Water levels

by SLFPS Thu Nov 21, 2024 10:28 pm

Hello my first post being new on the forum.
Waste and fresh water levels shows 0% full on both. Why is this ?

by Tinwheeler Thu Nov 21, 2024 11:03 pm

Because the gauges are notoriously inaccurate. You’ll find many threads about it.

by IanH Fri Nov 22, 2024 7:14 am

This and tyre pressure is the most common issue on here!

Here's my, perfect, method

1 put hose in filler port, turn on water
2 wait till water overflow from filler

Tank is full

1 open drain valve under van
2 wait till nothing draining out

Tank is empty

Anything else is inaccurate guesswork! up!

by SLFPS Fri Nov 22, 2024 9:12 am

IanH wrote:This and tyre pressure is the most common issue on here!

Here's my, perfect, method

1 put hose in filler port, turn on water
2 wait till water overflow from filler

Tank is full

1 open drain valve under van
2 wait till nothing draining out

Tank is empty

Anything else is inaccurate guesswork!

by Tinwheeler Fri Nov 22, 2024 9:27 am

SLFPS, I think you edited.

Tell us what you’ve done so far to track down a ‘fault’. Have you checked similar threads via the search facility and looked at Similar Topics listed below your post?

Eventually, although non-functioning gauges are annoying, you’ll realise that Ian’s method is far more accurate smile!

by The Bargee Fri Nov 22, 2024 9:59 am

When the grey tank is full it overflows. Not the end of the world! Empty a few buckets in the hedge if caught short.

I have mentioned before the Topargee water "meter", which is s flow meter that measures the water volume passing through the pump. I fitted one on my van's fresh system and it is excellent. Very very simple to fit. Once fitted you commission by filling the tank full, tell the app roughly what the tank holds plus a bit, run the tank until the pump runs dry and you will then be told how much water has passed through, which is the usable capacity of the tank. You then reset the gauge to that figure. Thereafter it will tell you how much water has passed through on each tank fill, remember what you usable capacity is and do a simple subtraction sum. On all future fills you just do two-clicks on the app to reset the app to "full".

Very useful for telling the wife precisely how much water she has used in the shower and so far totally reliable!

by babian Fri Nov 22, 2024 10:58 am

Or "cleaning" her teeth!!! With flowing water tap ?????? confused3

by Caraman Fri Nov 22, 2024 1:56 pm

The Bargee wrote:...

Very useful for telling the wife precisely how much water she has used in the shower and so far totally reliable!

Or just leave the water water tank drain tap open with a bucket under it, which is what I do. Actually my wife uses half the water I use unless she is washing her hair in which case its about the same.

by Caraman Fri Nov 22, 2024 1:59 pm

babian wrote:Or "cleaning" her teeth!!! With flowing water tap ??????

The only water we use is to clean the toothbrush and basin after use.

by Caraman Fri Nov 22, 2024 2:08 pm

Tinwheeler wrote:SLFPS, I think you edited.

Tell us what you’ve done so far to track down a ‘fault’. Have you checked similar threads via the search facility and looked at Similar Topics listed below your post?

Eventually, although non-functioning gauges are annoying, you’ll realise that Ian’s method is far more accurate

When my tank sensors misbehave its generally because they over-read e.g. they tell me the tank is full when its not. This can easily be explained by connectivity between the sensors or their connectors caused by damp and grime. If the sensors in both tanks consistently show nil, that suggests a fault worthy of investigation. For example, have the sensors been disconnected all together?

by The Bargee Fri Nov 22, 2024 6:37 pm

Caraman wrote:
The Bargee wrote:...

Very useful for telling the wife precisely how much water she has used in the shower and so far totally reliable!
Or just leave the water water tank drain tap open with a bucket under it, which is what I do. Actually my wife uses half the water I use unless she is washing her hair in which case it’s about the same.

I haven’t got a big enough bucket!

by Caraman Sun Nov 24, 2024 2:13 pm

Caraman wrote:
Tinwheeler wrote:SLFPS, I think you edited.

Tell us what you’ve done so far to track down a ‘fault’. ...
... If the sensors in both tanks consistently show nil, that suggests a fault worthy of investigation. For example, have the sensors been disconnected all together?

I see from SLFPS's latest post, the sensors had indeed been disconnected.

by SLFPS Sun Nov 24, 2024 5:12 pm

Thanks all for your comments, I’ll plug it back in and report back soon.

by IanH Sun Nov 24, 2024 7:28 pm

I'd leave it off!!!! up!

by SLFPS Sun Nov 24, 2024 7:31 pm

IanH wrote:I'd leave it off!!!!

