5.0 TA Black Tank Wiring

[jnfrombigt]

Hey boys and girls. Can anyone tell me how to access the wire connection points on the 5.0TA black water tank? I have not had any status indication other than empty.
thanks jn

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by jnfrombigt

Hey boys and girls. Can anyone tell me how to access the wire connection points on the 5.0TA black water tank? I have not had any status indication other than empty.
thanks jn

When you find the problem I'll be interested to hear what it was. I have experienced the same thing with ours - gray and fresh tank gauges seem to work, but black tank never came off empty and once when we dumped I had figured the tank must be around half full. We've only had it out for one short trip other than the trip home from Chilliwack, though, and I figured I'd just wait until our month long trip in September and then determine for sure if it was working or if the sensors were just mounted kind of off.

I've never worried too much about a black tank gauge, the sensors get clogged and then give false readings pretty commonly. After using a trailer for a while it's pretty easy to have a good feel for how long we can go before needing to dump black, and I can just look down the toilet with a flashlight to check if it seems to be getting near full.

The sensors are put on at ETI, and I don't think there's an exact science to that as far as accuracy of the different levels - it's always possible that the sensors were mounted too high on the tank and don't even start registering until it has a good bit in it. If you don't have the spray foam you can look at the sensors and see where they are mounted, and make sure the wires are all connected to them. We have the spray foam so I'll never know about the tank sensors - if it was my fresh water tank that wasn't reading properly I'd do more to check into it, but I've never relied much on a black tank gauge. I suppose it's also possible there's a loose connection at the gauge panel in the trailer, or a defect in the panel indicator.

[jnfrombigt]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

When you find the problem I'll be interested to hear what it was. I have experienced the same thing with ours - gray and fresh tank gauges seem to work, but black tank never came off empty and once when we dumped I had figured the tank must be around half full. We've only had it out for one short trip other than the trip home from Chilliwack, though, and I figured I'd just wait until our month long trip in September and then determine for sure if it was working or if the sensors were just mounted kind of off.

I've never worried too much about a black tank gauge, the sensors get clogged and then give false readings pretty commonly. After using a trailer for a while it's pretty easy to have a good feel for how long we can go before needing to dump black, and I can just look down the toilet with a flashlight to check if it seems to be getting near full.

The sensors are put on at ETI, and I don't think there's an exact science to that as far as accuracy of the different levels - it's always possible that the sensors were mounted too high on the tank and don't even start registering until it has a good bit in it. If you don't have the spray foam you can look at the sensors and see where they are mounted, and make sure the wires are all connected to them. We have the spray foam so I'll never know about the tank sensors - if it was my fresh water tank that wasn't reading properly I'd do more to check into it, but I've never relied much on a black tank gauge. I suppose it's also possible there's a loose connection at the gauge panel in the trailer, or a defect in the panel indicator.

Hey David Well on the return trip after four days at the Goosenecks I thought it should indicate something other than empty. I had already thought about changing to a Seelevel system but if the black tank wires aren't properly connected to begin with and I have no access to those wires then I'm out of luck. I cannot see any way to access those connections and thought with the forum wealth of knowledge maybe somebody had a solution.

[gbaglo]

Just look down while flushing. Don't need no stink'n' monitor.

[jnfrombigt]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Just look down while flushing. Don't need no stink'n' monitor.

Glenn I just don't like the view. I know I'm being picky but if it's not working the way it should then I'm just not a happy camper.

[gbaglo]

Toilet paper and other debris gets hung up on the sensors. You can get a wand to clean off the sensors, but I don't recommend that if you don't like the view.

[cpaharley2008]

Supposedly ETI is installing Horst probes....https://www.rvprobes.com/home.html

[jnfrombigt]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Toilet paper and other debris gets hung up on the sensors. You can get a wand to clean off the sensors, but I don't recommend that if you don't like the view.

Glenn What concerns me is that it has indicated nothing but empty since I picked it up. I can see over time the sensors getting screwed up but new? Also I would like to have access to the connections but I don't see how that is possible without disassembling the bath. Anyway, hope somebody has a solution other than visual inspection.

[Brian B-P]

Nothing but an empty indication sounds like a wiring connection issue to me, rather than fouled probes.

