Community Forums

Schristine · 01-10-2023, 07:46 PM

Looking for someone who may be experiencing the same issues as us..

Master bedroom toilet sensor is showing the red triangle which means the tank is full (which it isn’t)

We have polished the tank and filled up with water and pumped out 2x now and still have this sensor on the back toilet ONLY basically stating that the tank is full….

Just curious if anyone else has experienced this…toilet flushes you just have to down the button for 5-6 seconds and it flushes…

Thanks again, we are new RV owners and are pretty stumped by this one.

Dutch Star Don · 01-10-2023, 11:20 PM

On my Newmar, if the tank sensor is malfunctioning, both toilets would show the red light. Since yours is only doing this in one bath, it sounds like a switch issue.

To start, shut off the battery switch at the front door for 10 seconds and turn it back on. This will often clear any 12-volt items that are having issues.

You can also remove that switch and unplug it and then plug it back in.

Try the easy stuff first.

voltdoc · 01-11-2023, 02:47 AM

What is the brand/model of the toilet? Does your Vegatouch show normal tank levels? Don't know how the 23's are set up, but in past years the toilet sensors were completely independent of the Vegatouch black tank sensors. Most likely that is still the case.

This is a well known and common issue with the Dometic Tecma toilets used in some earlier model years. I have the Tecma in the rear bath and the sensors for it never worked until I modified how the sensor attached to the tank. There are many threads on the Tecma issue, but let us know the toilet brand/model you have so you get the correct advice.

brobox · 01-11-2023, 05:35 AM

Welcome to the forum. Dutch Star Don is correct, the 12 power switch at the front door, the one with the red light, will be used a lot on your new coach. It is commonly referred to as 12v reboot. Our coaches are rolling 12v computer with a lot of systems that sometime stop talking to each other. Any 12v problem head to that switch first, including the Vega Touch, it hangs up more than any of them. If that does not fix the problem, we are happy to share our experiences.

If your coach is brand new, usually the first trip, or the first few days staying at the coach during pickup, has a few items that have to sync with the rest of the system. The toilet seems to be a common one.

Ricci · 01-11-2023, 09:13 AM

Hi - Been there, done that. Our 2022 44B did the same thing from the day we picked it up. We jumped through all sorts of hoops at the dealership and beyond but Entegra at the service center finally fixed it. With ours the tank would get to 20% and go red and lock out. (BTW - holding the button for several seconds is an emergency override). They discovered that a yellow wire had never been connected properly and this made toilet think that 20% was full. It has worked properly since then in spite of the parts thrown at it by the dealership! The only issue now is that it goes to yellow at 20% but continues to work properly. I can live with that.

I hope your issue can be solved the same way without a trip to Indiana but it will require a tech who knows the proper connections. I'd guess you got the same guy on the build line as I did.

Tom

Bobby Dowdle · 01-11-2023, 09:17 AM

On the side of your black tank, you have sensors for the toilets. Even though you have used the flush, the tank is not clean. Under warranty we have to add tank cleaner with a probiotic, fill the tank to full for 3 days and then dump and do a rinse. The tank flush is not really cleaning your tank, it's only putting water into the top on the opposite side of all sensors. You can try to relocate your sensors, but they are attached with double side tape and don't stick well once removed. You can try to battery disconnect and you can also hold down the flush button for 10 seconds and it should tell the toilet to flush.

buddy110 · 01-11-2023, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by voltdoc

What is the brand/model of the toilet? Does your Vegatouch show normal tank levels? Don't know how the 23's are set up, but in past years the toilet sensors were completely independent of the Vegatouch black tank sensors. Most likely that is still the case.

This is a well known and common issue with the Dometic Tecma toilets used in some earlier model years. I have the Tecma in the rear bath and the sensors for it never worked until I modified how the sensor attached to the tank. There are many threads on the Tecma issue, but let us know the toilet brand/model you have so you get the correct advice.

I believe she has a techma silence

Schristine · 01-12-2023, 05:51 AM

Yes it is a Tecma Silence..you’re correct

Schristine · 01-12-2023, 05:56 AM

I just ordered some RV-Digest-It so I’m going to try that….interesting. Does make sense about the tank flush….I can see how that may not work as well as actually filling the tank up and letting it sit for a few days. Thanks for the advice. Going to give it a try.

brobox · 01-12-2023, 06:15 AM

This method has worked for many of us for years, no chemical, no tank odors between flushes except in very hot weather. I rarely use chemicals anymore. The first cleaning may take 3 back-flushes if the tank is dirty enough to foul sensors, but I doubt a 23 has had that much use.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6sv4d3PsTo

buddy110 · 01-12-2023, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brobox

This method has worked for many of us for years, no chemical, no tank odors between flushes except in very hot weather. I rarely use chemicals anymore. The first cleaning may take 3 back-flushes if the tank is dirty enough to foul sensors, but I doubt a 23 has had that much use.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6sv4d3PsTo

I, like you, use water and lots of it. A vigilant and thorough cleaning with water hs worked without incident for years. No need f0r chemicals. Though I do admit to using pinesol every now and then to make sure all the oily solids are broken down, liquified and removed from the tank. I rinse at least three to four times every dump. Yes, it's overkill, but in the end the water exiting my black tank is clear as day and I know the tank, macerator and hose are all clean

buddy110 · 01-12-2023, 08:00 AM

Wasn't there a thread about this very issue a while back? Anyone remember?

brobox · 01-12-2023, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buddy110

Wasn't there a thread about this very issue a while back? Anyone remember?

Bruce, I have been posting this method since I leaned it here in 2014 every time there is a sensor issue. I also use $ store Pinesol on about every 3rd dump. It did not fix the faulty Firefly sensors until Entegra went back to the old style, working, SeaLevel sensors.

voltdoc · 01-12-2023, 08:48 AM

Agree with filling the tank and letting it sit, that has worked well for both my black and grey tanks to keep my SeeLevel sensors reading properly. During the rare few weeks when we are not living on the coach I keep both the black and grey tanks full.

Also keep in mind, when draining the tank, using the slinky instead of the macerator will provide somewhat better tank flushing action.

But, if the tank cleaning still doesn't work for your Tecma sensors, be aware that on some coaches they just don't work reliably - or at all. Like on my 2017. Perhaps variations in tank wall thickness? Wire routing? Proximity to metal? Bad ground? Don't know, but many have had the issue over the years.

On my 2013 the Tecma sensors worked perfectly, on my 2017 they basically were DOA. Besides cleaning the tank, I tried relocating the sensors, swapping the controller, and replacing the sensors without success.

The Tecma sensors (photo here) are black plastic rectangles about 2" x 1.5" x 3/16" thick and stuck to the tank with double sided 3M tape. They are often placed between the black and grey tanks so are hard to get at. There are two sensors per toilet. One at the top of the tank with a red sticker and one at mid level with a yellow sticker. If both toilets are Tecma's you will have two sets of sensors.

For a while, based on conversations with Thetford, I disconnected the red sensor and put a 620 ohm resistor in its place which fools the controller and keeps the red light off. You can also just pull the red sensor off the tank and let it hang in free air.

Years later, what finally got my Tecma sensors to be about 95% reliable is the following:

Remove the sensor, completely clean all the 3M tape from the face of the sensor. Place the newly cleaned sensor face directly against a clean, smooth and flat area on the tank. Affix it firmly in place by taping over the back of the sensor with a strong adhesive product like eternabond or Flex Tape. The idea is to get the sensor face fully in contact with the tank and firmly pressed against it.