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Grey water tank sensor ...

Yahoo Message Number: 17501
I have noticed that our grey water tank sensor either does not work or is way out of whack.

2005 Affinity with the Silverleaf Total Coach system, and pressure sensors. According to their web site, they are supposed to be clog proof. This first showed up in FL, and after driving home (1250 miles) with some water in the tank, it still is not correct. I thought maybe it would slosh around and clean itself.
Just wondered if anyone has been thru this. The Silverleaf dash unit shows raw data coming from the sensor, although it does not match the black water sensor. I think the calibration is also close to the black water tank, but I will recheck this tonight.

I wonder where these sensors are ... anyone know ????

Not a big deal since we don't dry camp much, but curious.

BTW, in case there are any techno geaks out there, you can goto
www.silverleaf.com and read about the com protocal that SL uses. It is call RV/c ... like an RV version of the CAN bus that auto mfgs use.

This is how the panels talk to the distributed control units, like the tanks/pump module, the inverter module, and the generator module. All done over one twisted pair, like RS485.
Can't do anything with this info, but it kind of interesting to know how this stuff works.

John and Terry

2005 Affinity #6453

Re: Grey water tank sensor ...

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 17506
We have had to replace about 15 sets of tank sensors in our 2005 Affinity--and have even hard-wired them instead of using phone jacks as ours came with. They all will fail, because moisture seeps into the gel and shorts out the sensors--it is a failure in the sensor, not a Silverleaf problem. We have been in EXTENSIVE conversations with the manufacturer of the sensor itself (Catcon products at catconproducts.com) to try to get a resolution, but no luck yet. Catcon in supposed to be making a sensor with a diaphragm instead of gel, but it is not ready yet. Interestingly, the fresh sensor and the LP sensor do not seem to fail nearly as often as the black and gray, though I have had the fresh fail as well.
In the meanwhile, I've heard that CC is thinking of replacing these sensors (which apparently worked fine in the 2004 models--go figure!) with the stick-on external tank monitors. These would only give you E-25%-50%-75% and F, but at least you'd have that. If you press them, CC will probably give you these external sensors under warranty if you're willing to install them yourself. They would not interface with the Silverleaf at this time. The present sensors screw into the black and gray on the passenger side and to the fresh on the driver side. I get to my black and gray from removable panels in my LP tank bay, but you may not have LP. The fresh is accessed from one of the removable panels in the plumbing bay. Hope you get these fixed!

John Lewellyn

2005 Affinity #6400

Re: Grey water tank sensor ...

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 17509
Thanks John ... I will look around for them.
We do not have propane, but the plastic lined bay is there (empty) so I should be able to get in there.

I will call Lazy Days and have my contact send me a sensor or two, he is pretty good about stuff like that since I fix it myself.
This would be a real pain if we came close to using full capacity of each tank like some of you folks.

Our fresh water level seems kind of flakey too, now that I think about it, goes from 50% when I fill to about 20% overnight.

Good info ... sorry you are having troubs also.

John and Terry

2005 Affinity #6453

Re: Grey water tank sensor ...

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 17510
Sorry, John, my wife types for me and she was mistaken about the location of the sensors. They are actually all in the plumbing bay.
If you call Catcon directly you will be able to find out the status of the new diaphragm sensors and they'll send them (or whatever they have) to you directly. Nobody at Lazy Days will know anything about the new ones, though I'm sure they would give you a replacement for the ones you've got. However, from my experience, you'd be wasting your time to change with more like the ones you have, since they will just fail again.
As for the stick-on sensors, the ones CC is thinking about would be able to interface with Silverleaf, but you'd have to change the 101 node module, which is do-able as well.

John Lewellyn

2005 Affinity #6400

Re: Grey water tank sensor ...

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 17528
John and Terry,

Your tank gauges need replacing or calibrating. We just came back from Lazy Days where they were susposed to replace the water tank gauge. They replaced all three instead and they now work great. The replacement and calibration was easy and covered by warranty. They can also be replaced or calibrated at a rally but if they are working on the fresh water they need to dump all the water. I don't think these new gauges can get clogged.

