Waste water tank reading full

Sorry Terry, I could have been clearer. I didn't say we have to work around it, just that we will. I know that's not for everyone. I have learned more about the Stanton from some of my workarounds that ever I would just reading the manuals.


There are some big issues that we will never get Autosleeper to remedy on delivered or older vans, like the poor installation of the Truma combi heater that results in it running it's electronics in a very hot environment. This rather sub-optimal installation has been signed off for production by Truma but I see fellow owners having problems with blowing fuses, which may be a consequence. This forum has potentially produced an improvement that many owners can implement. 


I think this sort of issue can be addressed with Autosleepers through the technical section of the Owner's club. As an individual we don't stand a chance. I joined the Owner's club recently as a new owner to try to have a voice with feedback.

I'm also sorry that you are not happy with what you have experienced, as this can be a very big distraction when you are trying to enjoy yourself.

My 6 month old Stanton has been in for 2 warranty issues already, and I am waiting for an appointment for a third (duff rear view camera). I refuse to let it take the "shine" off my enjoyment.

Best wishes

Dennis

As for the next occupants of the pitch, for the quantities I am thinking (<3 litres), the next occupants would not even notice, nor would it affect them.


You might think that Dennis but Quilter said it made their van smell horrible. Why would you inflict that on someone else. I would certainly avoid staying on a pitch with a horrible smell.

willy eckerslike wrote:You might think that Dennis but Quilter said it made their van smell horrible. Why would you inflict that on someone else. I would certainly avoid staying on a pitch with a horrible smell.

So would I Willy, but I doubt if most people would do it deliberately!

I think the tale of the permanently half full waste bucket under the drain tap is apocryphal! 

I've been thinking about the somewhat "iffy" gauges fitted by A/S and others.

I expect if the suppliers were challenged they would say it's a liquid gauge - not a gunge gauge. I'm sure they work a whole lot better in a clean liquid, rather than a slimy solution of bacon fat, coffee grounds and several other substances better imagined than described in graphic detail!! 

On cost grounds I presume A/S are left with little option, but what's really needed is a gauge that will work efficiently in a less than pristine environment. I wonder how difficult it would be to source a float gauge of suitable dimensions, one with a sender incorporated so a remote indicator could be fitted in the hab area, maybe one with 8 LEDs like the gas gauges they use?

I've had a quick look without much success, but it seems possible to buy one for as little as £20, so I for one would be interested in fitting one if their long term functionality was more or less guaranteed. In the fresh water tank first, as that's more important.

Does anyone know of such a gadget, or have an alternative idea? 

willy eckerslike wrote:As for the next occupants of the pitch, for the quantities I am thinking (<3 litres), the next occupants would not even notice, nor would it affect them.


You might think that Dennis but Quilter said it made their van smell horrible. Why would you inflict that on someone else. I would certainly avoid staying on a pitch with a horrible smell.

I hesitate to respond, but I absolutely agree with you and I would also void staying on a pitch with a horrible smell.

However, Willy, where did I suggest I would inflict anything on someone else?

Having read my earlier comments, you may not agree that grey water on the ground will be treated by the bacteria in the soil/gravel, but the smell that Quilter reports is likely due to the excess water, soaked up by the shower mats and laying in a warm, closed shower closet that has far less ventilation than under the van. The shower tray will also not have the same environmental "bugs" or oxygen exchange that will convert the grey water pathogens into harmless nutrients that the local flora and fauna can use as food. Instead, the water will quickly become stagnant and will smell terrible. This smelly process will not even begin on the floor under the van or on the grass or in the hedgerow. as the breakdown of the waste begins naturally. It is a similar process to composting solid garden and food waste using naturally occurring bacteria. some sewage treatment processes use reed beds to decompose black waste and no, before anyone rears up to this, you wouldn't play in those reed beds, but plenty of wildlife does and they benefit from the habitat created. Just trying to illustrate and put some scale to the subject. Please believe me I am experienced in water and wastewater treatment and I know what I am talking about. 


Dennis


I know many offenders will foul their own pitches in one way or another and it is not fair on any of us.

willy eckerslike wrote:.
You might think that Dennis but Quilter said it made their van smell horrible. Why would you inflict that on someone else. I would certainly avoid staying on a pitch with a horrible smell.

