Fresh tank at 100% after 24 hours

[s1000pre]

We are boondocking for four days. Day two, three navy showers last night 1 minute each using the aftermarket head(can’t remember name). Probably drank 1 gallon today. Toilet etc. we have been really diligent with our water consumption. This would be the first time we went this long at 100%. Thoughts? I’m wondering if we have a fresh tank monitor issue.

[mikeinca]

100% after 24 hours, 3 short showers, toilet flushing, drinking, I assume some hand washing etc. seems a little unlikely to me although if you had the tank fully topped off I suppose it's possible. I'd at least be suspicious of the monitor, which apparently you are.

Another 24 hours and you'll probably know for sure.

[s1000pre]

Mike, any ideas for the first place to look for a potential issue?

[ASWinos]

When we fill our FW tank until it overflows outside, we usually stay at 100% for a little while. I believe this is because we have filled all the hoses, etc beyond the 100% tanks. I bet it will go down soon.

[DoubleR]

Sensors do not exactly extend from the top to the bottom of the tanks. For the fresh water the sensor is normally mounted towards the bottom of the tank, to give you a better sense of running out. The black and gray tanks are just the opposite, so you get a better feel for being full.

[tbrowne]

If you don't mind my asking, which trailer are you using? I believe the 30' FC has a 54 gallon tank and should last four days at the rate you're using water. 25' International has less but it might make four days. If you are in MN then it shouldn't be too hard to obtain five gallons of water to top off the fresh water tank if you were to run out. Worry about the gauge when you get home - enjoy the trip.

[s1000pre]

Originally Posted by tbrowne

If you don't mind my asking, which trailer are you using? I believe the 30' FC has a 54 gallon tank and should last four days at the rate you're using water. 25' International has less but it might make four days. If you are in MN then it shouldn't be too hard to obtain five gallons of water to top off the fresh water tank if you were to run out. Worry about the gauge when you get home - enjoy the trip.

2021 30Bunk…probably being overly anal here. We are at a music fest with the kids. We did this 2 weeks ago and didn’t pay much attention until I saw it was at 75%ish. (No kids 2 weeks ago). More curious than anything. Like you said, if it stays at 100%, I’ll deal with it when we get home.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Exactly how is your trailer leveled?

Where are the sensors on *your* tank?

Very small changes in level can have significant impact on how the sensors do their thing. If the sensor is on a front / back surface then front / back level will matter quite a bit. How much is quite a bit? Maybe going from 60% to 90% ....

Bob

[mikeinca]

Originally Posted by s1000pre

Mike, any ideas for the first place to look for a potential issue?

I agree with a couple of the other folks who suggested to not worry about it too much. I don't know what else it could be besides the fresh water tank sensor reading incorrectly and you're not going to be able to do much about that while you're camping anyway. When you get home you can test the sensor by filling the tank gradually, like 5 gallons at a time, and see how it responds.

I always bring along an empty 5 gallon container so I can top off if necessary. You can usually find potable water unless you are really in the middle of nowhere. Depending on which trailer you brought you should either make 4 days pretty easily or with some conservation; maybe miss a shower or two.

Good luck, enjoy your trip.

[JeffE]

You might check your grey water level - if it’s quite low, maybe you just haven’t used much water.

Also, when you get near a dump, run the fresh water for awhile, and check both levels. That’ll give you a good idea if the sensors are reporting accurately.

For us, four days of usage would definitely be visible!

Jeff

[s1000pre]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

Exactly how is your trailer leveled?

Where are the sensors on *your* tank?

Very small changes in level can have significant impact on how the sensors do their thing. If the sensor is on a front / back surface then front / back level will matter quite a bit. How much is quite a bit? Maybe going from 60% to 90% ....

Bob

Level front to back, 1/2” high on the left side(drivers side). My grey is sitting at 15%. I just recalled that the shower head is an Oxygenics. We are going to take some fast showers tonight. I’ll see where I am at after that. No worries!

[nitzo]

Originally Posted by ASWinos

When we fill our FW tank until it overflows outside, we usually stay at 100% for a little while. I believe this is because we have filled all the hoses, etc beyond the 100% tanks. I bet it will go down soon.

Exactly. Ours does the same thing. Just like the older cars seemed to run a long time on full when you had just filled the gas tank, but went down really fast after that.

[ROBERT CROSS]

It usually takes us two days to get off full, there are only 4 sensors on the tank and we can usually go two days when it's empty.😂

Bob
🇺🇸

[1StreamDream]

Agree probably no concern. I’m in a very similar state right now, couple days into it all drycamping and still showing 100%. I’ve noticed in other trips if you ill the tank until water comes back at you it stays at 100 for longer than you would expect

[JonDNC]

FWIW on ours it takes a good 5+ gal of water after the sensor says 100% before it overflows the fill. We fill to that level when heading off grid.

[s1000pre]

Yup, after using 3 gallons for showers last night, it went from 100% to 80%. We arrived Thursday afternoon and heading out Saturday. We will be good to go.
Unfortunately, at 89 degrees and 90% humidity (feels like 100+ in the sun) we can’t skip the showers.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

One "simple" way to get a feel for the gauges:

Start off with an empty fresh water tank. Set the fill hose to a reasonable ( = slow ) setting. See how long it takes to fill a gallon pail at this setting. Now sit down and note times as the hose fills the tank. You can get a pretty good idea just what the various "steps" mean.

Next go to the (empty) gray tank. Hook up the city water input and use the kitchen faucet the same way. Watch the times and record the results. For added fun, watch the drain in the shower. When it backs up and pushes stinky gray water into the shower .... your tank is full. ( that last part is very much up to you ....).

For the black tank, some trailers have the bathroom sink running into the black tank (ours does). If so, same drill there. You can monitor "how full" by looking down the toilet "drain". To keep things accurate you would need to shut off the water to the toilet before doing this.

I would not count on this being an accurate estimate of how big the tanks are. It should be plenty accurate compared to the level meters.

Since the sensors are stick on items and the tanks are plastic, there can be a lot of variance between this and that install. While the "calibration" stuff above is a bit tedious, it *will* save you from various "discussions" about the tanks down the road .... I have data on this ...

Even with the data, the black tank is prone to having a "mountain" build up in it. The sensors don't really understand what's going on in this case.....

Bob