#2 Gray Tank (Kitchen) Won't drain completely..

[TXBobcat]

Just the other day I tried to drain my tanks and the #2 Tank which holds the kitchen water would not go down below 2/3's. I know the sensor is working because I can put in about two sinks of water and it will show full. I drain it and it goes down to 2/3's. I traveled 335 miles today and went to try and drain the tank and nothing came out when I pulled the drain lever.

Has anyone had a similar problem? If so what did you have to do to correct the problem.

I am going to be at Hard Labor Creek State Park near Rutledge GA. Is there a good place in the neighborhood to get the repairs done. I will be there on Monday evening.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

 

[Barry & Alana]

I would probably think (just like ours) thaat its the sensors that are not working probably. We can drain everything, and the monitor still shows levels in the tanks. Some days it fine other days its not.


Maybe someone else has some ideas also to help you.

 

[TXBobcat]

Thank you for your post, but when I added the water from both sides of the kitchen sink the sensor goes up to full. When I drain it, it goes only down to 2/3's again. The amount of water that comes out is about the same as what was in the sink. If the tank was empty the sensor would not go to full on a single kitchen sink full of water, it would take a lot more water to get the sensor to go from 2/3 to full.

 

[HappyKayakers]

A few thoughts Bob. First, have you tried letting the water run in the sink until it starts backing up? Then you'll really know the tank is full. Do you have a clear elbow on your sewer pipe? Then you can see how much is draining out and how fast. If it's not gushing out, I would suspect a hairball or cutout is blocking the pipe somewhere. Or possibly your gate valve isn't opening all the way. FWIW, my sensors usually read about 2/3 and I leave the gray valves open most of the time.

 

[Jimmyt5]

My black tank shows 2/3 full when empty, and then shows full after about one day. I have put water in till it came up in the bowel and it still showed the same....

 

[TXBobcat]

HappyKayakers thanks for the reply..
No I haven't filled the sink up till it backs up into the sink. A little concerned that if it wouldn't drain I would have a more difficult problem.

Yes.. I do have a clear elbow and I can see the water flow out of the sewer pipe. It is a slow and shallow flow. We have the screens on the Kitchen Sink drain to catch as much debris as we can and I think we do pretty well. I think my sensors are working properly. I am thinking that something is blocking the drain, such as a cutout. Can't figure why it lets the top 1/3 drain then stops. the gate should be opening enough to allow the tank to drain even if it was only open a small amount, the tank would fully drain but slowly.

I would be intrested in someone that had dropped the the tank.

Thanks for your information.
BC

 

[DougLynne]

You might try putting blocks under the door side tires to raise the trailer and see if it drains any more, puts a little slope towards the drain. The tanks are quite flat but you should get more that 2/3 thats for sure. Our grey didn't drain properly until we had the valve fixed at the rally this spring.../Doug

 

[Ricky Albertson]

I was wondering if he was to put a flushing attachment on drain pipe and backwash grey tank would this release whatever is blocking. Never tried this on grey myself but never had blocked grey either.

 

[elwaller39]

I think you may have even a hair hung up on the the senser and will cause your problem. Try filling 3/4 full and drive a number of miles than drain and see what happens. This has worked for us. Sensers are not the best thing that is being used but that is the best they have as yet.

 

[Delaine and Lindy]

Have owned 4 5th wheels and none of the sensors ever really worked right. GBY....

 

[Jimmyt5]

A friend of mine with SOB had a piece of cut out from the tank that the worker left in, slowing his down.

Jim

 

[TXBobcat]

An update to the problem with my #2 Gray water tank.
I was ready to go to a local RV dealer to check out why I could not drain my tank. After encouragement from a friend, we ran a water hose into the cabin of the trailer and ran water down the kitchen drain. I was truly surprised as I ran water down the drain. I held the hose in the drain for so long I kept looking around to see if water was draining out somewhere. The only place I saw that the water might come out is the pipe under the sink which has a spring (I could see the spring in the top of the pipe) inside it. After quite some time I gave up filling up the tank. We took a 22 gallon and 10 gallon blue tanks and drained the #2 gray tank. It filled the 10 gal and the majority of the 22 gal tank. It looks like the problem is a sensor. I still can not understand how a sensor would show a tank being 2/3 full and when adding a couple of sinks of water the sensor shows a full tank when the tank is actually empty.

I was originally concerned that filling my sink until the water fills up into the sink. I was sure water would run into the trailer somewhere. During this problem I contacted my Bighorn dealer and he told me the system was sealed and the pipe with the spring in it was used to allow air into the gray tank when it is drained but to close if water were to back up into the sink.

So I wish to thank everyone that responded to this thread. You actually gave me the solution even though I could not understand it. This is why a forum like this one is so valuable to us that travel and have limited knowledge about our RV units.

 

[ChopperBill]

Bob get some of the Five Star Happy Camper Extreme cleaner and follow the directions. It will clean your sensors. Have to warn you it wont last forever because it doesnt take much grease or such to foul them up again.

 

[Brent Hughes]

I agreed with most replies, These sensors are not fool prove and I leave my drains on the 1 and 2 open all the time. No problems todate

But my black tank does seems to flake out or something

Showing two thirds full after holding and draining , Then it will show empty other times. Allways thought it just needed a good washing for paper etc off the sensors
also have wondered if it was plugging a little.

Does anybody know the design of the black tank washing system?

Brent

 

[jayc]

I don't know of a gray water flush system, but was wondering if the GEO method wouldn't work. Just add a couple of capfuls of Calgon water softener to five-eitht gallons of water when you leave on your next trip. Let this solution slosh around in the tank and thoroughly cover and hopefully clean the sensors. The Calgon should theoretically coat the sensors to keep the "gunk" off them and make them read properly again.

 

[jpmorgan37]

Bob;

The Calgon is great for helping to keep the sensors working, but to cut the grease or whatever is coating them, I've found that if you add 1/4 cup of Original Dawn dish detergent to the 10 gallons of water, and then drive for about an hour, it will usually clean them. The Calgon will help to keep more stuff from sticking to them.

It works for me.

John

 

[leftyf]

JP, is there ANYTHING you don't know? I keep getting impressed.

Dawn is what we used to wash our cats in before cat shows...cleans all the grease off. We won a couple of Best of Shows because of dear old Dawn.

 

[Jimmyt5]

Not to steal anyones thunder, Dawn was used to clean the birds in Alaska after the big oil spill......


Jim

 

[leftyf]

That's right Jimmy...who's idea do you think it was?

I lived in Seward and have family in Valdez.

 

[creeper]

Dawn has so many uses, it is without doubt the best for grease cutting. It's also used to strip cars before detailing.

Our previous Class A the sensors went crazy for a long time. Always read 2/3 full. Did the GEO method and all the sensors started working. That's all I use now.