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Old 11-09-2020, 03:08 PM   #1
DennisB
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Default Gray water tank problem

Hi, Just got a 2020 trailmanor 2720 in June of this year. We are on our first extended trip. Today, the graywater tank read 2/3 full after draining it. I filled it all the way up (until water came up the shower drain) and the gauge inside the trailer still read 2/3 full. I then drained the tank again until nothing came out the drain-it still read 2/3 full. I climbed under the trailer and knocked on the graywater tank and it sounded empty. (Gauge still reads 2/3)
I guess I have a stuck sensor in the gray water tank--
Any suggestions?

thanks,
Dennis
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Old 11-09-2020, 05:06 PM   #2
Bill
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DennisB View Post
I climbed under the trailer and knocked on the graywater tank and it sounded empty. (Gauge still reads 2/3)
I guess I have a stuck sensor in the gray water tank--thanks,
Dennis
The sensors don't have any moving parts, so technically nothing is stuck. There are 3 possibilities.
1. The sensors are actually little stainless steel nubs that project through the tank wall and make electrical contact with the water in the tank. When the tank is empty, none of the nubs are contacted by water. When the water rises enough to contact one of the nubs, it signals the gauge that the water is up to that nub. If you put something like cooking grease down the drain and into the tank, it can coat the nubs and fool them, so they think there is water even when there is not. You should never put cooking grease or oil down the drain. The solution is to put a hefty squirt of dishwashing liquid soap down the drain with several gallons of water, and then drive a few miles. The sloshing will get the grease off the nubs.
2. Under the TM, there are four wires that are each attached to a stud (screw) on the outside rear of the tank. Are all of these wires connected, or is one broken and hanging down, disconnected?
3. In the kitchen, you can remove the gauge panel from the sink apron, and see if all the wires are attached as they should be. Somewhere I have pictures, and I'll post them if I can find them, but you can get wiring diagrams online that show everything in detail. I believe you have a MicroMonitor from KIB Enterprises in Elkhart, IN. If so, you can start here

https://www.dutchmen.com/resources/m...nformation.pdf

A quick Google search on "RV gray tank sensors" will quickly turn up more than you ever wanted to know.

Let us know.

Bill
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Old 11-09-2020, 09:11 PM   #3
DennisB
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Hi Bill, thanks for the reply. I looked at the wires and they seem fine.
I believe you are right about the grease. I made ribs the day before yesterday and did put some grease down the drain when cleaning up-won’t do that again.

We are in-place for a few weeks, but I will follow your advice when we move on.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that we occasionally get a gurgling noise from the drainage system-it seems to be random and not connected with anything we are doing at the time-I just put it off to air in the system-what do you think?

Thanks again for your help-
Dennis
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Old 11-10-2020, 04:57 AM   #4
commodor47
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Dennis,

I found two things that tend to help clear the pesky gray tank level sensors. One is to use a water heater tank cleanser. First drain the gray tank then leave the valve open and the cap off. Next insert the water heater cleanser wand, keeping the curved end facing into the tank, and force water back into the gray tank. Hold the wand as far into the tank as possible without risking detaching the narrow tube. Forcing the water into the tank at high velocity causes it back up usually far enough to clean the sensors. You may need to do the rinse several times.

After the cleansing I test the tank level and noticed one or more of the LED lights may be lit, but depressing the test button for 5 to 10 seconds the light(s) will slowly dim and go off. This step may need to be done a few times. Maybe the small current passing through the sensor is enough to dry it off? Not sure why it tends to work but I have had good success.

Dick
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