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01-25-2016, 02:51 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Southwick, Massachusetts
Trailer: None, sold my 2014 5.0TA
Posts: 7,124
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Holding Tank Readings
Didn't want to muddy up another ongoing thread so I'll post this here...
As my stock sensors like to read 2/3 even when empty, I measured before doing some boondocking last fall. This is when the LEDs lit up when filling.
Black - Full, 15 of 30 gallons
Gray - Full, 26 of 28
- 2/3, 15 of 28
Fresh - Full, 22 of 28
- 2/3, 14 of 28
- 1/3, 6 of 28
__________________
Happy Motoring
Bob
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01-25-2016, 03:37 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
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For what it is worth, which is nothing, I have filled my fresh water tank to the point where water is shooting out the overflow hole, and the filler hole, and my fresh water sensor reads 2/3 full.
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What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
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01-25-2016, 03:40 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Allendale, New Jersey
Trailer: 19' towed by a 4Runner
Posts: 251
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My grey tank is full when it shows in the bath.
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01-25-2016, 04:25 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Long Beach, Washington
Trailer: 2012 Escape 19 "Tortuga"
Posts: 200
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GRINGOandTICA
My grey tank is full when it shows in the bath.
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and the black is full when..... yep it IS full.
dwive vewy, vewy cawfully...
steve
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01-25-2016, 04:36 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
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Quote:
Originally Posted by padlin
... my stock sensors like to read 2/3 even when empty
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That sounds like gummed up sensors in the second-from top position - they always conduct so it looks like there is always 2/3 of a tank of contents there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo
I have filled my fresh water tank to the point where water is shooting out the overflow hole, and the filler hole, and my fresh water sensor reads 2/3 full.
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Typically this would mean a bad wiring connection to the highest sensor.
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01-25-2016, 04:48 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian B-P
That sounds like gummed up sensors in the second-from top position - they always conduct so it looks like there is always 2/3 of a tank of contents there.
Typically this would mean a bad wiring connection to the highest sensor.
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Tried spraying contacts with a electrical contact cleaner to no avail.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
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01-25-2016, 04:58 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 2013 19' & 2013 15B
Posts: 2,634
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The stock sensors in our Escape have worked well so far. We have rarely stayed in campgrounds with full services and normally rely on water in the tanks, so we have thus tried to be consistent in our rate of fresh water usage. However, I rarely even bother to check the sensors, since I have now developed a pretty good sense for how full the tanks are based on how long it has been since we last dumped the black & gray, and filled the fresh tanks.
__________________
2013 19' \ 2013 15B, 2020 Toyota 4Runner TRD Offroad
"It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it." - 1907, Maurice Switzer
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01-25-2016, 05:28 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo
Tried spraying contacts with a electrical contact cleaner to no avail.
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Good start. It could also be a broken wire (it's pretty small-gauge stuff), or a bad connection on the display panel end. Not a fun thing to track down; I have a similar problem in my current RV and haven't gone to the effort of tracking it down.
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01-25-2016, 05:39 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
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Not much point in worrying about the fresh water. If I know I've filled it, and if the 1/3 full sensor works, I'll know when to worry. Which I don't, because a carry a 20 litre container ( which lives at the picnic table or outdoor kitchen ).
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
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01-25-2016, 07:53 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Box Elder, South Dakota
Trailer: Bigfoot 25' 2018
Posts: 347
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I'd suggest a SeeLevel Tank Monitor. It's work well for me.
Thanks.
Hugh
__________________
Hugh Currin
2018 Bigfoot 25'
2018 RAM 2500 Diesel
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01-26-2016, 10:48 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Oswego, New York
Trailer: 2017 Escape 21C, 2018 Ford F150
Posts: 5,363
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My fresh & gray sensors work as expected, however the black sensors are only accurate for the first filling after running a built in tank wash (I added in tank washes to both the black & grey tanks) for 10 minutes or so. They will only remain accurate for the first fill until the wash is used again.
