middle. Once, when a vacuum truck took my waste, the vacuum “imploded” the tank such that it pulled that sink connection out of the tank. It did not reseat by itself. It took a lot of investigation to figure out what had happened, but I was able to remove the sink pipe and refit it to the tank. I sealed it as best I could with the very limited access available. Subsequently, one time I overfilled the black tank all the way up into the neck of the toilet, and had a leak of foul water, so I suspect that my seal job was faulty. Fortunately, this has only happened once.

This may have little to do with your problem, but I thought the experience might be of value to you.

[bclemens]

Originally Posted by buffwso

All-
I have a Isata 35DB. My black tank decided to start leaking this fall. I took it into the local Forrest River dealer (not a Dynamax Dealer) and had them pull the black tank and re-seal it. Now, it's doing it again....only when it is near full.

They are telling me that it is a design flaw. They say that when the tank expands, it pulls the vent pipe out from the top of the tank itself which obviously leaves an open source for liquid to run out and into the side hatches. They further explain that the vent pipe needs a slip joint of sorts so that it can flex with the tank rather than being pulled from the top opening.

Anyone else had this problem? I've got to think this is a design issue. Or, maybe I have a lemon. I have found some other shoddy work done in the coach---found a metal bracket in the cab over bunk had not been attached in anyway, just throw in there loose.

Beyond that, it's an amazing coach.

Thanks in advance.

it is likely, the dealer you took it to did not address the root cause of the issue. They just put a band aid on the item.

It's not a design issue, as this is not designed any different than any other vehicle out there...it is very likely a tank issue. If they had called us, we would have likely suggested a tank replacement and a support as an extra line of precaution.

Email your service contact with the last (6) of your vin. They can be found here...

https://dynamaxcorp.com/contact-us

[buffwso]

Richard and bclemens-
Just heard back from CJ at Dynamax. You are correct, it's a bad tank. They are sending another. Any idea if Dynamax is covering installation costs on this?

Also, if the dealer gives me trouble on the costs, should I notify Forrest River?

Thanks for all the solid support.

-Todd

[bclemens]

Originally Posted by buffwso

Richard and bclemens-
Just heard back from CJ at Dynamax. You are correct, it's a bad tank. They are sending another. Any idea if Dynamax is covering installation costs on this?

Also, if the dealer gives me trouble on the costs, should I notify Forrest River?

Thanks for all the solid support.

-Todd

That depends. If you are original owner still under warranty then it should all be covered. If it was taken to a dealer outside of network and we paid, then that dealer does need to shoulder some of the responsibility of their work. beyond that, CJ would be the one to answer that as I don't have any details.

[BLT4SPD]

Originally Posted by janeenb

After getting our 2017 Dynamax 5 DB last summer, it went back in the shop and at that time they moved the black tank sensors up because we could only flush the toilet about 10-12 times and it would read 2/3 full and would not let you flush anymore. Well we just took it out for the 1st time this year and the same thing happened. We emptied the tanks and came home yesterday and did a little experiment and ran the bathroom sink water for about 5 min. Well guess what, the black tank read 1/3 full and the grey still read empty. So my question is, should the bathroom sink drain to the black? Is it possible to change it to the grey? I feel in an RV this size we should be able to use the toilet more than what we are able to. It is the new mascerating toilet.

We have a 2019 I5 35DB and we have spent hundreds of nights in it (yes, literally) and I have intimate knowledge of the plumbing in this floor plan. I can tell you, for fact, that the bathroom sink drains into the black tank. That is not in question and you have confirmed that with your test. Re-plumbing it to the grey tank would be virtually impossible without being too intrusive into the living space.

Management of that fact: We do a significant amount of camping without hook-ups, so my first order of business after getting the jacks down and slides out is to put a masking tape “X” over the bathroom sink as a reminder to my family NOT to use the bathroom sink. If we brush teeth and wash hands in there as well as flush the toilet, we get into trouble pretty quickly. However, if we only flush the toilet, we can manage things pretty well.

Another thing to consider: The wedge shape of the tank REALLY throws off any gauge reading. We changed to SeeLevel gauges, so I can watch the level of the tank go up in 1% increments now. What that means is that in the first 1-3 days of boondocking, I’ll watch the tank fill to a 60-70% level, but it’ll take 4-5 days to fill that last 30-40%. This is a result of the top of the tank being the full width of the floor, but the bottom of the tank is a small rectangle that you see in the wet bay.

Another thing we’ve done: I’ve completely removed the “warning” sensor for the toilet that turns the light yellow and warns you about getting close to full. It’s completely useless. I also move the sensor that turn the light red and stops you from flushing to the very top of the tank.

[buffwso]

Okay, new tank finally arrived. I'm about to pay another $1,000 bill to have the tank replaced. Again, the tank was clearly an issue (Dynamax sent me the tank for free). However, the slip joint is also an issue which did NOT come with the new tank. Guess it's a Dynamax design flaw. Would like to see them fix this with no questions asked but that is apparently not going to happen.

So, warning to all Isata 5 owners---know that your black tank when full could well leak into your right and left hatches. Do NOT put your family heirlooms in those hatches lest the get coated in sewage.

[bclemens]

Originally Posted by buffwso

Okay, new tank finally arrived. I'm about to pay another $1,000 bill to have the tank replaced. Again, the tank was clearly an issue (Dynamax sent me the tank for free). However, the slip joint is also an issue which did NOT come with the new tank. Guess it's a Dynamax design flaw. Would like to see them fix this with no questions asked but that is apparently not going to happen.

So, warning to all Isata 5 owners---know that your black tank when full could well leak into your right and left hatches. Do NOT put your family heirlooms in those hatches lest the get coated in sewage.

I'd love to help Todd, butI never got clarification if you were the original owner under warranty. If I know the scenario, I can look at the circumstances.

[buffwso]

BClemens-
I am not the original owner. I bought it from the original owner last summer.

-Todd