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Old 07-29-2022, 09:19 PM   #1
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Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota
Trailer: 1997 Scamp 16
Posts: 6
Fresh Water Tank Sensor

Hi all! We recently picked up a new 2022 5.0 in June. We've only been camping in it a few times this summer and last two trips had issues with fresh water tank sensor.

The first few days the sensors seemed to work fine. Originally, we didn't think they did because the black tank showed full at pick up in Sumas. We soon realized it was actually incredibly full of test water and Escape forgot to dump it before delivery. Luckily, we found that out night one

Everything seemed fine the rest of our trip home to MN. We've only been out twice since getting home and both trips were short weekend getaways. During both trips our fresh water tank said empty and that was not true. The last one we even filled it up all the way and it still said empty. Any ideas on why it is not working? We are new to having a tank monitor in a trailer so I have no idea where to start.

We did not upgrade the tank sensors so just have the basic model. While I know monitors can be a pain , I was hoping it would at least work six months before having issues.

All help/advice is much appreciated!!
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Old 07-30-2022, 10:20 AM   #2
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21 -- The Skylark. Towed by a 2014 Highlander
Posts: 1,159
Quote:
Originally Posted by TranquiLiza View Post
Hi all! We recently picked up a new 2022 5.0 in June. We've only been camping in it a few times this summer and last two trips had issues with fresh water tank sensor.

The first few days the sensors seemed to work fine. Originally, we didn't think they did because the black tank showed full at pick up in Sumas. We soon realized it was actually incredibly full of test water and Escape forgot to dump it before delivery. Luckily, we found that out night one

Everything seemed fine the rest of our trip home to MN. We've only been out twice since getting home and both trips were short weekend getaways. During both trips our fresh water tank said empty and that was not true. The last one we even filled it up all the way and it still said empty. Any ideas on why it is not working? We are new to having a tank monitor in a trailer so I have no idea where to start.

We did not upgrade the tank sensors so just have the basic model. While I know monitors can be a pain , I was hoping it would at least work six months before having issues.

All help/advice is much appreciated!!
Not sure if you have the foam insulation or not, but if not, I would check the wires coming from the sensors to make sure they are intact and connected to the small bolts that protrude from the tank. If you can't find the problem with a quick visual inspection, you could see if you can get an appointment at Mike's LP in Maplewood. A couple of years ago I had a problem with the circuit board for my sensors, and they swapped it out with one from their personal RV to determine the board was the issue.
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Old 08-17-2022, 09:28 PM   #3
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Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee
Trailer: 2022 Escape 5.0 (completion 4/22)
Posts: 16
Hi there, we have a similar issue with our 5.0 picked up just last month. With ours, the fresh water tank says 3/4 full since we received it. I haven't even had time to look into it yet but perhaps, as you mentioned, there is test water in the tank that they failed to purge prior to delivery. Or we have a bad sensor. Sorry I couldn't help with yours.
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Old 08-17-2022, 09:43 PM   #4
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Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Collegeville, Pennsylvania
Trailer: 2021 5.0
Posts: 12
Hi There,
We had trouble with our tank monitor(Seelevel II) pretty much from the beginning. Calling Escape was NOT helpful at all but the monitor manufacturer was hugely helpful. It took a lot of work to retrace the wires, replace one of the senders etc but it is finally working. The parts were replaced under warranty.
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Old 08-18-2022, 10:07 PM   #5
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Join Date: Feb 2021
Location: Maplewood, Minnesota
Trailer: 2021 Escape 21NE
Posts: 239
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Originally Posted by VictorPA View Post
Hi There,
We had trouble with our tank monitor(Seelevel II) pretty much from the beginning. Calling Escape was NOT helpful at all but the monitor manufacturer was hugely helpful. It took a lot of work to retrace the wires, replace one of the senders etc but it is finally working. The parts were replaced under warranty.
Hi all,

We picked up our 21 NE in May. We have the same optional tank monitor, SeeLevel 2, which is supposed to indicate the tank levels as a percentage of total capacity. The sensors have not proven to be reliable or accurate. There has been a lot of " back and forth" with Escape to determine what is wrong and what can be done to correct it. The matter has not been resolved. Here are the details of my experience with Escape.

My first email to Parts and Service, sent on May 16th during the first week we were using the trailer, included the following comment:
The SeeLevel monitor for the black tank does not work. I emptied a few gallons of fluid from it today. It read "0" percent before and after emptying it.

Dustin responded:
SeeLevel monitors are constantly learning and will take up to 10 times to be filled and emptied before it will accurately read the levels.

