Waste tank sensors

[Foldbak]

After watching the Kleen Tanks video. https://kleentank.com/
I recently started to back flush my tanks using their process. I have a tote that I drain into my septic clean out. Even though I've been able to thoroughly clean the tanks to clear water, the indicators still don't work. They are stuck on 3/4 full. My service writer told me to try Dawn soap.

I back filled my black tank using a flow meter to 90% full and added about a 1/4 cup of dawn in the toilet. Let it sit for an hour and dumped. I did a second water only flush through the back flush valve with 25 gallons and dumped. I got a lot of suds but my black tank indicators are now working. I did the same to my galley tank filling through the sink. All indicators are working!

I'm not using any tank additives. I'm using Kleen Tanks mixture of Pine-sol and Calgon bath beads. I think I'll add dawn soap prior to dumping going forward to see how that works. Thoughts?

[mlh]

If that works why try anything else. What ever works without wasting your money.
Lynwood

[Mikendebbie]

I need the pinesol/calgon recipe…can you post the portions?

[MandK]

Originally Posted by Mikendebbie

I need the pinesol/calgon recipe…can you post the portions?

I use the kleen Tank recipe. It’s cheaper than tank additive, no odor.
Sensors still don’t work, I’m used to it now. YMMV

Here you go.

[Mikendebbie]

Thanks!

[Foldbak]

I just added Dawn dish soap to the inventory. Prior to dumping I'll add to the tanks, let sit and dump. Fingers crossed!

[bshgto]

Originally Posted by Foldbak

I just added Dawn dish soap to the inventory. Prior to dumping I'll add to the tanks, let sit and dump. Fingers crossed!

Such a waste of time and effort. Just put in the SeeLevel tank monitor system Easy enough, use the existing wires, never fails to read correctly, no maintenance. Odors, use more water per flush empty tank more often, don`t care what the temperature always works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-njnZ80ngA&t=5s

[Foldbak]

Originally Posted by bshgto

Such a waste of time and effort. Just put in the SeeLevel tank monitor system Easy enough, use the existing wires, never fails to read correctly, no maintenance. Odors, use more water per flush empty tank more often, don`t care what the temperature always works.

Thought about it but that's way more work then I want to do.

[AZ Traveler]

Agree it's a waste of time. Just tape over the indicators and dump once a week.

[Gonefishing]

There are plenty of posts on this site about tank sensors. They all are about the same they do not work.

[bshgto]

Originally Posted by Foldbak

Thought about it but that's way more work then I want to do.

Well, I guess you`ll just have to live with the hassle, and frustration, not to mention people complaining about the odors.

[Creeker]

The only one I even remotely care about is fresh water. Thankfully, in all of our campers, this one usually works. I know the level of our waste tanks simply based on how many days since we last dumped. No worries about tank sensors for us.

[Gonefishing]

I gave up on the tank’s sensor. I dump every 3-4 days and flush them out every 2nd dump. I’m on a permanent site and don’t worry about them. The sensors never work correctly.

[BuckandTeresa]

Someone here gave a good tip if you don’t trust your sensors. Once they heard a burp when they started the flush, they knew the waste level had risen enough to cover the gas vent outlet, and it was time to dump.

[Playhouse]

I love how much voodoo surrounds this topic (not just here, but on most RV forums). But I enjoy seeing people come up with systems that work for them, as long as they aren't superstitious enough to throw virgins into volcanoes.

I quit using liquid chemicals and chemical packets years ago.

My method:

1. Dump the black tank with a clear fitting so you can see what's coming out. (Dumping is boring, so why not give yourself something to look at.)
2. Close the black tank valve and run the black tank flush for about four minutes. I try to run it for five minutes, but I always chicken out and open the valve after four minutes so I don't overflow into the bathroom.
3. Open the valve and leave the flush running until the contents run clear (no more chunks or wads of TP).
4. Close the black valve and keep running the black tank flush for a few moments to add a few gallons back to the tank.
5. Pour about a half cup of blue Dawn detergent and a half cup of liquic Calgon into the toilet.

The water in the tank, the surfactant in the Dawn, and the lube in the Calgon should help keep your sensors clean when you drive around to your next campsite.

