Holding Tank Gauge.

[johns4104s]

Does anyone know were I can find a inexpensive poly tank monitor. Someone had said they make a stick on to the tank i that you can read? But I have not found one yet?

John

[Dreamscape]

Hi John,

I know I have seen them on eBay a few times.

Hope all is well,

Paul

[Jeremy]

I've bought two of these for my two water tanks (fresh & grey). I haven't installed them yet, but I'm hoping that they should be an ideal solution as they have many more 'steps' (thus more accurate) than any equivalent guages I have seen, yet are much cheaper than anything sold specifically for RV holding tanks. The only slight downside is that they have an internal battery power source, but a very cheap DC-DC converter would enable it to be hardwired into the bus battery.



http://www.kemo-electronic.com/en/module/m167/index.htm

Jeremy

[johns4104s]

Jeremy,

Do these have to be mounted into the tank?? The one I heard about stuck to the out side of the tank?? You had to look at the tank itself to see the level.

John

[Jeremy]

No, you have a multi-core cable running from the guage to the tank, where you have an series of electrical contacts at different heights up the side of the tank, and one at the bottom. The guage simply sends a small voltage to the bottom contact and the water completes the circuit to however many of the higher contacts that the water is covering. The contacts can simply be screws or bolts fastened into a length of wood or plastic mounted vertically inside the tank itself - no need to drill holes in the wall of the tank. The instructions ensure me that the system is easy to set-up and ultra-reliable no matter what is inside the tank (ie. fresh water, sewage etc). If you click the link beneath the picture above you will see more information.

Jeremy

[buddydawg]

http://www.catconproducts.com/rv.htm

Someone had posted this link in a previous discussion.  I don't have any experience with the system but it looked like it would be a good one.

[buddydawg]

This is the quote from their site about the no maintenance level sensor:

MicroPulse™ Level Sensor
Part # 500-10050-07

The MicroPulse™ Level Sensor, is a no maintenance part. The sensor will operate equally well whether the tank is polyethylene, aluminum, steel, or any other material. A single sensor is installed on the side of the side wall of each tank, near the bottom, via a ¾" female NPT spin-in thread (an alternative location is anywhere in the plumbing that is lower than the tank and before the clean out valve). The sensor is solid state, there are no moving parts to wear or maintain. Because the principle of operation does not involve any electrical current flow through the tank's contents (conducted or induced), the nature of the fluid in the tank is unimportant.

[johns4104s]

Jeremy,

What price are they now?

John

[HB of CJ]

Inexpensive?  Bust a hole in the tank top and use a broomhandle.   Plugging the hole and wiping your handle and hands afterwards optional.  He he he...just kidding. 

[Dallas]

Well, my method would be a bit simpler..
Stuff a tape measure down the poop chute until it bottoms out.

Now, as you pull it out, put your tongue against the tape.. hen it tastes like Ice Cream, you found the girl friend, when it tastes like poopy, you are home.

Read the tape where you got your first taste, Bingo!

Just trying to help!

Dallas

Inexpensive?  Bust a hole in the tank top and use a broomhandle.   Plugging the hole and wiping your handle and hands afterwards optional.  He he he...just kidding. 

[jjrbus]

Anything that depends on contacts inside the blackwater tank will work untill a piece of paper hangs up on a sensor, which is fairly often. Then you use a wand and clean the sensors and they work until the next time you dump. Then you clean them again  Real PIA

I have the grandfather of this sensor  http://users.cwnet.com/~thall/cccproducts.htm  Which uses aluminum strips on the outside of the tank.

I am not recommending this sensor, I would not buy it again!!  Over priced and not all that accurate.  If I were doing another conversion with poly tanks. I would somehow locate a lite behind the tanks (make sure you can change the bulb), turn the lite on, you see the level in the tanks. 100% accurate, no moving parts, use a xenon bulb and call it high tech.
The black water tank can be quickly checked with a flashlight, push the pedal down and look, again low tech, 100% accurate. very low failure rate, unless you drop flashlight. Better yet use flashlight with wrist strap, is now idiot resistant.
                                       HTH  Jim

[Jeremy]

Jeremy,

What price are they now?

John

There is a pricelist on the page linked to above. I bought my units (new) via eBay incidentally, where they are still available if you cannot find a stockist.

Jeremy

[gus]

John,

I use the cheapest stud finder sold by Home Depot, works like a charm. It is a bit touchy but easy once I learned to keep it steady at the same angle. Just move it slowly up or down the side of the tank until all the lights and beeps start.

[Sojourner]

Another electronic gadget man. LOL!

A good suggestion to add to our list of knowledge.

Thank you.    

Sojourn for Christ, Gerald

[JohnEd]

What jjr/Jim said. 

I have never had my fresh anywhere that I couldn't see the tank and view the level.  I once installed a light so I could see it at night.  I know most of my water goes in the grey tank.  The black I can see by looking in the open toilet and it takes a long time to need emptied.  I have never run out of water but I have overlowed my grey into the bathtub more than a few times when on shore water.  I finally learned to pump my water from my fresh tank so I always have a feel for it.  Shore only fills my fresh.  My Sureflow does a lot more work than most people's but I have my system.  I had a tank monitoring system but I never considered replacing it when it failed.

I never leave my tank drains open when parked and connected to sewer.  My tanks go to full and get drained so I don't build up sediment in the lines and tank bottom.

HTH,

John