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Old 10-31-2007, 02:05 PM   #1
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Has anyone found a cheap, easy fix for the holding tank sensors?

The gray water tank on our '04 Brave always ahows 1/2 full after being emptied and nothing that I have tried seems to work. This includes filling th tank with fresh water and flushing it out and putting Calgon in the tan and driving from D.C. to Charleston, S.C., including a 30 mile trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Whatever is gumming it up is very persistent and it's driving me nuts. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.
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Old 10-31-2007, 02:05 PM   #2
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Has anyone found a cheap, easy fix for the holding tank sensors?

The gray water tank on our '04 Brave always ahows 1/2 full after being emptied and nothing that I have tried seems to work. This includes filling th tank with fresh water and flushing it out and putting Calgon in the tan and driving from D.C. to Charleston, S.C., including a 30 mile trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Whatever is gumming it up is very persistent and it's driving me nuts. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.
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Old 10-31-2007, 02:59 PM   #3
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Find a solution to that problem and you can get rich from all the frustrated RVers with the same problem.
We've used Tide, a degreaser, hot water, (not tried Calgon however) Pine Sol and whatever happens to be in the undersink cabinet. Still have the same problem
Black tank is the same, even with the spray rinsers. I just figured out that if we are camped with hookups and shower regularly that I will dump about every other day.
I'm too old to worry about the little things...but I sure as heck would like to figure out a formula to clean the sides of the tank!!

I wonder would a can of lye, dissolved in warm water and allowed to slosh around for a few hours....
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Old 10-31-2007, 03:04 PM   #4
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Solution found - absolutely

The solution is to install an aftermarket tank monitoring system. If you spend a little time and do a forum search, you will have hours of reading enjoyment.
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Old 10-31-2007, 04:25 PM   #5
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A bacteria chemist told us the best way in the black tank was to fill it about 1/2 full with water, and dump several bags of ice cubes in and drive around. The cubes act as an abrasive and will knock the sludge off the tank. I have however never tried it.
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Old 10-31-2007, 05:03 PM   #6
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We've tried the ice cubes in the black water tank and it works. We used a 20 lb bag of cubes and about 1/4 tank of water. Just dump the cubes down the toilet and go for a drive.

I'm sure it would work in the gray water tank if there was a way to get the cubes in. All of our sink and shower drains have strainers to keep large objects from going down. By the time you get the cubes small enough to go through the drain they don't last long enough to do any cleaning.
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Old 10-31-2007, 07:59 PM   #7
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On the back of our tank readout there are adjustable pots on the back of the panel.

You'll need a very small screwdriver.. While holding the button down turn the pot clockwise or counter clockwise to adjust the current.

The EMS panel is easier to take out using the one top and bottom screw on the wood frame.
The pot adjustment holes are very small and are located just to the right of center for each light row.
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Old 11-01-2007, 05:46 AM   #8
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We have tried the ice in the black tank, but just what was in the ice maker in the frig.
That might work for the black tank, but how does one get 20 pounds of ice into the gray tank?
I suspect John has the easiest solution with simply adding new external sensors.
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Old 11-01-2007, 06:20 AM   #9
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ed/Full-time:
On the back of our tank readout there are adjustable pots on the back of the panel.

You'll need a very small screwdriver.. While holding the button down turn the pot clockwise or counter clockwise to adjust the current.

The EMS panel is easier to take out using the one top and bottom screw on the wood frame.
The pot adjustment holes are very small and are located just to the right of center for each light row. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have done this on 3 different coaches. I always make sure the probes are clean and make the adjustments accordingly.

Don
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Old 11-01-2007, 06:41 AM   #10
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Petro,
The reason I mentioned it was the poster didn't suggest he adjusted the pots. So I assumed that they/he was unaware of the adjustment...There was much talk about replacing/using other measures...simple is best
I also adjusted mine and they have been fine for sometime now.....
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Old 11-01-2007, 07:10 AM   #11
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Agree with John, best solution is an aftermarket system like See Level. Easy to install (if your holding tanks are easy to access) and works absolutely great. External tank sensors so never have to worry about cleaning internal sensors.
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Old 11-01-2007, 08:51 AM   #12
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I couldn't agree more "IF" there is a problem with the stock sensors... But in this case the problem might not be a problem just an adjustment...
After adjusting mine a while ago I never had an issue with readings..
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Old 11-01-2007, 09:11 AM   #13
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I agree that new external sensors would be the best fix "if the tanks were easily accessable". In our coach you have to take off the rear fender panels and an access panel behind them just to see the tanks.
I had the black tank panels off one time when we had a vent problem. It was a miserable and time consuming job. If cleaning and recalibrating the sensors works it's a lot easier and less expensive to do.
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Old 11-01-2007, 10:51 AM   #14
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Hey Guys, I like the idea of adjusting the "pots." I'll give it a try if the problem returns. That being said, I got mine working correctly with a product called CLR. It is the stuff made to dissolve calcium, lyme, and rust. I filled both tanks with clean water after adding 1/2 gallon of CLR to each tank. I let it sit in there for a week while the coach was in dry storage. I dumped both tanks and now all sensors work perfectly. I hope this helps.
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Old 11-01-2007, 11:07 AM   #15
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Yep bought a new Aspect with the new sensors system. Was not cheap but so far it works.
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Old 11-02-2007, 11:52 AM   #16
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I went through this with my rig that I bought used and didn't know the guages were not working properly (my fault!). Been through all the suggested tries, ice, pine-sol etc. What has worked for me on the first try was Electra-Sol dishwasher tabs. I filled both tanks to what I thought was 3/4 full. Dropped in tabs(2 each) into each tank. left sit for 15 min. Took a drive on a curvy road about 10 miles then dumped and flushed. Flushed 3 times. All sensors work great.
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