Tank sensors October 31, 2025, 06:16:03 pm My tank sensor light readout does not work. All tanks show "empty" regardless of what is in them (with the exception of the propane tank light, which reads inaccurately anyway - at least the tank gauge works splendidly!).I've used various tank "cleaners" (with the exception of fresh water tank), still to no avail. Any suggestions/recommendations on how to get them working again? Is it a matter of rewiring new sensors all the way around or rewiring the display? We've been fortunate that in boondocking, we're able to go about 10 days before requiring dump & refill but that is also carrying 10+ gallons of fresh water in 1 gallon jugs for cooking and COFFEE!It's the black tank I'm most concerned with as well as fresh H2O...TIABill
Re: Tank sensors Reply #1 – October 31, 2025, 07:50:32 pm The holding tanks develop coatings that prevent the sensors from working.One possible cure is using a septic tank enzymes to ‘eat’ the coatings.Flush the tanks well and then refill the holding tanks with fresh water and then add a packet of septic tank enzyme to each holding tank and let them set for a week or longer. After sitting, dump and refill the tanks to see if the enzymes cleaned the metal pins in the tank.https://www.homedepot.com/p/Green-Gobbler-Septic-Tank-Treatment-Pods-G0017A6/206337694The sensing pins are built into the tanks and cannot be replaced. Cleaning is the only cure to make the Factory tank level sensors work again.Another way to proceed is the installation of a See Level tank sensor kit, it measures the levels and provide a readout in percentages. I installed See Level sensor in our LD over 25 years ago and they still work fine and accurately.This model See Level is what I have used in many installs, it reads the fresh water, gray and black tank levels, along with the propane level.https://www.etrailer.com/Smart-RV/SeeLeveL/SE59VR.htmlSeeLevel tank monitor | FlickrLarry 1 Likes
Re: Tank sensors Reply #2 – October 31, 2025, 09:59:31 pm Quote from: Larry W - October 31, 2025, 07:50:32 pmThe holding tanks develop coatings that prevent the sensors from working.One possible cure is using a septic tank enzymes to ‘eat’ the coatings.Flush the tanks well and then refill the holding tanks with fresh water and then add a packet of septic tank enzyme to each holding tank and let them set for a week or longer. After sitting, dump and refill the tanks to see if the enzymes cleaned the metal pins in the tank.https://www.homedepot.com/p/Green-Gobbler-Septic-Tank-Treatment-Pods-G0017A6/206337694The sensing pins are built into the tanks and cannot be replaced. Cleaning is the only cure to make the Factory tank level sensors work again.Another way to proceed is the installation of a See Level tank sensor kit, it measures the levels and provide a readout in percentages. I installed See Level sensor in our LD over 25 years ago and they still work fine and accurately.This model See Level is what I have used in many installs, it reads the fresh water, gray and black tank levels, along with the propane level.https://www.etrailer.com/Smart-RV/SeeLeveL/SE59VR.htmlSeeLevel tank monitor | FlickrLarry —-Thanks, Larry. Any suggestions for the fresh water tank sensors?
Re: Tank sensors Reply #3 – November 01, 2025, 12:21:41 am Ah, it sounds like there may be an electical failure, the fresh water sensors are not subjexted to accumulating coatings.There may not be any power going to the sensor's circuit. Have you checked the fuse powering the readouts in the panel.Larry 1 Likes
Re: Tank sensors Reply #4 – November 01, 2025, 12:49:58 am The See Level sensor system that Larry mentions offers multiple benefits:Sensors are adhered to the exterior of each plastic tank, which makes them much less susceptible to fouling like the factory sensors (which are simply screws through the tank wall).The readings have resolution of 3% (10x finer than factory). This finer resolution helps me project how long until I need to refill fresh water or dump the other tanks.The readings can be viewed on a smart phone app over bluetooth. I use this feature when filling the fresh water tank, so I can stop at 95% to avoid sloshing out the vent when driving.The propane tank level uses the existing tank factory sensor, which the See Level digitizes and displays just like the three plastic tank sensors. 3 Likes
Re: Tank sensors Reply #5 – November 01, 2025, 10:15:40 am Quote from: Larry W - November 01, 2025, 12:21:41 amAh, it sounds like there may be an electical failure, the fresh water sensors are not subjexted to accumulating coatings.There may not be any power going to the sensor's circuit. Have you checked the fuse powering the readouts in the panel.Larry. Fuse is OK however, I haven't yet checked out any of the wiring, will need to get out the VOM. Since we have been relying on "guesstimates" on levels based on experience, the display hasn't been an urgent problem but it certainly would be more reassuring to have it working in the long run.The See Level system sounds like the route to go. Will investigate further.Appreciate the advice, Larry and Keith!-Bill
Re: Tank sensors Reply #6 – November 01, 2025, 10:25:16 am Hi Bill. I've been considering the See-Level system as well but the originals still work well. I've never worried much about the propane as it's easy to go out and look at the tank gauge.Lots of videos on YouTube. Be sure to report back if you make the switch!https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=see+level+tank+sensor+installation 1 Likes
