Grey tank sensor.

[Perry White]

I'm at my wits end. Can't get thru to Newmar on the phone(always busy today). Would anyone with an '06 Essex know where the grey tank sensor is and how to get at it? Dry camped this weekend in French Lick Indiana and reads "O". Don't want to wait for the shower to fill up to know when full. Bleached, Dawned, Hot watered the tank and still "O",

OH NUTS

["007"]

Perry, are you sure the tank adjustment is correctly adjusted?
Here is a thread to adjust both types of calibrations that Newmar has for holding tanks.
Your Gray tank maybe between your chassis rails, I have never looked for mine and have not even notice it with a view, I have a gas coach.
You may have a side panel that might come off to observe but if between rails I doubt it.

[Mr_D]

On our two Dutch Stars the tanks are behind the pegboard panel opposite the wet bay (curbside). Looked at some Essex's but not enough to remember where they are. You have to remove the pegboard panel and all the tanks are there (on the two DSDP's we've had).

[Perry White]

Tanks run from one side to the other. Black and grey tanks sit beside each other and are on top of the fresh water. The tanks are molded like a W and they fit up into the frame rails. I can see the probe for the fresh because it is below the rails. The other two are close to being against the floor. I have the E-plex system. They have to be on the water door side and that's all paneled up with the filters and controls. I just thought maybe someone has been thru this before.

[charlie hamby]

Perry,
Have you checked eplex to see if module for sensors is missing?

[Iron Man]

The grey tank is the back tank, the black tank is the front tank. I just helped a friend replace the black tank sensor. To get to the sensor you will have to remove the water bay panel. The sensor is screwed into the top of the tank and will have 2 wires coming from it. I do not know the size wrench to take it loose ( the new sensor was 1 1/8 inch and was a different size than the old sensor). I used big water pump pliers to loosen it and was then able to turn it by hand. The gray tank sensor should be easier to get to. Turn off the 12 volt power before you unhook the wires.

[Perry White]

Thank you Iron Man. I'm going to start on it right now. It was erratic and then quit all together. Charlie. It's still there.

[Perry White]

Have the sensor laying out on my desk. Called Newmar and they gave me a price of $1272.28 plus shipping. I ain't crazy but they are nuts. I'll burn the coach before I pay that.

[Perry White]

Charlie, the module IS missing when I run the program. Module 129. Plugged in or not

[CorporateMonkey]

Perry I got an email from an industry supplier today about E-Plex and Newmar.

It might explain the costs you were quoted

An unnamed source supplies the following information.

The E-Plex module pricing has gone completely off the charts NOT because of
Newmar but because E-Plex may now be essentially out of production and the
NOS inventory holder, as usual, is milking the remaining stock.

The E-Plex history, which is exceedingly ambiguous, goes something like
this. The ED&D division of Airpax was the original maker of E-Plex many
moons ago. This division was last sold to Sensata in January, 2008
(Sensata Sensors, Klixon, Switches, Controls, Airpax : The World Depends on Sensors and Controls). However a short 6 months later -

"On June 26, 2008, Sensata closed on the sale of the E-Plex business to a
principal shareholder of Wes-Garde Components Group, the largest distributor
of the E-Plex product line (Wes-Garde Components Distributor of Electro-Mechanical Components). The E-Plex line, which is
comprised of power distribution modules, sensors and software used in marine
and recreational vehicles, was acquired as part of the Airpax Holdings, Inc.
acquisition which occurred in July, 2007. This business had approximately
$2.5 million in net revenue for the last twelve months. The sale of E-Plex
is in line with Sensata’s overall strategy of aligning resources to the core
business." (from Sensata annual report)

It is possible that Wes Garde has since resold the inventory to Bass
Products (BASS | Product Information - The E-Plex System, the only portable weather and navigation product designed specifically for boaters) a marine parts supply firm as Bass
is NOW Newmar’s distributor of ePlex parts. Obviously, if Bass is
distributing non- or limited- production components, they will charge Newmar
and all others accordingly. The prices of these parts rocketed by orders of
magnitude in stages over the past 10 months or so.

Like it or not, it’s NOT Newmar pricing, but the NOS inventory holder
pricing. Better hope your ePlex parts hold up, they may or may not remain
available much longer. Better yet, let’s hope Bass/Wes-Garde or whomever
owns E-Plex production decides to fully get back in E-Plex production.

A future consideration for E-Plex owners is to use the existing E-Plex Cat5
wiring and replace ALL the modules and controls with somewhat equivalent
models from Crestron (www.crestron.com)or possibly new models from
SilverLeaf (SilverLeaf Electronics, Inc. | Knowledge is Horsepower). This will not be inexpensive,
but these firms, especially Crestron, have long histories in the controller
industry.

[charlie hamby]

Did you try to reprogram eplex?

[Perry White]

Yes, I reprogramed. Called Newmar dealer in Mo and they said last prob they sold for $97back in '07 They would give me a break and sell the same one to me for $600 and change.Wife came home and said what about warranty. HA HA finally paid off. Going to call Carthage in Am and let them fix it. $100 deductable. Road trip If you have the E-Plex and it is out of factory warranty,you need a warranty just to cover the computer. Newmar quit putting them in in the 2012 model because of the cost. the Easycare Totalcare I bought is going to pay off. They have Silverleafs now. E-Plex is good when it works. CorporateMonkey, my step son wants to put a Johnson Controls system in mine.

[Perry White]

P S: I 'm not putting anything in mine unless I get the software to program it myself. Pulling this crap out to ship it back or driving 500 miles to reprogram is a joke.

[CorporateMonkey]

Originally Posted by Perry White

CorporateMonkey, my step son wants to put a Johnson Controls system in mine.

FYI Liberty Coach now uses a system based on Rockwell Automation Rockwell Automation

along with Mortiz Aerospace "Octoplex" Moritz Aerospace: Products: Octoplex - Multiplexed Power Distribution System

All controlled by Crestron.

The brilliance is both Rockwell and Mortiz products are available almost anywhere. Rockwell stuff runs most of any industry, and Mortiz is big in the aviation market.
For Crestron you just need a dealer, and your source code.

Of course all of this is not cheap. Figure over $20k (equipment only) for a basic setup.

On a lessor scale you can use Intellitec's multiplex system for lighting and such, and install the old school tank monitors, gen control etc...
Programmable Multiplex