Community Forums

BethGreer · 02-21-2017, 06:22 AM

Can anyone provide input on the advantage of a flow through TPMS model vs the cons? We will need to have 10 sensors for 40' DP plus toad.

Isaac-1 · 02-21-2017, 06:39 AM

When you need to add air you don't have to unscrew locking screw / locking nuts and remove the sensor cap. After only a couple of months of owning a non-flow through system I wish I had spent the extra money, as it turns a 30 second tire topping off into a 5 minute ordeal.

gemert · 02-21-2017, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BethGreer

Can anyone provide input on the advantage of a flow through TPMS model vs the cons? We will need to have 10 sensors for 40' DP plus toad.

I have the EEZRV system non-flow through. Needs a special tool to take sensor off. Very easy to do and takes about 5 seconds. I specifically bought the non-flow through because of the issues I've heard from other people complaining that the air goes in very slow with the flow through. Honestly don't know if true or not but thats what I did. Been happy with it for 2 yrs. I have 12 sensors because my PU is equipped also. Good luck.

Kiawah · 02-21-2017, 06:50 AM

My suggestion is to go with the non-flow thru.

First, I rarely (if ever) need to add air. So there is no taking on or off the sensors, except at the end of the season if you want to save battery life.

Second, I had nothing but trouble with my flow thru sensors. After days of working they would mysteriously and randomly 'drop off', and no longer be picked up by main unit. The seals would leak, and I would find moisture inside the units. After about a year and a half of futzing around with them and having sent back for repair/replacement a couple times, they finally replaced with the non-flow thru caps. Those have been rock solid.

Unscrewing a nonflow thru cap unit to add air if you want is not much different in time than unscrewing a plastic cap on a regular tire stem. I keep the security cap on (so you need a little wrench to remove), but if you wanted you can take the security cap off and then unscrew the unit by hand if you wanted.

jaywolf · 02-21-2017, 07:28 AM

I never could understand the point of the security caps. Who would want to steal them unless you had a system and needed one, If you have a system you have the security wrench.

I have never taken my off during the off season? I thought they went to sleep without movement?

vsheetz · 02-21-2017, 07:35 AM

I had flow through. Went away from them. They were slow to fill, and a couple failed. Not user changeable batteries. Could not use on the front wheels or the toad due to space constraints.

Now have have ten regulars without locks. Just treat them like a cap. Much better, IMHO.

Sky_Boss · 02-21-2017, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsheetz

I had flow through. Went away from them. They were slow to fill, and a couple failed. Not user changeable batteries. Could not use on the front wheels or the toad due to space constraints.

Now have have ten regulars without locks. Just treat them like a cap. Much better, IMHO.

With the exception that the TST flow through sensor batteries are user replaceable...

AGREE 100%!

I found them also to be easy to break off and the battery covers cracked easily.

HOWEVER...TST took great care of me during the whole process.

Isaac-1 · 02-21-2017, 10:58 AM

I think what we have here is the story of 3 blind men describing an Elephant. On my unit the non-flow through sensors are held down to the valve stem with 3 set screws on each sensor, getting an allen wrench in there to loosen tiny those set screws takes some time, doing it without unscrewing them all the way and dropping them takes even more. Other models seem to use a single backing nut to hold the sensors in place, I can see those as being faster to remove when air is needed.

Mr_D · 02-21-2017, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaywolf

I never could understand the point of the security caps. Who would want to steal them unless you had a system and needed one, If you have a system you have the security wrench.

I have never taken my off during the off season? I thought they went to sleep without movement?

When I was a PressurPro distributor/dealer we did have one customer that has sensors were stolen at night. His monitor did sound the alarm but he turned it off thinking the tire pressure had gone down as the tires cooled. Only one I've ever known of.
Present rig came with the SmarTire internal system. The sensors were still good even after 8 years so I had new sensors installed when I got new tires. Costly at $80 each and $45 for programming but well worth it IMHO. Also have a TST 507 system that I will install on the CR-V when I get to traveling more. Have two cap and four flow through sensors. The flow through sensors would stick out too far so will have to buy a couple more cap sensors.

RobbieH · 02-21-2017, 01:28 PM

I have flow through on the RV and non-flow on the toad. The flow through are just too big for our toad. EEZ-Tire swapped 4 of them for free. I have had no leak-down issues.

Pressure Pro system that was on it had leak down issues even though they were non-flow. And then the batteries started dying, and it was going to cost me as much for new sensors at the whole new EEZ-RV system I bought.

EEZ-Tire system flow-through has user-replaceable batteries.

UFO Pilot · 02-21-2017, 01:37 PM

I went with flow thru on the MH after reading of o ring failures after removing the sensors a number of times. I have no idea if that is true but I thought it might be a problem. I don't have to add air very often but have no problem doing so. I don't remove the sensors when in storage as we are normally using the MH every 2 or 3 weeks.

PackerPower · 02-21-2017, 09:04 PM

I don't pretend to have as much experience as others posting, but I had a TST 507 Flow Through system installed on the 6 22.5" tires on my Journey DP 13 months ago. I have had some intermittent problems with two of them, but all but one were working as of yesterday. Replaced the battery in the dead one tonight, now they are all working again. I will say I have taken tire pressure up and down several times over the last year, and not had any problem adding or purging air with the Flow Through's on. What I do NOT like about these sensors is the two set screws that are next to impossible to tighten / loosen. I go back and forth about whether I should have gotten non-flow-through caps instead, but am overall happy with the choice. I concur with other comments that they do tend to stick out a bit, but it hasn't been a problem so far. It is nice that the batteries are cheap (on Amazon) and easy to replace (after set screws are loosened). I think I am going to remove all the set screws in the next month while replacing all the coin batteries. Has anyone else done this, will they come loose and fall off? Is it realistic to assume someone would actually steal them? I think if anyone really wanted to steal them, they could unscrew them and strip the valve stem even with the set screws on - creating another potentially more expensive problem.

In summary, if your confident you don't need to adjust air pressure, you are fine with the sealed caps. If you you move between cold and warm climates and modify air pressure though, they are very nice to have. I really don't believe they incur a higher risk of leaking than any other system, they all have seals that can go bad, as is also the case with the stems.

UFO Pilot · 02-21-2017, 09:08 PM

I do not lock mine (flow thru) on and haven't lost one due to theft or it coming loose on it's own.

harleyjt · 02-21-2017, 10:02 PM

EEZRV system here. I took the security covers off and simply screwed them on the valve stems. I think they are lighter than the flow thrus. Don't have to add air that often, but its really no different that removing the valve stem cap from the flow thrus. You are going to remove one or the other.
jt