On May 17, I replied to Dustin:
Thanks Dustin. Black tank is beginning to work.

I then sent an email to Parts and Service on August 3rd:
Hello Escape,

We have been using our 21 NE at least every other weekend since we picked it up in Eugene, OR in early May and drove it home to Minnesota. We have had to remediate a number of electrical issues on our own. A significant issue remains unresolved. Our gray and black tank sensors are still not functioning properly. The gray tank sensor shows that the tank is between 17 and 33% full after it has been emptied completely. The black tank sensor shows 0% full after 3 days of constant use and 20% full after 6 days of constant use. These numbers are definitely not accurate. I did not find the explanation given by Dustin in his May 16th email to be helpful or adequate. I believe that the sensors should work from the "get-go" if they are installed properly and functioning properly.

I am following the Escape Trailer Owners Community Forum and I am aware that there are numerous concerns about the sensors/monitors that have been installed by Escape Trailer Industries recently. We opted for the optional SeeLevel system and paid for it. We require that the issue be resolved and look forward to a resolution. What are your recommendations? Please advise. I would appreciate a response from your "parts and service manager" rather than a response from Dustin.

Please note that I have not received a response from Karl, as requested, in regards to my previous email about the wiring issues I have encountered. I would appreciate a response from Karl.

Thank you.
Darrell

Dustin responded with this:
Hello Darrell,

I am sorry that you didn’t find my answer helpful; however, this is the case with the SeeLevel system, every single trailer has a calibration period. Installing a new sending unit simply restarts the calibration, we will not send replacement parts until the calibration period has been completed, any customer that has received parts has gone through the calibration period.

My After Sales manager is away from the office and will not be back for two weeks, I can assure you that they will confirm that above calibration period.

Karl doesn’t deal with the After Sales side of things; with that said I will send a note to Samuel that you would like to hear from the presales team regarding wiring.

Please get back to me with further questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Dustin@Escape, After Sales Support

My response, sent to Dustin on August 3rd:
Hi Dustin,

We have used the trailer many times in the past 3 months since we purchased it and have filled and dumped the tanks more than 10 times. During our trip home from Eugene to the Twin Cities, we used and dumped the tanks 6 times. We have had the trailer for 3 months.

I have also reviewed the manual for the SeeLevel 2 system. The testing regimen is clearly outlined. Based on this document, testing at the time of installation should be done to confirm accuracy.

15. "For the initial test, have the tank at least 1/4 full of water or sewage, and verify that the percent level reading looks correct (see the chapter entitled “OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS” and the section “To read a water or sewer tank level” for details). Check to see that the signal power is at least 20% (see the chapter entitled “TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE” and the section “To review the sender diagnostics” for details). If the signal power is too low, make sure that the sender(s) is well stuck to the side of the tank and that the tank is reasonably clean inside, as a large buildup will reduce signal strength. The gauge will work with maximum signal strengths as low as 20%, but it is good to have at least 50% to 60% at installation so that there is some margin available for buildup in the tank. Note that the system “learns” about the characteristics of the tank with use, so the readings may be inaccurate when the tank is empty or almost empty when the system is first tested. Once the tank has been filled at least 1/4 full the system will be properly “taught” and should read correctly after that."

Thank you. I will contact your manager.

Darrell

I then spoke with Samuel, who suggested I contact Dave Warren, Parts and Service Manager, who was out of the office until August 15th. I have not yet contacted Dave. I would appreciate any feedback from members of this forum before I contact him. Based on other posts I've read on this forum, issues with the tank monitors are not entirely "uncommon". From my perspective, a device that is designed to be reasonably accurate in measuring volume should be calibrated and tested prior to delivery. I will add that our fresh tank showed 13% full when we arrived home after our last trip. I drained the remaining water from the tank into a container. I emptied less than 1 gallon of water. I consider the matter of getting relatively accurate readings more than an "academic exercise" particularly when camping for 6 days in a given location with limited access to fresh water.

Given that we opted for the optional undercoating/foam insulation, we are left with a more complex situation. A lot more time and effort would be involved if we were required to remove the undercoating/insulation in order to expose wires and sensors. We would then have to troubleshoot, do the work to get the monitor working properly and then replace the insulation that we purchased when we ordered the trailer. The parts may be covered under warranty. The labor involved would be onerous.

Cheers,
Darrell
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Old 08-19-2022, 06:23 AM   #6
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Contact Dave asap. He is fantastic in getting back with you and calling you if you request. He has helped us out multiple times and freely give you information and possible solutions that actually work instead of the runaround you are getting now
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