Getting False Readings on Grey Tank

[Ponyfvr]

I am getting false readings on my grey tank I just checked and it said 88% full I added a couple of gallons of water and it dropped to 66% full I have drained the tank and it seems to drain fine. My trailer is using a sea level II tank monitor.

Any Ideas

Thanks

[Ponyfvr]

I called the sensor manufacturer and they told me to try Happy Campers Extreme Tank and Sensor cleaner. Has anyone used this product? The only place that I can find it is Amazon

Thanks

[AWCHIEF]

I have used that tank cleaner and another brand. Neither one made any difference in my out of wack tank sensors.

[AstroBruce]

I have the same exact problem. Tried happy camper. A waste of time,money, and diesel fuel to slosh it around for 200 miles. It is now back at the dealer for the third time for the same problem. First time I got BS. Second time they said they replaced the sensor on the tank and replaced display panel. I honestly don't think they did a thing. The dealer had it for 2 weeks each time. That's when I called Sea Level. They suggested Happy Camper. No joy. I hope they fix it this time. I'm tired of this crap. Oh, gray tank.

Bruce

[Wayne&Sam]

So Sea Levels are just as problematic as the old ones like I have? You get to know your usage and when the tanks are getting full. Works for me.

[mrdfred]

Add 1 cup of TSP to 1/3 tank with warm water and drive around for a few miles, agitating the tank as much as possible. Dissolve the TSP first to make a aqueous solution, then pour into drain. Read the precautions on the TSP label to be safe. TSP is a heavy duty degreaser and cleaner and should not damage any part of the system. If 1 cup per 1/3 tank doesn't work, increase the amt of TSP and try again. You can also do this in the black water tank. Some folks do this regularly as a part of routine maintenance.
Good Luck!

[windfallsp]

Originally Posted by Ponyfvr

I am getting false readings on my grey tank I just checked and it said 88% full I added a couple of gallons of water and it dropped to 66% full I have drained the tank and it seems to drain fine. My trailer is using a sea level II tank monitor.

Any Ideas

Thanks

Time to get out your SeeLevel owner's manual. (If you don't have one, they're available online at the Garnet Industries web site). Under troubleshooting, it will tell you how to test the sensors and what the error codes mean.

Calling customer service at SeeLevel is always more fruitful if you can start the conversation with error codes.

But, if you don't get any error codes, it may be a matter of the geometry of the tanks AS uses. We haven't yet found a fix for that.

Good luck!

[BDowse]

Not to be a smart aleck, but are you sure the tank monitor is calibrated? The owners manual instructs on how to accomplish this if you're not certain the sensor is in calibration with the monitor on the wall. I had to do this on our 23' and it worked. The 27 we have now seems OK

[dznf0g]

Never even a hiccup with my self installed SeeLevel system over two years. Yes, they must be calibrated, but only once, for me. And if they weren't adhered properly to the tank side, any air gap between the sensor strip and tank side will cause irratic operation.

[SeaLevel]

I've never seen ours go backwards, like from 88% to 66%, but I know from testing that the 37 gallon gray tank shows 100% full at about 23 gallons. The sensors are mounted external to the tank, and as far as I know there is no calibration possible. I believe you have to reposition the sensor, or replace it if it's bad. I plan to have ours addressed this summer under warranty.

[SeeMore]

My go-to insight... when all else fails, read the manual. You will find the appropriate one here:

https://www.garnetinstruments.com/su...ort-documents/

In the 709 model manual, Garnet mentions the following which may be a clue to your readings:

"We have had a few instances where 120VAC interference has caused the readings to stall and create a gap; readings would skip from 50% to 70% and then begin to function again. The cause was wiring between consoles and senders being tied too close to entrance boxes for shore power or bundled with other high AC voltage lines or junction boxes."

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by SeaLevel

I've never seen ours go backwards, like from 88% to 66%, but I know from testing that the 37 gallon gray tank shows 100% full at about 23 gallons. The sensors are mounted external to the tank, and as far as I know there is no calibration possible. I believe you have to reposition the sensor, or replace it if it's bad. I plan to have ours addressed this summer under warranty.

Correct, I should've been more clear. "Calibration" is placing the sensor (as well as procuring the proper length sensor strip) on the tank for the desired Full and empty readings. For example: I wanted my fresh tank to read full at 100% full and empty when there was enough water left to finish a shower before unexpectedly running out of water and sucking air. I temporarily taped the strip to the tank and filled and drained my tank to get my "scale right".

For black and gray, I wanted empty to be 100% empty and full to show when there was room left for "finishing a job" without an "overflow".

Again, mine has been flawless since installation. In addition to the mentioned EMI possibility, IIRC, there is a need to install the sensor as far away from metal chassis components as possible....I forget now...but it was several inches.

Do we trust that AS considers all these things during assembly...as well as properly cleaning the tank wall and ensuring full adhesion with the strip?????