Yes,  the one occasion when we did have backflow from the tank into the bathroom the mats, laundry and sponge-bags on the floor did smell horrible. We had arrived late at an aire, could not find the dump in the dark and decided to leave it until morning. We have never however discharged our waste onto a pitch or any other unsuitable place for that matter and would not do so. We always empty when we can and, if in one place for a day or two, bucket it out in the morning so the tank is empty. Leaving a bucket under the waste is fine if on a campsite but leaving something outside your van is not allowed on all stopping places.

The suggested holes round the top of the waste tank would be right up at the top and would, I imagine, allow only a very small amount of waste out before the level in the tank dropped below the level of the holes and any discharge stopped. What it would do however was stop the possibility of waste backing up into the shower. I think it also might stop the problem we have with an over-active waste alarm. I suspect this has something to do with pressure build up in the tank which would not happen if there were vents at the top. 

That it was done from new on the original posters Bolero indicates that it was thought to be a good thing and I wonder when the practice was stopped.

(Edit to add: I'm afraid it was not out laundry or bathmats smelling after contact but the tank contents themself. We do our best with tank cleaner, plate wiping, not tipping certain things down etc but sometimes it really pongs as we empty it.)

One thing for anyone considering having a vented overflow of any kind is to protect it from insects or other pesky organisms that might want to take up residence in your waste tank!

Gromit wrote:
Does anyone know of such a gadget, or have an alternative idea? 

Narrowboat water gauges seem to work pretty well. Fair enough, there is a lot more water in their tank. They have a pressure gauge at the bottom of the tank or low in the pipe work which can be adjusted, electronically, to read full or empty at the appropriate point.

Hi, I use to be into fish tanks etc they do various sensors to monitor water level, this is a cheap float switch you can also get them with a vertical arm.
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q

Quilter wrote:

bolero boy wrote:

in fact, when I'm filling the fresh tank, I put in the hose (it will stay in the hole without holding it) and go back inside the van and keep an eye on the gauge, watching it climb up until it hits FULL. I then go round to the tap, turn it down and slowly fill the remaining few litres until it overflows (under control) back via the input pipe....

“Keeping an eye on the gauge” , “ Watching it climb”......,!  How very old- fashioned !

We attach our water hose to the inlet, turn on the mains supply and go off and empty the loo or chat to passing campers. When the tank is full the water supply automatically clicks off and the gauge, pretty reliable, reads Full. No need to go indoors with wet or muddy feet or stand over the tap checking for overflow underneath.  

that's obviously a great system, unfortunately i only have about 5 mins to spare when filling the tank with 120ltr, not all morning to fill 70 odd...

...I know this because I have been behind folk with this system, and they always apologise for keeping everyone waiting.....

bolero boy wrote:

...I know this because I have been behind folk with this system, and they always apologise for keeping everyone waiting.....

Then they are not connected up properly. I’m afraid that a lot of people with the Whale system don’t like it but, when they see it running correctly, they wonder why ! Ours is as fast, if not faster than the direct fill system we have had on our previous 5 vans. If you factor in that we can do something else while the filling is going on and dont have to keep checking, then we are faster.

Going back to waste water reading, did none of you have earlier vans that didn't have such waste alarms? My Symphony and Nuevo did not have such things. You used your brain. If your fresh tank held 13 gallons and your waste tank 9 gallons, it didn't take a lot to work out that when your fresh tank is empty, unless you drink gallons of water, your waste tank will be full. So basically, if you need to fill the fresh, you need to empty the waste.

Paulmold wrote:Going back to waste water reading, did none of you have earlier vans that didn't have such waste alarms? My Symphony and Nuevo did not have such things. You used your brain. If your fresh tank held 13 gallons and your waste tank 9 gallons, it didn't take a lot to work out that when your fresh tank is empty, unless you drink gallons of water, your waste tank will be full. So basically, if you need to fill the fresh, you need to empty the waste.

This is the first van we have had with a waste alarm. It is not just useless at alerting you to a full tank - which it has never, ever done- but worse, it goes off when we know the tank is empty. Even worse, it only seems to operate at night. Really bad is that it is loud enough to wake me but rarely my OH. It will not turn off by being shouted at but requires me to get out of bed, find my specs, turn on a light, reset it and then wait until my heart beat rate goes back to normal before, trying, to get back to sleep.

