Tank monitors

[Ed Hackenbruch]

We have an overflow on our fresh water tank, (100 gal.)  and have a 100 gal. black/grey tank.  when we run out of water we know it is time to refill the one and dump the other........ has never failed yet. 

[bobofthenorth]

I have not found a use for them other than to tell me the lights on the panel still work. I would never buy or recommend them.

Quitcherbitchin Tom - at least you got lights.  Our current "system" (and I use that word in it's loosest possible connotation) is unlike any I have ever seen.  But ours doesn't work either.

We have 4 x 1-1/2" analog pressure gauges calibrated from 1-100%.  Below each gauge is a push button which appears to activate a NC valve somewhere inside the magic box that all this is contained in.  To the side of the row of push buttons is a small pump, something like the primer on an injector pump.  You unscrew the pump, press one of the buttons and stroke the pump slowly a couple of times.  The gauge moves but good luck correlating it's movement to what is contained in the tank.  The fact that the gauges are not labelled is only a minor inconvenience because it appears that, if you pump long enough and hard enough, any gauge at any time will read 100%.  I'm sure I could figure out which gauge is attached to which tank but it has never seemed worthwhile.

I can easily see the drinking water tank so its no problem.  By carefully positioning a very small flashlight I can see the top 2 inches of one corner of the freshwater tank so it is manageable, but it has cost me one flashlight already.  The black tank "burps" in the toilet when it gets dangerously full.  The grey tank has Boogie's wife-gauge but we normally leave it open so it is only an issue when we boondock.

[belfert]

The strips of metal usually attach to the exterior of the tank.  That is the main advantage of that style as they don't gunk up.

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi Guy's,

I have the SensaTank Monitor by MSC. It works very well and surprisingly well in the black tank where most fail.

There are 4 external stick on sensors for each tank, RJ11 phone cord and jacks to a control board, and the monitor in the coach.

4 years and counting and everytime I check them, they are right on. Maybe I'm just lucky?

http://www.sealandsanitation.com/SensaTank%20description%20RV%20page.pdf

Nick-

[Melbo]

I also must be lucky.

I bought a monitor from Ardemco in 2005 that uses stainless screws through a rubber grommet.

I only measures in thirds on the tanks.  Knowing what I know now I would have made the full on the  fresh water tank at about 3/4 because you know it's full when you fill it. I also would have spaced the grey water sensors closer to the top of the tank so I could monitor as it gets closer to full.

I has Full 2/3 1/3 and Empty sensors.  I only have a grey and fresh water monitor and a pump switch on the panel.

The price in 2005 was 79.00 and the item number is *AX310

It has never failed to work and was easy to install.

Good Luck

Melbo

[paul102a3]

R.J. The system you have sounds like a Hart Tank Tender. Under normal conditions, they are very accurate and reliable and are unaffected by heat or cold. The trick to making them work correctly is to depress and hold the button for the designated tank and then only use one stroke of the pump. As you say, you can make the gauge read anything if you continue to stroke the pump but that is not the correct procedure.

As you pressurize the system with one stroke of the pump, the needle should go to almost 100%, then drop rapidly, and then should stabilize. When the needle has stabilized this is the point you take your reading. You then release the button and the needle should drop to zero.

It is important to wait a few minutes before taking a second reading on the same tank as the system needs to come to equilibrium. You can read other tanks without waiting.

I have the same system on my boat for the one of the 300 gallon fuel tanks (the other tanks use sight gauges) and it is accurate and repeatable once calibrated.

Hope this helps.

Paul

[bobofthenorth]

Thank you Paul.  I'll give that a whirl but that means I'll also have to figure out which gauge goes with which tank.

[gus]

You guys sure like complicated, expensive widgets!!

I have the same system as Ed except mine is the deluxe version.

I also use a cheap stud finder from HD when I am in doubt.

[belfert]

We have an overflow on our fresh water tank, (100 gal.)  and have a 100 gal. black/grey tank.  when we run out of water we know it is time to refill the one and dump the other........ has never failed yet. 

I have 105 gallons fresh and 105 gallons grey/black, but the grey/black fills a lot faster than the fresh water empties with 9 guys using the bathroom.  I've considered making one tank black and the other grey and putting fresh water inside the bus, but I haven't decided to really do that yet.

[John316]

Thanks a lot guys. This is just what I needed.

We are going to have about 150 grey, and 100 black. I am not exactly sure how much fresh water yet, but that might be smaller because we can refill with fresh about anywhere.

Nick, I like your tank monitor. I will look into that. We got you water pumps that you have, so maybe tank monitors too.

Thanks.

God bless,

John

[garhawk]

These folks built all my tank monitors.  The nice part is that the monitors use standard full/empty gauges just like the ones on your instrument panel.  Their prices were very fair and the service was impressive.

[garhawk]

Whoops!  Sorry.  Forgot to type in the company name in previous post.  Here, I fixed it.

www.wema.no

[John316]

Here is the update. I talked with Steve at Catcon (the company Jack talked about). He seemed like a very straight guy (he must have been a Texas transplant ). In conversation he told me that they did have the Monaco contract. I then asked him about the failures that they were having with the gauges not being accurate. He said that was the case, and that there have been a lot of Monaco failures. He said that was because Monaco changed the way they were installing the sensors, and didn't tell Catcon.

Catcon was very perplexed as to why they were having problems. He called Monaco, and they assured him nothing had changed with the install. He then went out and looked at one of their RV's and instantly found the problem. They had started installing the sensors at the bottom of the tank. Then, of course, they would get all crudded up, and not work right. He said that they had to come out with a package to fix Monaco's mistake. So that made sense to me.

The price, for the three tank monitor, was 200 delivered. They are coming out with a LCD display, and we will upgrade to that when it becomes available (a couple of months).

So that is an update.

Thanks for all of the helpful input.

God bless,

John

[JohnEd]

I had the monitor that required me to drill a holes.  The sensor probe was the rubber plug with the stainless screw in the center.  I tightened the  screw to much and the pressure causedthe hole to split.  And no it wasn't one of those watertight splits...  A repairman told me to take a soldering iron and run it around the inside of the hole and melt the rough, drilled, holes to prevent a crack from forming.

I can see into my black tank so "we doan neat no stink'n gachus".  Not for that tank.  My gray will back up into the tub so when it starts to fill from the kitchen or sink....time to drain. If we are in a tight spot, my tub holds another 40 gallons   Really!  Winnebago thought of everything.  I don't leave my drains open.

John