[SeaLevel]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Correct, I should've been more clear. "Calibration" is placing the sensor (as well as procuring the proper length sensor strip) on the tank for the desired Full and empty readings. For example: I wanted my fresh tank to read full at 100% full and empty when there was enough water left to finish a shower before unexpectedly running out of water and sucking air. I temporarily taped the strip to the tank and filled and drained my tank to get my "scale right".

For black and gray, I wanted empty to be 100% empty and full to show when there was room left for "finishing a job" without an "overflow".

Again, mine has been flawless since installation. In addition to the mentioned EMI possibility, IIRC, there is a need to install the sensor as far away from metal chassis components as possible....I forget now...but it was several inches.

Do we trust that AS considers all these things during assembly...as well as properly cleaning the tank wall and ensuring full adhesion with the strip?????

I actually hadn't seen your response when posting my comments above. My calibration comment was in reference to others mentioning the ability to calibrate the system. Thanks for your clarification though, as that will help when I bring my AS in for the warranty work. I'm pretty sure they don't take the time you did to get it right.

[AstroBruce]

Originally Posted by mrdfred

Add 1 cup of TSP to 1/3 tank with warm water and drive around for a few miles, agitating the tank as much as possible. Dissolve the TSP first to make a aqueous solution, then pour into drain. Read the precautions on the TSP label to be safe. TSP is a heavy duty degreaser and cleaner and should not damage any part of the system. If 1 cup per 1/3 tank doesn't work, increase the amt of TSP and try again. You can also do this in the black water tank. Some folks do this regularly as a part of routine maintenance.
Good Luck!

My gray tank levels have been off since day one. I've cleaned the tank several times.

Bruce

[AstroBruce]

Originally Posted by SeeMore

My go-to insight... when all else fails, read the manual. You will find the appropriate one here:

https://www.garnetinstruments.com/su...ort-documents/

In the 709 model manual, Garnet mentions the following which may be a clue to your readings:

"We have had a few instances where 120VAC interference has caused the readings to stall and create a gap; readings would skip from 50% to 70% and then begin to function again. The cause was wiring between consoles and senders being tied too close to entrance boxes for shore power or bundled with other high AC voltage lines or junction boxes."

I have disconnected everything that could possibly cause interference. 120 volt, inverter, antenna booster, wifi, bluetooth, fans, lights, you name it.

Bruce

[SeeMore]

Diagnosing and offering "the cause" from a far without inspection and reading system codes for pickup sensitivity is not an optimal approach for insight. Not having an appropriate electrical meter for testing is typically a DIY impediment to successful resolution and results in a trial and error approach with accompanying frustration. It also adds to the mythology found on the forum with tales of "this worked for me" and others replying that it didn't for them.

Other issues could be partial/minor de-lamination of the strip, a small bubble under the adhesion tape, a metal component too close to the strip, or a grounding issue. Were butt or spade type connectors used? Very slight corrosion can be a contributing cause.

The same observed symptoms may have different causes for different users so only a systematic investigation of each component and elimination of various elements will reveal a solution in my experience unless you get lucky.

The tank measurement systems are finicky and many, if not most, have learned to live without dependence on them.

[Ponyfvr]

Originally Posted by BDowse

Not to be a smart aleck, but are you sure the tank monitor is calibrated? The owners manual instructs on how to accomplish this if you're not certain the sensor is in calibration with the monitor on the wall. I had to do this on our 23' and it worked. The 27 we have now seems OK

Thanks. I assume that the monitor has been calculated. The trailer is almost 2 1/2 years old and has worked fine until a week ago. When i called the sensor manufacturer they said that the sensor is probably dirty. I googled cleaning sensors and one site recommend using dishwasher detergent there are others made by TST etc that are designed to clean the tank, they all recommend putting the cleaner in the tank and driving a couple of hundred miles then drain the tank.

[AstroBruce]

Originally Posted by SeeMore

Diagnosing and offering "the cause" from a far without inspection and reading system codes for pickup sensitivity is not an optimal approach for insight. Not having an appropriate electrical meter for testing is typically a DIY impediment to successful resolution and results in a trial and error approach with accompanying frustration. It also adds to the mythology found on the forum with tales of "this worked for me" and others replying that it didn't for them.

Other issues could be partial/minor de-lamination of the strip, a small bubble under the adhesion tape, a metal component too close to the strip, or a grounding issue. Were butt or spade type connectors used? Very slight corrosion can be a contributing cause.

The same observed symptoms may have different causes for different users so only a systematic investigation of each component and elimination of various elements will reveal a solution in my experience unless you get lucky.

The tank measurement systems are finicky and many, if not most, have learned to live without dependence on them.

I have checked for error codes, checked signal strength from sensors, and checked power and ground circuits with a digital multi-meter. Everything checks out. I believe it's an installation issue that the dealer or Airstream needs to find and repair. As for "learning to live with it". I paid for it and I want it to work.

Bruce