tank level monitoring system SEE level ll

[Sean2a]

Pondering this question, here is my opinion. ETI charges US$600 for the option. The components can be purchased elsewhere for about US$200. If I can find a local RV shop that has experience with the system and will install it for roughly $400 (or less) in labor, I'm way ahead because if it doesn't work right I can take it back to the local shop and expect them to make it right. If I buy the option from the ETI factory and it doesn't work right, I have the grief and aggravation that some of the folks posting on this thread have had.

I'm confused why ETI is not paying for the repairs to be done by a local repair shop. Is your trailer not under warranty right out the gate. If a component wasn't installed correctly and tested before shipment, that's on ETI, it shouldn't be on the customer to pay for/ fix themselves. I understand if a component they installed fails you'd have to go through warranty process for that manufacturer but is kind of sounds like some of these issues are related to installation, ie. ETI

 

[Brian B-P]

So, it appears that the standard tank monitoring system is not dependable and neither is the optional SEE Level II system.

I don't think a single failure that should have been caught at the factory is proof that SeeLeveL is unreliable.

 

[Brian B-P]

Somewhat reluctantly, we ordered the SeaLevel system on our 2021 - 21C. I am sorry we ordered it. It has not worked correctly yet and it is a relatively expensive option. The idea is great, love the digital readouts, and was really looking forward to accuracy but our experience has been less than optimum.

Our freshwater SeaLevel tank monitor seems to work pretty accurately after periods where it did not. But the grey and black always show that they are 33 to 38% full even when they are completely empty. They do seem to function at the limits of the tanks capacities, from 80% on up. I've contacted Escape about it and was told 'we're working on a solution'. That was last year and we've heard nothing since.

I'm sure that ETI is not working on a solution - they appear to be waiting for you to give up, and apparently you have. I would suggest, as I did earlier, contacting Garnet Instruments, and it appears that they actually care about customer service.

By the way, it's "SeeLeveL", not "SeaLevel".

 

[Mike G]

I'm confused why ETI is not paying for the repairs to be done by a local repair shop. Is your trailer not under warranty right out the gate. If a component wasn't installed correctly and tested before shipment, that's on ETI, it shouldn't be on the customer to pay for/ fix themselves. I understand if a component they installed fails you'd have to go through warranty process for that manufacturer but is kind of sounds like some of these issues are related to installation, ie. ETI

I could be wrong, but I think ETI's warranty covers the trailer itself but the gadget components (A/C, furnace, cooktop, tank monitors, fridge) might only have the warranties of those gadgets' respective mfrs.

IIRC that is what I was told by a dealer when I bought a new Rockwood (way back in 2005) travel trailer. If that's how Forest River does things, maybe that's the 'industry standard' for trailer mfrs. But like I said, I might be mistaken.

The thing is, when something like a See Level system doesn't work right, is it a defect with the system or is it installer error? I am guessing that ETI will cover the cost if it proves (via some local tech or our self-diagnosis) to be installer error, but not otherwise.

 

[BobG-ESC]

I have the same problem as others have had and Escape is talking to me about it. They asked me to send the diagnostic readings and I hope to hear back from them this week.

I have read on this forum that the manufacturer, Garnet, is really good to work with so I don't have much concern that the system will be fixed.
My Grey Water reads 33% when empty and it reads 100% before it is full.

 

[gbaglo]

FWIW, my fresh water sensor worked fine for years, but lately never reads more than 2/3 full, even when water is flowing out of the vent. Can't blame that on installation or SeeLeveL ( since they are not SeeLeveL ).

 

[GTR guy]

For those of you who are having trouble with their SeeLevel systems, can you see how they are placed on the tanks? I don't have a trailer yet so I don't know if it's easy to see the tanks themselves.

