How can I get an ACCURATE reading on the grey water tanks?

[colbyscameron]

I have a 2650RK and after one reasonably short shower, grey tank #2 reads 2/3 full. This simply cannot be. I'm headed out on a 1 month road trip in a few weeks and wondering if there's something I can do to more accurately monitor the tank levels on the road. Any suggestions?

[BabyBober]

Well you can spend several hundred and put in a new system like this. https://www.garnetinstruments.com/pr...-tank-monitor/ Personally all I really care about is a rough approximation. Here is what I did (granted I am anal and wanted to know). I filled the gray tank to the "max". Water just coming up in the drain in the shower. I ran the shower and monitored it till I was there. I then took a 5 gallon bucket (marked in 1 gal increments). Started draining as the wife monitored the panel. I can get about 12 gallons past the "full light". If you track how many gallons come out at the change of each light and how many gallons in total the tank handles you can get a feel of what you have. Remember these are nothing more then metal sensors stuck into the side of the tank and if you are not level front to back or side to side it will change your reading.

Jim

[jmbopp]

Someplace in my notes I recall having 6 gallons or so left between the "full" light coming on and the shower not draining.

To stretch my fresh water I 1) put a shut-off valve on the vent line under the trailer and 2) T'd off the drain line and ran the pump winterization pickup to the T. There's about 6 gallons of water left in the bottom of the tank when the pump runs out, this gives me an emergency reserve if I flip the pump to "winterize."
The valve on the vent line lets me cram a few more gallons into the tank. Caution - the vent on the gravity fill isn't connected on mine but there's enough air leakage around the cap to vent the tank. Once I use a few gallons I open the tank vent valve.

[colbyscameron]

Interesting ideas. I appreciate it, Gentlemen...

[Second Chance]

We don't use the level indicators any more - they don't tell us anything, anyway. As full-timers, we've learned how many days we can go on both the gray and black tanks and, if we're someplace long enough to warrant it, dump on a schedule. When we're on the move - like we are this week - I dump as we hit the road in the morning. When we're doing our version of "dry camping" (meaning no sewer for us), I fill up the fresh water tank and we use the pump from that. Diverting some of the fresh water to the toilet for flushing, we know we won't fill up the gray tanks from the fresh water tank. We also go to disposable plates and bowls to minimize dish washing. When the fresh tank is empty, it's time to both dump waste tanks and refill the fresh tank. Well be doing it that way for the next 10 days in the Chattanooga area...

Rob

[colbyscameron]

Great advise, Rob! What did you do in the Army? I'm 8 years into my career right now and RVing has become my routine post-deployment detox, but we look forward to full-timing once I retire.

2 more questions: Does anyone know if the bathroom sink in the 2650RK drains into the black tank, or the same tank as the shower? In the event that we take 1 to many showers and it fills right up to the tub, does that damage anything? At the end of the day, that's probably the only way you'd know you're completely full...

[jmbopp]

The sink and shower should dump into the forward gray tank. And it shouldn't hurt anything (assuming you don't have a leak in the drain line) to let the the gray tank fill so the shower won't empty.

[BabyBober]

The sink and shower should dump into the forward gray tank. And it shouldn't hurt anything (assuming you don't have a leak in the drain line) to let the the gray tank fill so the shower won't empty.

Well it does get a bit messy when you go over the speed bumps on the way to the dump station...

[Second Chance]

Great advise, Rob! What did you do in the Army? I'm 8 years into my career right now and RVing has become my routine post-deployment detox, but we look forward to full-timing once I retire.

Nurse Corps 27 yrs. Then a 21-year civilian career. "Caution: objects in the mirror may older than they appear." Hang in there... only 12 more to go!

I don't know what the tank sizes on the Image TTs are, but someone else on the forum measured (yes, with 5 gallon buckets) and had about 12 gallons gray capacity left after the full light came on. Even when they're working, the indicator lights aren't accurate.

Rob