[pitman44]

We didn't have great luck with Kleen Tank's method as far as our sensors go. Not too worried about the sensors. But I do like to have the tank as clean as possible. Then I happened across a few mentions of a product called Liquified. I also saw a pretty decent test of Kleen Tank's method and Liquified. I decided to give Liquified a shot. I haven't used it enough to feel I can recommend it, but the test I saw, along with other reviews like Todd's Two Minute Tuesday (which never 2 minutes lol) convinced me to at least try it. Here's a link to that test.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsLpaJqaWpI

[Pburger]

Tank sensors are always iffy. But the black tank in my opinion should be treated like a septic tank. I like the See Level for reliability. Things like dawn, pinesol, etc kill the good bacteria that I want to keep. I use Just Science in my black tank to maintain the good bacteria in both grey and black tanks.

[Playhouse]

Originally Posted by Pburger

Tank sensors are always iffy. But the black tank in my opinion should be treated like a septic tank. I like the See Level for reliability. Things like dawn, pinesol, etc kill the good bacteria that I want to keep. I use Just Science in my black tank to maintain the good bacteria in both grey and black tanks.

That's interesting. I disagree (very respectfully) and believe that the black tank isn't the same as a septic tank. It's an interesting idea though, and I wonder if the True/False part of that is actually case-by-case. In other words, can your black tank behave like a septic tank and mine not?

Maybe the answer depends on how long you go between dumping and how thoroughly you clean the tank when you dump.

I bake a lot of bread at home, so I think of the cultures involved in rising dough and even in a sourdough starter. Those cultures need time and they need to be relatively undisturbed.

Similarly with my black tank I dump it out every few days and I run the black tank flush to clean it every time I dump. The waste doesn't sit in the tank long enough to really break down like a septic tank, and hopefully flushing it out doesn't leave enough of a starter culture to encourage it to behave like a septic tank.

[AZ Traveler]

Originally Posted by Playhouse

That's interesting. I disagree (very respectfully) and believe that the black tank isn't the same as a septic tank. It's an interesting idea though, and I wonder if the True/False part of that is actually case-by-case. In other words, can your black tank behave like a septic tank and mine not?

Maybe the answer depends on how long you go between dumping and how thoroughly you clean the tank when you dump.

I bake a lot of bread at home, so I think of the cultures involved in rising dough and even in a sourdough starter. Those cultures need time and they need to be relatively undisturbed.

Similarly with my black tank I dump it out every few days and I run the black tank flush to clean it every time I dump. The waste doesn't sit in the tank long enough to really break down like a septic tank, and hopefully flushing it out doesn't leave enough of a starter culture to encourage it to behave like a septic tank.

Agree. Your tank gets dumped every week or so. It is not going to act like a septic tank.

[DutchmenSport]

That video is great! Between the KleenTank video and this one, wow! I've been doing back-flushing with my gray water tank since my first camper, some 30 years ago, so I guess I had it right all this time. Back flushing works. It DOES remove "stuff" that just sits on the bottom after the first dump, and the first dump NEVER removed everything.

Now, for those who feel an RV holding tank is the same as a septic tank. Well, sorry, but you are wrong. And RV holding tank is not a septic tank. (well, maybe it can be if you dump only the one time.... and here's why).

First, a septic tank is made to always hold water. When solids and water flow into a septic tank, the solids and liquids separate. Solids will settle to the bottom and liquids will float to the top, and when the water level gets high enough, will flow out a hole and into a leaching field.

Second, all that stuff that settles into the bottom form a "sludge" and that sludge is necessary to form the necessary bacteria to dissolve that "sludge". Some of that sludge will eventually rise as it completely liquifies and will eventually flow out the exit pipe and into the leaching field.

When the bacteria does not grow fast enough, or too much solid is added to the tank too fast, the sludge level will grow higher and higher until it becomes necessary to pump it out.

This is NOT how a RV holding tank works. A holding tank is just that ... it "holds" the contents until it's dumped out.

Now, if you dump and leave all that sludge in the bottom of your tank, well ... maybe then you might have a septic tank going on there. But, if that were the case, then you could simply leave your black tank valve open all the time. What happens if you do? Well, you get the poop pyramid, your tank fills up with solids and then you have a completely clogged and useless holding tank. Does that sound like the functionality of a septic tank? Not hardly.

Um..... and on edit: one more comment: About those tank sensors .... Again, I'm tooting my horn..... if you eliminate toilet paper from your black tank mix, your sensors will will work. Install a Bidet, eliminate the TP and your sensors will work. I've not had any issues with my black tank sensors at all since I installed the Bidet. No TP goes down the toidy!