A recent extended trip has resulted in all of our tanks, (gray, galley and black), giving false readings because of ‘dirty’ tank sensors. I purchased some Camco tank cleaning product.
The MHDS says that it contains Tetrasodium Ethylene Diamine Tetraacetate at concentrations of 5 – 10 %.
It is reasonably expensive so like all frugal (cheap) folks I am looking for an adequate substitute.
Tri Sodium Phospate (TSP) looks like a reasonable substitute at about 2% of the cost. Does anybody in the group have a comment on this approach relative to chemical suitability, equipment damage or possible adverse side effects?
I'm sure others will chime in with their remedies, but in my opinion, you'll be chasing this issue forever. The internal tank sensors are notoriously inaccurate.
If you really want to avoid this problem, upgrade your tank sensors to the ones that mount on the outside of the tank. I believe they use "ultrasonic sensors" and are more likely to give an accurate reading.
The other issue is the shape of the holding tanks. Tanks that are long and flat will be very sensitive to how level the RV is. For instance, our freshwater tank stretches across the rig and a slight right/left pitch on the motorhome can cause the tank sensors to go from 1/3 to 2/3 or vice versa. Technically, that translates to a potential error of 25 gallons on our 75 gallon tank. There's just not much you can do about it sometimes.
But truthfully, after camping for a while, you start getting a pretty good feel for when the tanks need to be dumped based upon useage. For instance, in our rig, we can easily go 4 days and 3 nights without filling a tank. If we're doing a lot of sightseeing and using restroom facilities other then those in the motorhome, this easily extends to 5 days/4 nights.
~Rick
* This post was
edited 07/26/08 07:56pm by Rick Jay *
2005 Georgie Boy 3625 DS on a Workhorse W-22 (Class A)
Rick, Gail, 1 girl (12-Angel), 1 girl (7), 2 boys (8 & 5), 1 plump Golden Retriever.
2001 Honda Odyssey with Demco Aluminator tow bar & tow plate, SMI Silent Partner brake controller.
Rick Jay wrote: I'm sure others will chime in with their remedies, but in my opinion, you'll be chasing this issue forever. The internal tank sensors are notoriously inaccurate....
My 14-year-old sensors are working just fine. I use plenty of water, and occasionally throw in a cupful of laundry detergent and water softener. Probably TSP would work as well as the laundry detergent. Other people recommend dishwasher detergent because it's non-sudsing.
Also, make sure that you're using TP that breaks up readily in water; anything labeled "septic safe" is OK.
Mine work fine too, but on their best day, they're STILL inaccurate! Well...unless you consider + or - 1/3 of a tank accurate! LOL
An external sensor system such as this one by SeeLevel are inherently more accurate. But even these will be fooled by an unlevel RV. Anyway, as I stated in my first post, I personally don't think such accuracy is usually needed.
Before you leave the campground, do the following:
1. Empty the tank in question, flush as necessary.
2. Install 1/3 cup of Dawn dishwashing liquid.
3. Install 1/3 tank of water.
4. Drive to the next campground and empty the tank.
The tank will be as clean as you are going to get it.
Ya all spend your money, if the sensors are that important to you, because that what it takes to keep them working,....even 1/2 asstly. I don't need sensors, and doubt that mine are working anyway.
Rich
'98 Flair, 454, Onan Microlite 4k, Intel PD 9155 w/ wizard, Sta-power 1500 watt Inv, 2 6v batts, ammeters, KingDome/sat, Oly Catalytic Heat, hauling 2 Bent Bikes and sometimes towing a Tracker F&S boat.
Use a gallon of cheap vinegar, then fill your tank with water and let that sit over night, then dump. This will disolve all TP(non-colored TP) & solids to a brown liquid, the first stage of compost, and will also clean the tank sensors at the same time.
A wand will do nothing to remove the odor.
I use 1cup vinegar/25gal in both my tanks. This removes the odor for about a week. If I have to hold longer then I add another cup of vinegar.
I haven't used commerical chemicals in my tanks for the past 18yrs.
T_Bone
02 F350, 4x6, Crew, DRW, PSD, 6spd, 3:73, LWB
32ft RKSS Serria
Please do not trust everything you read on the internet. Use only valid engineering information from well established Companys.
Buy UNION Work UNION
It pays off in the long run
We have had minor problems with the gray tank and the black tank. It is the galley tank that is giving poor readings.
One of us likes to use water in the kitchen area as if there was no limit. Only with the sensors can the other party say “what are you doing …”.
The sensors do not need to be accurate, just an early warning device.
I got some Cascade powder dish washing soap with Dawn added – about $8 for a large box. I put about 1 cup in each tank with a 4 gallon chaser. Drove about 300 miles on a hot day. The black tank is perfect – not even any residual odor. The gray tank smells like a spring day. The galley tank still reads improperly – probably grease and food residue buildup.
Looks like I will be using external sensors on the galley tank.
Also, do not waste your money on any specialized solutions – not effective and the dish washing powder seemed very effective on the black and gray tank.
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