Things were much simpler with our first van which had a washing up bowl and bucket of water outside with a loo in a toilet tent .

The first time we let the waste tank fill it took a month to get rid of the smell so now, when convenient, we use a bucket and dispose of the waste as we go along where possible.
The whale auto fill system is really good unless you park on a slope. We had water coming out of everywhere when it didnt shut off! AS modified the position of the level switch for me when I was at the factory on a separate warranty claim.

daisy mae wrote:What is the problem of having a separate waste water container under the waste water tank tap,?

.

No problem at all but 99.999% of the time the tank does the job it was intended to do and we empty as required. Many stopping places have quite strict “ No Camping Behaviour Allowed” rules where even putting levelling ramps or steps out gets you a slapped wrist.

daisy mae wrote:What is the problem of having a separate waste water container under the waste water tank tap,?

Easy to keep an eye on it, I use a wheeled one therefore easy to take and empty. separate waste tank easy to clean out. I have a German made one a 23litres. doesn`t take a lot of room up in storage ,when going from site to site, sits in its waterproof bag in the shower room. otherwise under NS settee.

Absolutely Margaret.  I used a wheeled one with the Nuevo. Unfortunately it's too high for the waste pipe of the Sussex to flow so now have a slim non-wheeled one and have to carry it to the waste drain but will get a small luggage trolley when I can decide where I can store it.

My guages read differently all the time, we never use the shower so I siliconed the plugs in place, this has stopped the smelly wate in the shower problem. We soon learned how many days the tanks last on average and empty and fill then, no problems.

We mainly use continental sites and they often have separating hedges so waste disposal is not really a problem (but only grey water, not food, oil,fat etc.). We use the waste tank when necessary but avoid keeping it for over 7 days without emptying which is what created the smells.

If you go to outdoor shows (eg Lincoln or Peterborough) you will be told by organisers in their welcome pack, that there is no waste water provision and you should take it home. You are not supposed to empty your grey water into the chemical disposal tanks either. No-one has a waste tank large enough for 4/5 days waste so thats where you see bottomless buckets or waste pipes discharging onto the ground. I've never yet  come across a smelly pitch at one of these shows.

Paul, thank you, a corroborating view. Please see my earlier comments on this subject on the previous page of this post.

I made a filter that uses grass as the media when it is necessary to lose some of my grey water to the surrounding environment. It takes out the unpleasant small solid bits of waste that sometimes coalesce in the waste tank (bits of toothpaste, food bits from washing up etc) so that can be put in the bin. I shall have it with me at the ASOC AGM rally in a few weeks time. The bucket with a hole in it will do much the same job, but it will not disperse the water away from the van (not essential).

If returning home from this sort of restricted disposal site, why not take most of your waste water home? Do you travel with fresh water to use on the journey and be ready to pitch when you arrive?

Please don't get so hung up on the polluting properties of grey water. It can be a nuisance if it is flooding a pitch, or attracting midges or mosquitos to drink, but that's all. Let it seep out if you need to, no-one's going make smells or endanger others with it.

Above all please don't let these perceptions spoil your enjoyment.

Dennis

ps. I use Aldi bio liquid in the toilet and also put half a cap in each plug hole in the shower, wash basin and sink after each emptying of the grey tank. Keeps it clean and doesn't smell. That sometimes goes on the grass / hedgerow as well. (No not the toilet waste!)

 

Dennis

Just to add my thoughts to this matter. Our older Duetto had a working water tank gauge and the light for the grey water tank being 3/4 full worked. The Rienza we have now had a working water tank level lights but the grey water tank 3/4 full light never came on. I flushed both tanks with tank flush liquid as per instructions. Now the fresh water tank reads permanently full and the waste tank light still dosnt work.  . I think this may call for a look at the sensors now the weather is a bit dryer.
We had the same type of sensors fitted to the coolant tanks of the buses I worked on. They were a never to be trusted to work properly. Low coolant alarms were a regular call out, even though the tanks were full.

Just a thought, if the high level waste alarm is causing problems it can be disabled in the menu settings of the panel.