The annoyance of discovering your RV’s fresh water tank is empty or your gray/black tank is beginning to overflow while you are already 500 miles from any RV camp and this is one of the perils and disadvantages associated with dry camping with your RV.
This situation could be avoided if you have an RV sensor and they are being maintained properly. In this article, some advice is given on how to keep the tank sensors on your RV clean.
Step-by-Step Guide on How To Keep My RV Sensors Clean
One of the signs of a dirty RV tank is faulty/misreading RV sensors. Sensors are not always known to malfunction when the tank is clean. However, cleaning RV sensors is not difficult, but they must be cleaned based on the type of tank in which they are mounted.
Method 1: Gray Tank Sensors
Compared to black tank sensors, which collect human waste, gray tank sensors are the easiest to clean because they are known to collect soap and oil residue.
The best way to remove the dirt in the tank and restore the sensor is to
- Fill the tank halfway with water.
- Add strong grease-softening dish soap, preferably one that can be used in a dishwasher.
- Then, either leave overnight or drive to your next destination while the soaps swish around in your tank, giving the sensor a good scrubbing.
- Open the tank valve in the morning and dump in an authorized dumpsite if you are dry camping, if you are not, dump in your next campsite with full hookups.
- Close the valve and fill the tank with fresh water again to rinse it
- Release the valve and allow it to drain completely.
By the time you are through with this process, the sensor should have been restored, and if not repeat the process again until it is restored.
Method 2: Fresh Water Tank Sensors
This is the easiest sensor to wash as issues are unlikely to arise as it stores clean water used for drinking, washing, and other things. You can either use the grey tank washing process or the steps below but note that while using the grey tank cleaning process you need to rinse the tank well with fresh water to avoid a soapy taste in your drinking water.
- Fill the tank halfway with water.
- Add salt and ice cubes to the tank.
- Drive around to allow the salt and ice cubes to scrub the sidewalls of the tank and the sensor
- Open up the valve and dump it at a dump site.
- Close the valve and rinse with fresh water.
When cleaning the fresh water tank sensor, you might not need to repeat the process again as one scrubbing will restore your sensor but if refuses to work, repeat the process and wait patiently for a positive result Moreover, salt and ice cubes are not to be left overnight as they might leave your tank salty.
Method 3: Black Tank Sensors
Black tank sensors mostly malfunction especially when you are dry camping and if it does you require full patience to restore the sensors as they could have human waste clogged onto them, unlike gray tank sensors. Black tank sensors can be effectively cleaned using a tank cleaning Wand
The tank cleaning wand is made especially for cleaning the tanks in RVs, and it rotates while spraying water to thoroughly clean the tank’s sidewalls and pipes. To prevent the spread of disease from the splashing of water, make sure you are completely covered before you begin the process by donning your gloves, covering your mouth, and wearing safety goggles.
You need to empty your tank first, after which you should connect the wand to a hose that is connected to a freshwater supply. Bring the hose-connected wand to the RV and use the toilet to insert it into the tank.
Once you have that done correctly, the next thing to do is to turn on the hose Open the release valve on the back of the black water tank, and finally, gently move the hose back and forth letting it run until the water coming out of the back runs clear.
The clean water indicates that the tank is free of dirt and the flush wand can be removed. Once this is done, you can be sure your sensor will be restored, and if not try the process again, but if it still persists try another method using chlorinated water.
Method 4: Use Water mixed with Chlorine Bleach
This method is easy but you need to be careful as chlorine bleach is corrosive to the skin.
- Fill the water tank halfway with fresh water
- Pour a cup of bleach down the drain into the water tank.
- Fill the tank up again with fresh water, leaving for seven to ten minutes to allow it to soak properly.
- Open the rear valve of the tank water and allow the water to drain completely.
- close it back and refill the tank with fresh water and release it again for the water to drain completely.
- Repeat this process until you are sure the tank is free of chlorine and your sensor is restored.
As chlorine bleach has a propensity to harm rubber plumbing parts, you must be careful not to leave it in your tank for longer than ten minutes while using it to clean your tank.
Why Must I Clean My Tank Sensors?
To prevent misreading, you should clean your sensors by removing any surface-attached, persistent trash. When a tank sensor falsely assumes that the tank is full when it is not, it can be extremely aggravating when an RV sensor malfunctions.
How to Prevent Faulty Sensors
A good technique to avoid defective sensors is to make sure the tanks are clean by thoroughly washing the tank with lots of water. Other strategies to avoid a malfunctioning RV sensor include
- Keep in mind the cleaning recommendations provided by the RV sensor’s manufacturer.
- Use tank treatments like Happy Campers RV Holding Tank Treatment for black tanks and other sensor cleaning chemicals like Dawn Ultra Dish Soap for grey tanks.
- Utilize toilet paper that dissolves quickly as little as possible (there is Rv-friendly toilet paper you can pick up at the store).
- Purchase a high-quality sensor from reliable merchants and producers.
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Conclusion
One of the annoying things that can happen to drivers is a delay in their trip, and one of the things that might cause a delay is a full, foul-smelling tank brought on by a malfunctioning sensor. This can be avoided by adhering to all the simple steps in this article.
You should get assistance from a specialist if you believe the measures will be too stressful for you.