What’s your reasoning for that Ian ?

by IanH Mon Nov 25, 2024 8:15 am

Virtually none of the level sensors work reliably or at all. Certainly no real accuracy.
Also some have audio alarms.
Perfectly simple to avoid even the need for them.
Every morning we leave wherever we are, where possible, with full fresh, empty grey and empty cassette.
In that way if we don't get to our planned destination we, at least have water.

by Caraman Mon Nov 25, 2024 8:27 am

IanH wrote:Virtually none of the level sensors work reliably or at all. Certainly no real accuracy.
Also some have audio alarms.
Perfectly simple to avoid even the need for them.
Every morning we leave wherever we are, where possible, with full fresh, empty grey and empty cassette.
In that way if we don't get to our planned destination we, at least have water.

I use my freshwater tank sensors all the time when they are mostly accurate. After filling the tank on arrival at a site, I find it useful to monitor usage and get an alarm when its low. I only top up the tank sufficiently to get to the end of our stay when I aim to leave the site with an empty or near empty tank. There is no point travelling from site to site with a full water tank.

by Dave 418 Mon Nov 25, 2024 1:32 pm

Not motorhome but a related problem with sensors came to light when I was working on buses. The coolant header tanks had sensors to warn if the coolant was low. The fitters became fed up with going out to buses with the alarm sounding. The problem was the sensors failing so we disconnected them and the drivers had to check the coolant level every morning.

by IanH Mon Nov 25, 2024 5:16 pm

Fine if going from site to sites.
We rarely use sites and can't guarantee getting to our planned destination Aire or Stelleplatz.
So by having full water we are prepared even to get to another Aire which has none..
As to carrying weight, we have 70l which is 2.3% of our normal weight of 3020kg. About the same as a full fuel tank.

However, each to their own

by Caraman Mon Nov 25, 2024 7:51 pm

IanH wrote:Fine if going from site to sites.
We rarely use sites and can't guarantee getting to our planned destination Aire or Stelleplatz.
So by having full water we are prepared even to get to another Aire which has none..
As to carrying weight, we have 70l which is 2.3% of our normal weight of 3020kg. About the same as a full fuel tank.

However, each to their own

On my Nuevo the only mass that matters is on the rear axle. When last measured it was 1900 kg fully loaded for a summer trip with bikes, outdoor chairs & grill, windbreak, 5-days of food/drink and full HW, windscreen washer, AdBlue, diesel and LPG tanks but empty fresh, grey and black water tanks. I have levelling jacks. If I travelled with a full freshwater tank and water in the grey and black tanks, which is inevitable if not using a site, there will be occasions when my rear axle is perilously close to or exceeding its 2000 kg limit (and the tyres' limit before I upgraded them). So all the more reason not to travel with a full freshwater tank (102 litres on the Nuevo) and if travelling with water in it, to know how much with working level sensors which is what this thread is about.

by IanH Mon Nov 25, 2024 8:02 pm

Understood and I made the point that we all use our vans in different ways.
I have a greater than usually cynical view of contents gauging.
Some may recall the Morris Minor fuel gauge, it recorded differently when going round bends. The system wasn't damped.
I was the flight engineer on RAF Nimrods. They had similar gauging!
Also 13 tanks, holding 84000 lbs of fuel, 10700 gallons, about half the total weight, roughly.
Only when the tanks were empty and fuel low pressure lights on did I really know how much we had left, in effect, the more tanks empty, the more accurate the quantity left.
When down to the last four tanks, time to go home, thankfully....,.

by The Bargee Mon Nov 25, 2024 8:21 pm

Even if the AS water tank level sensors work reliably (and mine did not) the snag is that you don’t know whether you are 49.9% full or 25%, or perhaps worse, 24.9% full or 0%! There is a potentially inconvenient difference!

by IanH Mon Nov 25, 2024 9:01 pm

Hence happiness re empty tanks, and proven empty in my Nimrod!! up!

by Monty-Plym Mon Nov 25, 2024 10:11 pm

If you want accuracy use differential pressure sensors, a Victron GX Tank 140 and a Victron Display, works for me and is very accurate. I had to import the DP sensors from Australia from a company called Safiery https://safiery.com/product/tank-level-sensor-fuel-water-ip67-external-pressure/ If you go down this route import them one at a time to avoid paying customs.

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