Horst

hughharden

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2014
Messages
343
Location
Calgary
Just finalizing my trailer and want to install Horst miracle probes. Found grey water probes on amazon.com but no luck for black water probes any suggestions where to try? Thanks
 
Yeah, that's not much of an option. They can be changed out relatively easy, so maybe go with the standard probes on the black tank until you can find them cheaper?
 
I get a pretty good idea of how full my black tank is every time I open the trap to flush.
It is irksome that the sensors give erroneous readings, but I'd suggest that falls into the category of "first world problem".
 
horst

So they are not hard to change out later on? I thought I read something about them being under some insulation or something that made the retrofit difficult.
 
I think they are only hard to change out if you have the foam on the bottom of the trailer. That was why I had Escape install our miracle probes. If we did not have the foam, I think you could just install the Horst probes and move the wires from the existing probes to the Horst probes.
 
Are there different probes for black and gray? Doesn't make sense to me if there are.
 
I really don't understand why they don't offer this as an option and stock them but I guess that is their choice.
 
Probably because very few people want to pay extra for what the product promises. Managing inventory is just one element in a successful business.
The one sensor I could do without is the black tank. I can see the level by simply opening the flush trap. I've never actually filled the grey tank, but I do like to keep an eye on the fresh water. Basically, it's not worth it to me.
 
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Are there different probes for black and gray? Doesn't make sense to me if there are.
Yes, they're a slightly different design because one is designed for liquids and the other for liquids and solids. The liquid (grey water) probes are thin stiff wire with a flat end, and your grey water doesn't stick to them. The ones for the black tank have a different wire, which looks like the center core of coaxial cable, and a Teflon shield over the top (like a hood) to protect the wire from having solids accumulate on it.
 
Yes, they're a slightly different design because one is designed for liquids and the other for liquids and solids. The liquid (grey water) probes are thin stiff wire with a flat end, and your grey water doesn't stick to them. The ones for the black tank have a different wire, which looks like the center core of coaxial cable, and a Teflon shield over the top (like a hood) to protect the wire from having solids accumulate on it.
As a seller, I wouldn't futz with two types; hard to imagine the profit difference justifies managing the additional inventory when black probes would work fine in gray tanks - and the price would probably be less with more volume in one product type instead of two.
 
I read the post to suggest that ETI should stock the probes, which I would not expect them to do. I would expect the manufacturer of the probes to stock them. Why else be in business?
 
Their general lack of availability and high cost are good reasons not to bother. But I'm kinda stubborn and when I am sold on a product I will often do the irrational and reactionary thing and get them anyway.:) here is a small photo of the difference between the two:
 

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On ours the black tank seems to be inside the trailer body, under the toilet and closet, is there still access to it from underneath? With the foam I can't see anything.
 
If I were going to the trouble of installing a specific type of probe, I can't imagine using anything other than the correct probe type for the tank. Black and grey are different enough situations that the design difference seems justified to me, and I would put the right one in.

Standard probes work so poorly for me (in two different RVs) that I would want better. As a retrofit the Horst probes make sense, but I would rather have (but might not be willing to pay for) something like the See-Level system (which is a different meter/display as well, not just probes).

The grey tank is underneath, but the black tank is entirely above the trailer floor, and not at all accessible from underneath - the foam is not relevant to the black tank. Access details depend on the model/floorplan.
 

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