I ask because I researched installation instructions and there seem to be two primary install errors. The first is install the wrong size of the sensor strip (they come in 12 inch and 6 inch models although they can be trimmed to fit the height of the tank), The second is to install near too much metal which seems to throw the sensors off. If you have access to the tanks, installation looks to be quite easy but I am guessing that it's not easy to reach the sides of each tank.

Less common installation issues seem to be not putting the sensor strip vertical along the side of the tank and not attaching the correct wires to the sensors and the monitor (should be the wires from the other tank monitoring system),

 

[NW Cat Owner]

Holy cow!! 600 bucks for a tank monitoring system?!??!?! When we got our 2017 trailer in late 2016, we paid $50 for them to install the Horst probes that we provided. Even though I knew at the time they wouldn't be the most accurate. Which they aren't. But, after using the trailer over the years, I've learned just how long I can dry camp before I need to dump the tanks. And refill the fresh water tank. I rarely rely on the gauges. And yeah, I use a flashlight to check down the toilet - far more accurate than the gauges!


Most of the time I'm at campgrounds with full hook ups. And if I'm not, I don't stay as long.


When you use your trailer enough, you'll get a good feel for how soon you fill up your tanks. I'd much rather use that $600 to pay for gas for the truck when I'm out camping. ;D

 

[Brian B-P]

I have the same problem as others have had and Escape is talking to me about it. They asked me to send the diagnostic readings and I hope to hear back from them this week.

I have read on this forum that the manufacturer, Garnet, is really good to work with so I don't have much concern that the system will be fixed.

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that ETI is working with Garnet, so Garnet is unable to help unless you contact them directly.

 

[Mike G]

I rarely rely on the gauges. And yeah, I use a flashlight to check down the toilet - far more accurate than the gauges!

You're still measuring with a gauge, it's called an Eye Gauge! Most people carry two of 'em! Plus one Ol-Factory gauge that can be used to check the black tank status. Pretty handy gauges! ;D


I know, my humor stinks tonight...

 

[peter-ESC]

Thanks Mike G for the straight poop.

 

[BobG-ESC]

Brian, my comment was misleading about what I am expecting for remedy of the SeeLevel problem.

To clarify, Escape is working with me and if they are able to fix the problem then that will be good. If not then I will contact Garnet and from what I have read on this forum, Garnet is good to work with and will be able to determine what is wrong and guide me to a fix.

It seems that I am not the only one that has a tank reading 33% when empty. Maybe it is problem that has a known cause and fix.

I am confident that in the end I will end up with a system that is more precise than the standard tank level system.

 

[kavm]

Those reading 33% on the gray water tank - have you tried to raise the far side (away from the drain) of the camper? We too get 33% when we drain the gray tank while camper is level. We get a lower reading (don't recall if it goes to 0) if we raise the far side to create a favorable tilt for draining. It definitely drains a greater amount. That leads me to believe that gray tank does not drain fully - and some of the 33% is a feature and not a bug

 

[Enright]

SeeLevel II quit working same as described here. Sender Locations?

All I can say is that I got the See Level II with my trailer, and it has never worked so far and is not simple to understand.



The freshwater tank reading is just a random number generator, and the grey and black tanks both read 'ERR". I just started working on a fix for the issue with ETI, but initially all they have done is send my the See Level installation manual. Running the diagnostic per the manual doesn't lead me to much of an understanding so far. The grey and black tank diagnostics both report good power levels, but then report that the height of the two sensors as zero. I don't even know what that means.


Hoping for a next step from ETI this week.

Ours worked great for a while.



Sorry if this is already handled on the forum - I did not find it.


We have this EXACT failure (after a year of working properly) with our SeeLevel II system in a 21C. Tech support at Garret Instruments suggests unplugging the Fresh Water level sender as that is the likely culprit - as a diagnostic test.


However we have the abundant Factory installed Spray Foam, so nothing on the exterior of the Fresh or Gray tanks is visible. Consequently I do not know where the senders and their wiring are located.


