Black Tank Just Shows Empty

[SeattleLion]

We just finished our second weekend trip with our new Bighorn 3160EL. On the first trip, the black tank showed 1/3 full at the end of the weekend. This made sense since there are just two of us. It took a lot of rinsing to get the reading down to empty. It was clearly toilet paper stuck on the sensor; not a new problem for us. This time the tank showed empty, but I dumped anyway and it was about 1/3 full. I then closed the valve and let the rinse put water in the tank so I could give it a good rinse. I know it takes around 5 minutes to fill the tank. After 3 minutes, the gauge still showed empty. I stopped filling and dumped. It was about 2/3 of the tank.

I know the usual problem is that sensors get stuff on them and show more than is actually in the tank. I have the opposite. The tank shows empty. Any thoughts? Bear in mind that the light on the panel lights up at "E" so apparently there is some signal coming from the sensors.

 

[danemayer]

If the coach is not level, the readings will be off.

 

[SeattleLion]

We have "Level Up" and the coach was level.

 

[greatwhitenorth]

Sounds like a case for using the very limited warranty that RV's come with

 

[JohnD]

Might just have something stuck on the sensor making it read empty.

Perhaps the old bag of ice and 10 gallons of water in the tank then drive and hit the brakes a few times trick will loosen it up.

 

[JohnDar]

Sounds more like the sensors aren't connected, rather than crud on them. Normal malfunction is to read full, no matter how clean the tank is. Depending on your layout, you might be able to at least see the sensors on the side of the tank by removing the basement wall or dropping the coroplast a bit.

 

[SeattleLion]

Sounds more like the sensors aren't connected, rather than crud on them. Normal malfunction is to read full, no matter how clean the tank is. Depending on your layout, you might be able to at least see the sensors on the side of the tank by removing the basement wall or dropping the coroplast a bit.

That's what I think too. They worked on our first trip out. I will add them to my warranty problem list.

 

[sengli]

we dont ever put any solids including TP.... in our black tank, and it always shows 1/3 full. Was at a SOB factory tour the other day and they have ultrasonic sendors now for the tanks that are very accurate.

 

[SeattleLion]

we dont ever put any solids including TP.... in our black tank, and it always shows 1/3 full. Was at a SOB factory tour the other day and they have ultrasonic sendors now for the tanks that are very accurate.

Betweem the black tank flush and making sure that all toilet paper is soaked before flushing, we have had no trouble avoiding the 1/3 full issue. If there are now ultrasonic sensors (we have a 2014 built in Jaunuary), the our issue is a bad connection somewhere.