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Old 03-22-2015, 11:43 PM   #1
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How to fix Black Tank level sensor

I have a 38' 06 Beaver Monterey and the black tank sensor in the water bay says it is 50% full even after it has been dumped and empty. The Aladdin system also say 50 %. Any idea how to replace or repair the sensor?

Thanks for your help

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Old 03-23-2015, 06:27 AM   #2
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Golfer... the issue might be a totally simple yet disgusting thought.... poop on the tank sensors that needs to be cleaned off. Most of us go thru that regularly.... so we buy a tank cleaning wand that goes on a hose and stick it down the toilet and blast away as we turn the wand and the jets on the end spray off the crud that fakes out the sensors. Here are a couple sold at Walmart in the RV /Sporting goods area.
Camco 40074 RV Swivel Stik Tank Rinsers - Walmart.com

Camco 11691 RV Water Heater Tank Rinser - Walmart.com
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Old 03-23-2015, 06:34 AM   #3
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FWIW take a look down the toilet before buying a wand. Some go more or less straight in and some have a tight bend that makes a wand useless. In that case you are left with the various forms of dump in some detergent and water and let it slosh around. Then there are all the additives that are best at subtracting money from your pocket and occasionally work.
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Old 03-23-2015, 06:49 AM   #4
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I usually fill the tank with water & Dawn dish washing liquid. As you travel it should slosh around pretty much & the Dawn should clean the buildup on your sensors. IT has always worked for me. I'll do this 2 or 3 times a year.
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Old 03-23-2015, 06:50 AM   #5
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If yours is like our '06 Dynasty, the system measures the pressure from the weight of the water on the face of a sensor that is screwed into the bottom of the tank. Ours can easily be seen with a mirror, behind the panel in the wet bay, just above the dump valves. It will have a small cable (phone type wire) coming from the middle of it that can be unplugged exactly like a phone wall plug cable.

The sensor can be unscrewed and cleaned and re-installed. That MAY restore it to operation. Be ABSOLUTELY SURE the tank is fully drained, and you might even fill it and flush it with fresh water a time or two first. It is in a bad area for build-up over time. It is NOT a fun job!

On ours, you can look thru the toilet and see the bottom of the black tank. And the spot you can see is just a couple of inches from where the dump drain comes out of the bottom of the tank. And the sensor is a couple of inches fore of that location. So it is all right there, in the same area.

Monaco actually installed a new sensor on the curb end of the tank, on the side wall, just above the bottom, when the coach was just a year old, due to inaccurate readings. They said that they quickly learned that the bottom mounting proved troublesome. That gives a few gallons of unmeasurable content, but it worked much better for several years.

Try Googling SeeLevel. They make a pretty good system. Two years ago, I converted our coach from the Aladdin pressure sensors to the SeeLevel system, and it works quite nicely. And the Aladdin displays the tank levels exactly like it did with their own sensors. A bit of programming, but SeeLevel gave excellent instructions for how to do it. It also comes with a new display panel for the wet bay installation.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure Monaco would be able to send you a replacement sensor should you choose to keep what you have and try to get it working better. I don't remember them being very inexpensive, however.
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Old 03-23-2015, 07:16 AM   #6
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If your MH uses sensor probes I would highly recommend replacing them with Horst Miracle Probes, rvprobes.com. I replaced mine about 2 years ago and haven't had a problem since. The probes are not expensive. The only difficult part is getting access to the tanks. You have to disconnect all the fittings and remove the white water control panel to gain access.
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Old 03-23-2015, 08:11 AM   #7
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Water, couple bags of ice cubes and I add some liquid water softener by culligan found at Walmart country stores (city stores don't normally carry it) makes it slippery like. Go for a ride then drain. If tank is empty and has dried out it could be some paper dried on the sensor. Good luck.
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Old 03-23-2015, 09:08 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by K7JV View Post
If yours is like our '06 Dynasty, the system measures the pressure from the weight of the water on the face of a sensor that is screwed into the bottom of the tank. Ours can easily be seen with a mirror, behind the panel in the wet bay, just above the dump valves. It will have a small cable (phone type wire) coming from the middle of it that can be unplugged exactly like a phone wall plug cable.

The sensor can be unscrewed and cleaned and re-installed. That MAY restore it to operation. Be ABSOLUTELY SURE the tank is fully drained, and you might even fill it and flush it with fresh water a time or two first. It is in a bad area for build-up over time. It is NOT a fun job!

On ours, you can look thru the toilet and see the bottom of the black tank. And the spot you can see is just a couple of inches from where the dump drain comes out of the bottom of the tank. And the sensor is a couple of inches fore of that location. So it is all right there, in the same area.

Monaco actually installed a new sensor on the curb end of the tank, on the side wall, just above the bottom, when the coach was just a year old, due to inaccurate readings. They said that they quickly learned that the bottom mounting proved troublesome. That gives a few gallons of unmeasurable content, but it worked much better for several years.

Try Googling SeeLevel. They make a pretty good system. Two years ago, I converted our coach from the Aladdin pressure sensors to the SeeLevel system, and it works quite nicely. And the Aladdin displays the tank levels exactly like it did with their own sensors. A bit of programming, but SeeLevel gave excellent instructions for how to do it. It also comes with a new display panel for the wet bay installation.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure Monaco would be able to send you a replacement sensor should you choose to keep what you have and try to get it working better. I don't remember them being very inexpensive, however.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
AGREED...This is most likely your set up as well. Just removed and cleaned mine this weekend. The Pressure Sensors are Catcon brand. You can find them on the web. There are other posts about this topic. Just be careful while cleaning them. There is a thin membrane that can easily be damaged.
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Old 03-23-2015, 09:43 AM   #9
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Black Tank Sensor Replacement

Quote:
Originally Posted by Golfer Guy View Post
I have a 38' 06 Beaver Monterey and the black tank sensor in the water bay says it is 50% full even after it has been dumped and empty. The Aladdin system also say 50 %. Any idea how to replace or repair the sensor?

Thanks for your help

Golfer Guy

I will let everyone know what I do to fix the problem.
Am not clear as to what type of sensor you have but if it is the probe type here's what I did on my then-owned 2001 Monaco Diplomat.

Horst Miracle Probe Install

Good luck and let us know what you wind up doing.

FWIW
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Old 03-23-2015, 12:31 PM   #10
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The problem may very well be sensor related but there is a programming function to the Aladdin system. It requires emptying the tanks, and refilling the tanks and programming those values into the system. None of our tanks level read accurately but I haven't got around to try reprogramming to see if that helps our situation. Just something else to consider.
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Old 03-23-2015, 12:39 PM   #11
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X2 on Dawn
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Old 03-24-2015, 07:37 PM   #12
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I have been adding a capful of Calgon with the Dawn and it seems to help the Dawn keep the tank clean.
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