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01-26-2016, 09:46 PM
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#12
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Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: about PoC, New York
Trailer: nunya
Posts: 63
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My sensors stopped being accurate about a month after getting the trailer. I bought a hose wand and cleaned the black tank from the top of the toilet, and the black sensors are perfect again. I could not get the wand wedged far enough into the gray tank opening. I got the 2/3 and full sensors working again, but 1/3 is always stuck in the on position for gray.
We're always on full hookups, so I just dump the gray every day. Not quite sure how to get the sensors cleaned in it again.
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01-27-2016, 06:24 AM
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#13
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Canyon Lake, Texas
Trailer: 2015 19 "Past Tents", 2021 F150 Lariat 2.7L EB
Posts: 10,222
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Our Horst Probes give accurate readings. Having said that, it's pretty simple to do a visual check - at least on an Escape - so the accuracy may not be that important.
__________________
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy an RV. And that is pretty close."
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01-27-2016, 07:00 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Southwick, Massachusetts
Trailer: None, sold my 2014 5.0TA
Posts: 7,124
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Can you visually check the the grey? the tank was opaque black on my last trailer and now I have the foam covering so I can't see it at all. Is the tank translucent on the Escapes?
__________________
Happy Motoring
Bob
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01-27-2016, 09:02 AM
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#15
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Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: about PoC, New York
Trailer: nunya
Posts: 63
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Quote:
Originally Posted by padlin
Can you visually check the the grey? the tank was opaque black on my last trailer and now I have the foam covering so I can't see it at all. Is the tank translucent on the Escapes?
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Mine are spray foamed too, with black foam, so I can't visually check them.
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02-26-2016, 08:57 AM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Sacramento, California
Trailer: 2017 Bigfoot 25
Posts: 275
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Our black and gray tank sensors are useless. Maybe they work after I flush the tanks, I don't know, I quit using them. In fact, I can't even remember which is the black and which is the gray.
The Fresh seems to work, but I use the visual method. A flashlight for the black, and looking under at the fresh tank.
Like Ice-breaker, we have gotten pretty good at knowing based on time what our consumptions are.
__________________
DeadEye Dan
2017 Bigfoot 25 Rear Bed
2017 RAM 2500 Cummins Diesel
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02-26-2016, 09:02 AM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fridaynext
Mine are spray foamed too, with black foam, so I can't visually check them.
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Actually it is a yellow/orange color that is then spray painted black. I have "touched" up mine several times. The frame is touched up also similarly.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
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02-26-2016, 11:23 AM
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#18
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Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: about PoC, New York
Trailer: nunya
Posts: 63
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008
Actually it is a yellow/orange color that is then spray painted black. I have "touched" up mine several times. The frame is touched up also similarly.
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Okay... I still can't see the tank levels by looking at them.
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02-26-2016, 01:46 PM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: North of Danbury, Wisconsin
Trailer: 2018 Escape 21C
Posts: 3,033
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Years ago I helped designed and built conductivity probe style level sensor for large storage tanks . They worked well as long as the probes were submersed in water . When they drained the tanks and the probes were exposed to the air a film would form on the probes
The film prevented the sensor from reading accurately. We then had to remove the probes and clean them with emory cloth. The probes became a constant maintenance issue . We eventually spent the extra money and installed sonic level sensors .
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02-29-2016, 01:14 AM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: no fixed address, California
Trailer: 2017-21' Escape (sold) Casita 17' (sold)
Posts: 1,348
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vermilye
My fresh & gray sensors work as expected, however the black sensors are only accurate for the first filling after running a built in tank wash (I added in tank washes to both the black & grey tanks) for 10 minutes or so. They will only remain accurate for the first fill until the wash is used again.
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Do you have Horst probes Jon?
I am tempted to have them substituted in during the build of our 2017 21'
And
To owners of the 21' Escape
If the black (or grey) tank sensors are not properly reporting - how does one know if the tanks are full?
On our Casita it is obvious when the Grey is full (backs up into shower floor)
And one can peer down into black tank thru the toilet.
I know this is not possible with a 21' escape.
Thanks for any info.
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