I believe that the 5.0TA black tank extends into the cabinet ahead of the bathroom (under the wardrobe), and that's probably where the probes and wiring are located... but that doesn't make access easy.

[gbaglo]

Reading empty sounds like a wiring problem.
My fresh water reads 2/3 full when I know it is completely full.

[MikeS]

Originally Posted by jnfrombigt

Glenn What concerns me is that it has indicated nothing but empty since I picked it up. I can see over time the sensors getting screwed up but new? Also I would like to have access to the connections but I don't see how that is possible without disassembling the bath. Anyway, hope somebody has a solution other than visual inspection.

Have you filled it up with water at home to test? The 5.0 has a quite large 30 gallon black tank so if the sensor was exactly in the 1/3 location you would need 10 gallons in there (plus the area in the dump pipe) to register anything other than empty.

[jnfrombigt]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Nothing but an empty indication sounds like a wiring connection issue to me, rather than fouled probes.

I believe that the 5.0TA black tank extends into the cabinet ahead of the bathroom (under the wardrobe), and that's probably where the probes and wiring are located... but that doesn't make access easy.

That is the logical location. Now I just have to figure out how to access that area.
Thanks

[jnfrombigt]

Originally Posted by MikeS

Have you filled it up with water at home to test? The 5.0 has a quite large 30 gallon black tank so if the sensor was exactly in the 1/3 location you would need 10 gallons in there (plus the area in the dump pipe) to register anything other than empty.

That's true and I thought that might be it. But I still would like to access the tank in order to apply the Seelevel sensor if I decide to go in that direction. We just got back from a three night trip at a COE campground and I did not measure the black tank contents but there was quite a bit in there. Maybe more than in the grey tank which indicated 1/3 full and only 1/3 full because we were able to empty the grey tank during the stay. Each site at that COE location has it's own grey tank dump station and I had a portable tank just for that purpose. I'll start researching how to access that area below that cabinet.

[gbaglo]

Normally, procedure is to empty the black tank first and then the grey to flush out the hose. I'd save my grey, if I could, until I could dump both.

[jnfrombigt]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Normally, procedure is to empty the black tank first and then the grey to flush out the hose. I'd save my grey, if I could, until I could dump both.

We did that before we left the campground. Like I mentioned I had a 1/3 indication on the grey tank with an empty indication on the black. Also, after the black was dumped and then the grey I flushed the black and grey tanks with fresh water along with the sewer hose.

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Nothing but an empty indication sounds like a wiring connection issue to me, rather than fouled probes.

I believe that the 5.0TA black tank extends into the cabinet ahead of the bathroom (under the wardrobe), and that's probably where the probes and wiring are located... but that doesn't make access easy.

Yes, that's where it is - I was thinking of my old trailer with the black tank under the trailer. Only the gray and fresh tanks are covered with the foam since the black tank is inside. If you look in the storage space under the steps you can see where the black tank is located but I don't think it's accessible.

Clogged sensors give a false reading, making the tank seem more full than it is, so this is likely a wiring issue....don't know if a probe could actually be bad, not much to it. You might email Dave at ETI, he could probably at least give you a few things to check, probably not the first time this has happened.

[jnfrombigt]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

Yes, that's where it is - I was thinking of my old trailer with the black tank under the trailer. Only the gray and fresh tanks are covered with the foam since the black tank is inside. If you look in the storage space under the steps you can see where the black tank is located but I don't think it's accessible.

Clogged sensors give a false reading, making the tank seem more full than it is, so this is likely a wiring issue....don't know if a probe could actually be bad, not much to it. You might email Dave at ETI, he could probably at least give you a few things to check, probably not the first time this has happened.

Is Dave the guy with the beard?

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by jnfrombigt

Is Dave the guy with the beard?

I've never met him - Dave Warren is the parts and service manager, and is usually the one who responds to emails on service issues: partsandservice@escapetrailer.com

[jnfrombigt]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

I've never met him - Dave Warren is the parts and service manager, and is usually the one who responds to emails on service issues: partsandservice@escapetrailer.com

Thanks I'll check with him and see if he can provide the access info.

[Brian B-P]

For testing, I would drag a hose into the trailer and fill the black tank, checking the level indication occasionally as it fills. If it works, all urgency of getting into the cabinet goes away, and you get an idea of what the level readings mean.