Re: Tank sensors Reply #7 – November 01, 2025, 12:00:39 pm Quote from: HiLola - November 01, 2025, 10:25:16 amHi Bill. I've been considering the See-Level system as well but the originals still work well. I've never worried much about the propane as it's easy to go out and look at the tank gauge.Lots of videos on YouTube. Be sure to report back if you make the switch!https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=see+level+tank+sensor+installationThank you for the link! The selection tool on the Garnet site gives some pretty good instruction, also. -Bill 1 Likes
Re: Tank sensors Reply #8 – November 01, 2025, 07:51:16 pm The hardest part of a See Level installation is mounting the readout panel.. The three tank sensors use a common two-wire bus (also known as a CAN Bus) to connect them to the panel. Each tank has a stick-on strip that contains the electronics that communicate the tank levels with digital signals through the bus line.The panel receives its power and propane tank level information from the Factory tank read-outs panel, above the stove.Larry 2 Likes
Re: Tank sensors Reply #9 – November 01, 2025, 08:40:02 pm Quote from: Larry W - November 01, 2025, 07:51:16 pmThe hardest part of a See Level installation is the mounting the readout panel.. Does this hold for tanks with spray-on insulation? I've always held off on a See Level install b/c I didn't want to mess with scraping insulation. Rich
Re: Tank sensors Reply #10 – November 01, 2025, 08:54:51 pm On my website, you can find an illustrated description of mounting SeeLevel sensors on my 2003 Lazy Daze's black and gray tanks, including scraping off a strip of the foam insulation. Yes, it was a nuisance, but considering the benefits of the SeeLevel system, absolutely worth it in my opinion. 3 Likes
Re: Tank sensors Reply #11 – November 01, 2025, 09:03:41 pm Quote from: rich - November 01, 2025, 08:40:02 pmDoes this hold for tanks with spray-on insulation? The spray insulation will need to be removed for the 2" wide sensor strips on the black and gray tanks., The sensor strips must be in direct contact with the tank. It's a pain to remove but doable. The sensor strips have a peel-off adhesive. I recommend taping the strips to the tanks while adjusting the tank sensors to read either empty or full, before permanently using the adhesive to glue the strips. Most or all of this information is available on Garnet's website or on YouTube.Larry 2 Likes
Re: Tank sensors Reply #12 – November 02, 2025, 11:42:52 am Quote from: Larry W - November 01, 2025, 07:51:16 pmThe hardest part of a See Level installation is the mounting the readout panel.. The three tank sensors use a common two-wire bus (also known as a CAN Bus) to connect them to the panel. Each tank has a stick-on strip that contains the electronics that communicate the tank levels with digital signals through the bus line.The panel receives its power and propane tank level information from the Factory tank read-outs panel, above the stove.Larry. Yep... the wiring looks like it's going to be a bugger to do. Is it possible to use the existing black/grey/fresh tank wiring (if in good shape), vs. rewiring with new wire? Seems it would be easy to simply mount the new panel by the old one and just re-patch the new connections.-Bill
Re: Tank sensors Reply #13 – November 02, 2025, 12:22:20 pm Quote from: Jaxon - November 02, 2025, 11:42:52 amYep... the wiring looks like it's going to be a bugger to do. Is it possible to use the existing black/grey/fresh tank wiring (if in good shape), vs. rewiring with new wire? Seems it would be easy to simply mount the new panel by the old one and just re-patch the new connections.This has been thought of before. While using the original wiring sounds good, you need to run a fresh pair of wires. All the sensors need to be wired through the same two wires. Bus systems need to be wired this way. The Factory sensors are left untouched and their wiring intact. The Factory tanks sensors use the frame for grounding; the See Level sensors need their own ground wire for the tank sensorsYou can use a two-wire lamp cord. When installing See Levels, I use a two-wire outdoor lighting wire due to its tough rubber coating, but as long as the wires are secured and protected, lamp cord is fine. I use plastic split wire loom to protect exposed wiring, clamped down every foot or so.Amazon.com : plastic wire loom - split flex tubingThe propane tank has its own float sensor, the same as what is used in the gas tank, and requires one wire; this connection can be found in the factory tank readout above the stove. I installed many See Levels and found the yellow wire on the plug for the Factory LED tank lights printed circuit board was the correct wire to connect to.Larry 2 Likes
Re: Tank sensors Reply #14 – November 02, 2025, 03:41:40 pm I wanted to keep the LD display panel the same, except for using the SeeLevel display in place of the LD sensor display.As mentioned, I also ran new wire pairs to the SeeLevel sensors (fresh, black and grey tanks).I used the wires from the old display to carry the new signals up to the SeeLevel display panel.The result is that it was completely plug-and-play, that is, no cutting and splicing required, and completely reversible.Pictures provided on request.Mark H. 1 Likes
