Tank sensor issue?

[switters]

On the last trip we just took, the grey and black tank sensors kept returning the exact same value. i.e. I'd press "grey", and it would say "44", then I'd press black, and it would say "44"—even if black was just 25 a few minutes before.

This happened quite a few times, and aside from it being highly unlikely, statistically, that the grey and black tanks would so often be at exactly the same level, it was also completely out of sync with what I knew to be true—the grey should have been significantly higher than the black.

Any ideas? I know in the past people have said the sensors are not that reliable and are just good for getting a rough idea, but this seems like a different issue.

[DoubleR]

Assuming that you have the SeaLevel II Tank monitors, since the reading is in percentages. Turn off the 12 volt power to the monitor and leave it off for a few minutes to reset the tank monitor system. This is similar to a computer reset.

Run the diagnostic process by pressing either the Fresh, Gray, or Black buttons on the monitor, hold it down, then press the battery button on the same panel. You should get a reading of “P” followed by a two digit number. That number should be greater than 20, per the manual. This will be followed with a “S” with a number which represents the number of segments for this monitor.

[switters]

Originally Posted by DoubleR

Assuming that you have the SeaLevel II Tank monitors, since the reading is in percentages. Turn off the 12 volt power to the monitor and leave it off for a few minutes to reset the tank monitor system. This is similar to a computer reset.

Run the diagnostic process by pressing either the Fresh, Gray, or Black buttons on the monitor, hold it down, then press the battery button on the same panel. You should get a reading of “P” followed by a two digit number. That number should be greater than 20, per the manual. This will be followed with a “S” with a number which represents the number of segments for this monitor.

Great, thanks. Is putting the trailer in "store" enough to turn off 12-volt power to the monitor, or do I need to do something else?

[AstroBruce]

I had a similar problem with gray and black readings. I would press GRAY and sometimes it would read gray and sometimes black. Same with BLACK button. After talking to a Sealevel tech, I replaced the display panel. All is good now.

Bruce

[DoubleR]

Originally Posted by switters

Great, thanks. Is putting the trailer in "store" enough to turn off 12-volt power to the monitor, or do I need to do something else?

I would pull a fuse or disconnect the battery, just to make sure. I installed a battery disconnect switch, so it’s pretty easy for me.

[Wayne&Sam]

I have the old micro pulse system that is known to be less than precise. But you learn what your habits and capacities are and it's easy to know where you are. Don't fret, enjoy the camping.

[switters]

Yeah, in this case, it was more of a curiosity. I was with my 9-year old daughter boondocking for 4 days in southern Utah and I knew from experience that we wouldn't get close to filling up the grey or black tank. We used paper plates and didn't wash many dishes, and we didn't take showers (we used full body wipes instead). We could have been out for another 2-3 days pretty easily.

But in other situations, it is helpful to have at least a fairly accurate tank reading. I'll see what happens on the next trip. I dumped the grey and black tanks when we got home yesterday, so they are both (appropriately) reading zero right now. Hard to test that way.