Black and grey water tanks and gauges

[FRANANDTOMMY]

while camping this past week. we noticed that the gauge for the black tank kept registering 2/3 full- although we hardly used the bathroom. We did start off with both tanks with 2 gals in each.
when we went to dump station - my husband emptied the black one first and the gauge still showed full. He then emptied the grey tank and that one was very oderous. The grey tank gauge then registered empty.
I think we have 2 separate problems.
#1- the gauges are not registering correctly and
#2- the grey and black tanks have been incorrectly marked.

is this a common problem??????????

[Festus2]

Both of the problems that you mentioned are quite likely and not unusual. First, it is common for the tank gauges to give false readouts. There are a number of causes for this to happen, one of which is the tank sensors becoming coated with solids, allowed to dry and then causing the sensors not to work properly.

Secondly, the tanks may have been incorrectly marked. Quite a few members have had this happen to them so you are not alone.

If you are ever at a site and have sewer hookups, you should leave at least your black tank closed off so that there is a quantity of liquids in that tank to prevent the solids from adhering to the sides and bottom and drying out. When your gauges tell you or when you sense that the black tank is getting full, then you can pull the valve handle and dump your tanks then.

There are a large number of threads/posts on the forum about tank gauges, black tanks, and incorrectly labelled valve handles which you can search. Lots of information already on here on those topics for you to search and read.

[raytronx]

My gauges excluding the fresh tank worked for maybe 3 weeks and never accurate since, gave up on them.

[MIKEPATC]

Nothing will substitute for a clean tank but many swear by these replacement sensors. http://www.rvprobes.com/home.html Check these out.

I am adding them as soon as things thaw out.

[therink]

Your problem is nothing out of the ordinary. I make a point to put at least 5 gals of water in the black tank after I dump so the water sloshes around in the tank on the ride home and is also ready for next trip. It is my experience to always leave plenty of water in the tank between camping trips to keep remaining from drying and sticking to interior surfaces of the tank. Plus it us always ready for next trip. I also have a flush system on the tank and flush it often. This keeps the gauges working most of the time. I also find no need to use chemicals and have no odor problems.
Steve

[FRANANDTOMMY]

We found out that the handles on our tanks are switched. So the black is really the grey, and the grey is really the black. So, my husband is going to spray paint the handles the correct color. Not sure what the gauges are reading or if they are even reading correctly. Will just have to dump more frequently while camping for 14 days in February at the state park.

[davidjsimons]

If you have identified which handles are dumping which tanks, fill them all and dump each of them one at a time. Check your gauges after you dump each one and you should be able to figure out if the gauges are labeled correctly.


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[SteveC7010]

If you use the Search function, you can find a number of threads on maintenance of the holding tanks. This is particularly important because the sensors for the gauges can become caked with crud causing false readings. I would urge you to read as many of those threads as possible. The answers to your questions on this topic are already here for you.