Re: Tank sensors Reply #15 – November 02, 2025, 05:25:29 pm Thanks, Mark. Messaged you with my email address.Dang, Larry…. Thought that would have been too easy to use old wiring…-Bill
Re: Tank sensors Reply #16 – November 03, 2025, 10:55:59 am Great conversation. My issue has been for awhile, the black tank shows full and the rest of the indicators are working fine. I have done much flushing and used cleaning solutions. Warm water, cold water. Still no worky. Wiring on the outside of the tank still looks all intact. I havent tried the enzyme treatment Larry mentioned above. I will order some of that up. I got an endoscope to maybe get some idea of what the inside looks like. Still learning how to operate it properly. Good thing I am not a gastro doctor.ThanksRandy 1 Likes
Re: Tank sensors Reply #17 – November 06, 2025, 04:39:29 pm Going to go out and measure tank size for the sensors in the next few days then order the whole shebang…. Have a friend here who is well versed in RV mods. Will update as things progress (thanks to LD forums help!). May go camping at Indian Breadrock tho’ first)…😎 2 Likes
Re: Tank sensors Reply #18 – November 06, 2025, 05:14:03 pm Looking forward to it. Sure would like to know what the level is. 1 Likes
Re: Tank sensors Reply #19 – November 06, 2025, 06:21:42 pm Hi Randy; Yes the MidBath is hard to determine the level of contents in the tank. The toilet drops contents into an almost sideways pipe into the tank. If your wiring is intact as you say, you can measure the resistance with a DMM between the bottom probe wire and the other screws (Probes sticking out into the tank), higher up. The resistance should be higher on the uncovered upper probe to ground. If there isn't any liquid in the tank the resistances on each probe to ground should be nearly the same. Looking at the color of those wires, you should find those same wires grouped near each other up where the readout is. 'Full" corresponds to a nearly shorted top sensor wire to ground. Maybe that wire is (nearly) shorted somewhere on it's way to the readout. My model has the toilet directly over the tank. (T/K 23.5') That makes it easy to see what room is left in the tank. The bad news is my black tank is about 18 gallons, not the 28 gal. that later T/K's had. Different chassis, different tanks. RonB 2 Likes
Re: Tank sensors Reply #20 – November 06, 2025, 10:20:39 pm Quote from: RonB - November 06, 2025, 06:21:42 pm My model has the toilet directly over the tank. (T/K 23.5') That makes it easy to see what room is left in the tank. The bad news is my black tank is about 18 gallons, not the 28 gal. that later T/K's had. Different chassis, different tanks. RonBLD's spec sheets were wrong for the T/K's black and gray tank capacities for many years. I have no idea why the lie continued for so long. I had a few friends were were not happy about the low tank capacities and how soon they needed to dump. How hard would it have been to correct the spec sheet? They updated the prices every year.Larry
Re: Tank sensors Reply #21 – November 09, 2025, 09:50:01 pm I've got my black tank always "full"... I'm going to try those enzyme packs. I'll report back
Re: Tank sensors Reply #22 – November 10, 2025, 01:47:25 pm Welcome to the Forum!Not knowing what part of the country you live in, the enzymes work best in warm weather.Make sure the tank(s) are completely full of water, then let them sit for a week or longer, especially if it's getting cold where you live. While it is still warm in SoCal, the Midwest is getting its first blast of winter weather.Larry 1 Likes
Re: Tank sensors Reply #23 – November 14, 2025, 09:16:11 pm I live in Georgia, and just took over possession of my parents' rig #2285. Dad passed away 22 years ago, and mom has been having trouble driving. Couple that with California's oppressive smog regulations and high registration fees, it was time for the Lazy Daze to come home with me and I'm planning to put it to good use. It's got some exterior cosmetic issues and a few fiddly things like the black tank gauge, but mechanically it's sound and it made the 2400 mile trip with no issues at all. I'll figure out which subforum to post in with some of the details of my trip... Meanwhile, this weekend I'll be doing a little maintenance on the RV and start getting it ready for our first family trip in a couple of weeks. 6 Likes
Re: Tank sensors Reply #24 – November 15, 2025, 03:45:19 pm Your dad, also known as Crabby, was a great, friendly guy. He was the club's photographer for years.He took the photo my wife and I when we first joined the LD Caravan Club in 2003.Your mom is known as Mother Nature, she often led nature walks at the Caravans. She is a kick.Your father kept the rig spotless and well waxed; it has not had the attention it needed since his passing, your work is cut out for you.The old Chevy-based LDs have carburetors that are difficult to pass the smog test, very few mechanics have a clue about how to work on them, and parts are hard to come by, if available at all. Most rigs your age have been sent to the crusher a long time ago.Have fun.Larry 1 Likes
Topic: Tank sensors (Read 1085 times)
previous topic - next topic
Topic: Tank sensors (Read 1085 times)
previous topic - next topic