Bill G. 2005 Magna #6425

Re: Grey water tank sensor ...

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 17548
John, can you give me a heads up on how hard they are to find and replace. I want to change the sensors myself if I can, or wait till we are back in FL in Sept and have Lazy Days do it.

I will still have a look see and try and find them myself.

Thanks ...

John and Terry

2005 Affintiy #6453

Quote
If you call Catcon directly you will be able to find out the status

of the

Quote
new diaphragm sensors and they'll send them (or whatever they have)

to you

Quote
directly. Nobody at Lazy Days will know anything about the new

ones, though

Quote
I'm sure they would give you a replacement for the ones you've got.

However,

Quote
from my experience, you'd be wasting your time to change with more

like the

Quote
ones you have, since they will just fail again.

> As for the stick-on sensors, the ones CC is thinking about would be

able to

Quote
interface with Silverleaf, but you'd have to change the 101 node

module,

Re: Grey water tank sensor ...

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 17649
John-

On your coach, pull the velcro panels off in the plumbing bay, then use an adjustable wrench to remove the sensors from the black tank (most aft), the gray (most forward), and the fresh tank, which sits on top of them both. Needless to say, before embarking on this adventure, I have thoroughly drained the tanks, tipping the coach sharply to the driver's side, and rinsing thoroughly!
Be sure to keep track of which phone wire goes to which sensor. When you put them back in, put thread compound on thet threads, and put a very small amount of dielectric grease on the wire ends of the phone plugs. This whole system operates on a voltage of 0 to 5 volts.
Once you've replaced the sensors, the raw data for each one with the tanks empty should be between 100 and 200 on your VMS 200.
Then relevel the coach and reset the empty position for the black and gray tanks through the VMS. Highlight "calibrate dry offset" and push in on the knob.

Before setting the empty calibrate on the fresh, put 10-20 gal of water in the tank, then, while level, drain it through the fresh water drain in the control panel behind the driver seat. Let it drain until you hear the pump start to cavitate and the water spits. At this point, you have the tank where it is "empty" for practical puposes unless you were to tip the coach to get more out. "Calibrate dry offset" as you did for the black and gray.
Now you are ready to set the calibration points for 25% to full. Set them as follows (we have done extensive measuring of actual gallons to get these settings, and they are very accurate)

Empty calibration point for black and gray tanks is 0.1 inches.
25% full is 1.4 inches for black and gray 75% full is 5.4 inches for black and gray Full is 7.8 inches for black and gray Tank size is 70 gal for black and gray.

For the fresh:

Empty is 0.5 inches.
25% full is 1.8 inches
75% full is 6.1 inches
Full is 10.8 inches

Tank size is 87 gallons. (yes I know, the fresh is actually 100 gal, but you only have 87 gal usable when level, so that's why we set it that way.)

The reason the progression from empty to full is not linear is because the tanks are actually wedge-shaped and are taller on the passenger side than on the driver side. We dry camp a lot, so it's pretty important that we know as exactly as possible where the tank levels are!

Sorry it took so long to get back to you, but I had to get my wife to type for me!

I just replaced my three sensors again last week. Steve Barth from Catcon sent them to me directly--they are supposed to be the latest and greatest of gel material. You'll only be able to get them directly from Catcon--no dealer or even Country Coach, will have them.
Hope this helps! Feel free to call me if you have trouble. I've got a lot of experience in this!

John and Lynnette
05 Affinity

Re: Grey water tank sensor ...

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 17653
Thanks for all the info ... I appreciate your effort.
I looked around in there and did not see them, but I must have missed them.

I will email the mfg also and see what I can get.

Thanks again ...

John and Terry

2005 Affinity #6453
www.keenelandfarms.com
 

Re: Grey water tank sensor ...

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 17654
Oh yeah ... and thank your wife for all the typing.

John and Terry