2022 Adventurer 35F Gray Tank Monitor Reads Full Too Soon

[toitel54]

Has anyone else questioned just how much water the gray water tank holds. After 4 showers and a few hand washes and brushing teeth the monitor indicates its full! No way 4 quick showers and minimal other use use the 51 gallon specified holding amount. Or am I missing something?

 

[ZigZag03]

I don't have an answer for you, but my black tank fills up so rapidly even when in max "space saving" mode, yet the old Damon I had of same size did not seem to do this. I'm quite sure it's full however, because all you have to do is look down the chute...

 

[Morich]

When I've looked at where the pads are located at 1/3, 2/3, and full, the top one has never been at the actual top of the tank but part way down the side. I've never considered them to be a real measurement but more of a note of warning!
Once they tell you it is full, you have a bit before reaching a crisis?
But as a reference, the average home shower is considered to use 15-20 gallons per shower, so what you are seeing may be correct if the users are not aware of the limits when "roughing it"!!

 

[toitel54]

Thanks for that info, but I have measured the shower use in the motorhome and it is less than 2 gallons per use, even at home we are not at that 10-15 gallon mark by a far shot. Unlike the black tanks, we can't see into the gray tank from above. And on the 35F it is tucked above the wet bay. It is really only an issue when using limited service campgrounds or boondocking.

 

[Lpick1970]

Yeah on my 35g they show half full even after I emptied them. So I don't have a lot of trust in what it is showing. I just go out and empty them every morning. I did empty them the last time, put dawn dish soap and water in the tanks and drove them 5 hours. Emptied the tanks and now they show 1/4 full. So I am going to do it again. Long story to say maybe your tanks have stuff stuck to the sides.

 

[HappyNomads]

Has anyone else questioned just how much water the gray water tank holds.

Yes I joke, but: 1) keep filling the gray tank until it starts backing up in the shower. Then go look at the indicator. 2) Then drain the gray tank into five gallon buckets. 3) Count the buckets. 4) Conclude that whatever the indicator showed is actually the full marker, and the total amount drained is your effective max gray tank capacity, or 5) Conclude the indicator may sometimes be accurate — or not. The gray tank can get scummy on the inside, making some indicators give false readings … until the scum is dislodged and it is accurate again.

 

[toitel54]

Good idea but don't want to waste the water to find out, just know by timing the waste water dump it is no where near 50 gallons.

 

[Tillie]

Another pet peeve about RVs saving pennies that cause problems for owners. Having worked with level monitors in fuel and water tanks I know that for under $25.00 an ultrasonic monitor could be used that can be accurate within 0.25 cm. I had actually considered installing one since I have a few around but the logistics of actually installing one on the gray or black tanks once installed puts it way down my upgrade list.

 

[Morich]

I think this discussion is missing the true design reasons. They are actually designed to create enough discussion on a never ending subject that has never been solved. That never ending discussion is actually designed to keep forums like this in business and has very little to do with keeping RV owners happy, just keep them occupied!

 

[Tillie]

It seems in the RV industry once a product is designed and develop for the industry They will use it for many many decades. My first travel trailer was in 1989 model and they’re still using the same “technology” that I have in my class 2018 class A and I see it and even higher end models. They do guild the Lilly once in a while with a fancier display or different switches, but it’s the same thing underneath. On the bright side, I have fixed just about every system on an RV that can be fixed and I don’t have to learn anything new.