Monitor shows 2/3 full gray water BUT the valve is open?

[Noobie]

hi guys, noobie RVer here. Just bought a 2014 Laredo 274rb tt last week. Set it up at a site with full hookups, read just about everything the Internet has to offer on grey and blackwater dumping procedures, and everything has been running smoothly. Today I checked the monitor just because and noticed that my first grey water tank is 2/3 full. Alarming because the valves on both grey water tanks are open. My irrational fear is that the lines are somehow crossed and it's my black water tank that is 2/3 full. I'm not sure how logical that is. I ran the water in the kitchen sink and went around to the hose and didn't see or hear any water coming through it. I jiggled and opened/closed both valves again. Nothing. What's the deal?? I'd like to shower but I have horrible visions of the tank backing up through my shower!!

I've only used the bathroom and shower for five nights. I'm the only one in the camper, so I don't see how any of the tanks would be that full.

Anyone have any experience with this? Maybe a sensor issue? Thanks!!!

[chuckster57]

Welcome to the forum

Mis labeled valves isn't that uncommon it seems. Best thing to do is dump all the tanks, then start filling one at a time, checking the monitor panel often.

If you have a black tank rinser, you can hook the hose to it with the valve closed for a couple of minutes. I have seen some panels wired wrong, but that's rare. if the dealership did a PROPER PDI prior to delivery this would be a non issue.

when you drain the tanks, look at the drain valves, the black tank will be 3" and the grays should be 1 1/2 or 2".

[Noobie]

Thanks for the response!

I'm a little concerned now because if the valves are labeled wrong then it's been my black water tank open all this time. Yuck. I'll have to try closing all the valves in the morning and then just fill the black water tank with some water from the toilet. If it's been draining this whole time that should help move out any solids and then I can figure out which valve is which.

Thanks again.

[chuckster57]

If the black tank valve was left open, then unfortunately the solids will be piling up. Good news is a full fill with water should flush it all out. May take a few fills, but it will all go down the drain.

[Noobie]

Couldn't resist. Just went out in the freezing cold and darkness and what do you know. Pulled the black water valve and my gray water meter started going down. I did some testing and I think I narrowed it down to the actual black water tank. For now I closed all the valves and added two enzyme packets to my black tank, if anything for peace of mind. It had only been a few days so hopefully all should all. Thanks again for the help. Cannot believe it was mislabeled. Not just in handle color but on the actual sticker above the valves as well. Crazy.

[chuckster57]

Not crazy at all. And NOT just a Keystone issue, but as long as the panel is reading right, it's an easy fix.

[bobbecky]

Although quite a few people leave the gray tank valves open while at a park, it is really not a good idea. With any of the valves open, your rig becomes a sewer vent for the entire park. You will notice this when walking around sometimes by picking up the bad sewer odor. Also, in freezing weather, with a valve open, the waste water can freeze inside the drain hose, ultimately blocking the hose with an ice plug. Also, unless you are real lucky, your tank level sensor system will likely become less than accurate as crud builds up on the in-tank sensors. You will then just get used to how long between drains you can go, and probably never look at the lights again.

[Harmini]

One of my previous Starcraft Starstream TT's had the sensors miswired with the black tank display actually reading the gray tank level and the gray indicator displaying the black level. Aparently it was somewhat common on Starstreams (maybe the installer was dyslexic).

I was suspect of the same thing on my recently purchased Cougar 32SAB as the Black read 2/3 full but could not have been. Turns out it just reads 2/3 full all the time, even after just being dumped and flushed.

[jkohler70]

Last summer I started keeping my gray valve cracked open on full-hookup sites. By leaving it slightly open, it drains more slowly than the sink and shower fill it. I wouldn't do this with the black, but the majority of the time, the water coming in is soapy. I close it on the last day and allow it to fill before dumping. I'm not sure I'd do that in freezing weather without wrapping insulation and heat tape around the drain hose.