Could someone either describe or post a photo of the sender locations for a 21 C's Fresh and Gray Tanks. The Black tank is easy - it's not covered with foam.


If this is posted or described elsewhere thanks for directing me to it.

 

[RMarkH]

Hi there, wondering if there has been any update with those who had See Level II sensor. We have a 2023 21NE and after only one season our grey and black only reads Err with an h0 level reading. It worked last season and this issue showed up on our first trip of our second season. We bought this “upgrade” on the believe that the standard system was likely to be useless over time (which for our past trailers tended to happen). We have a message with ETI for a solution. A bit concerned with the change in ownership whether this will be resolved with them or if we will just need to go to a RV repair and get it done right.

As a side note, this is our second Escape trailer and the first after ETI was sold. Our first 19 was excellent, but we noticed a bit less “love” in our new 21. I got the sense the Covid trailers were “rushed”?

 

[Enright]

Tank Senders

Hi there, wondering if there has been any update with those who had See Level II sensor. We have a 2023 21NE and after only one season our grey and black only reads Err with an h0 level reading. It worked last season and this issue showed up on our first trip of our second season. We bought this “upgrade” on the believe that the standard system was likely to be useless over time (which for our past trailers tended to happen). We have a message with ETI for a solution. A bit concerned with the change in ownership whether this will be resolved with them or if we will just need to go to a RV repair and get it done right.

As a side note, this is our second Escape trailer and the first after ETI was sold. Our first 19 was excellent, but we noticed a bit less “love” in our new 21. I got the sense the Covid trailers were “rushed”?

I got excellent email customer / diagnostic support from Garnet. I ended up just best-guessing where the sender was. Dissected the foam to expose the wiring and sender. The sender was WET and of course the components on the sender’s circuit board were ruined. Installed a replacement sender taking care to seal the wiring path. Replaced the cut away foam with canned spray-foam.

I do not know how / why the sender got wet.

So far the repair is working great.

 

[RMarkH]

Thanks! Appreciate sharing your experience. I will wait to see what ETI says, but then my next plan is to follow your plan. Luckily I don’t have foam so I can avoid that one step. I suspect the cause of my issue is the same as yours. Living on the “Wet Coast” seems likely. Mark

 

[Centex]

.... The sender was WET and of course the components on the sender’s circuit board were ruined. ,,,,

Hmmm, sounds like conformal coating on these sensor strips might be in order to help avoid problems.

A potentially confusing array of such can be found on Amazon, helpful info on different coating types can be found here.

My personal favorite is this one, a little goes a long way.

MaxxFan circuit boards are another that can be susceptible to moisture issues.

 

[MD-Escape]

I had my grey tank SeeLevel fail a year after receiving our trailer. The monitor display was showing “OPn”. After some investigation came to same conclusion as others: the sending unit electronics got water logged and shorted out. This shouldn’t happen. What aggravated the problem is the protective 3M tape that covers the board was torn and also had an opening at the top where the wires enter. This causes the water to get trapped under the tape because it can’t drain out the bottom and dry out.

Luckily, in my case the electronics weren’t ruined. I carefully removed the tape, dried and cleaned the circuit board with alcohol, and applied multiple coats of conformal coating. The location of the sending unit is already shielded from debri so I did *not* re-cover with protective tape.

So far no problems after a year+ of travel since repair. Not sure if this is the same cause as others’ problems but maybe it’ll help someone out.

 

[DGLP]

I got excellent email customer / diagnostic support from Garnet. I ended up just best-guessing where the sender was. Dissected the foam to expose the wiring and sender. The sender was WET and of course the components on the sender’s circuit board were ruined. Installed a replacement sender taking care to seal the wiring path. Replaced the cut away foam with canned spray-foam.

I do not know how / why the sender got wet.

So far the repair is working great.

We had a similar experience. The sender and circuit board were wet. The fresh and grey tanks showed the same error message as others have noted. The advice on conformal coatings is excellent.