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Tank monitor not working correctly

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TomHanlon

Tank monitor not working correctly
« on: December 26, 2014, 10:41:51 am »
    OK, Yesterday I went out to the PC and started the engine, ran the genterator and did an over all check on things. I found that the tank monitor is reading empty on all the tanks. That is good for the fresh, gray and black tanks as they are winterized. The LPG tank is just over half full by the gauge on the LPG tank. I checked the house batteries and they read 14 volts, because the PC has been plugged into the 110v house. I drove the PC for 17 miles this morning just to be sure all the batteries, including the engine battery are fully charged.

    Since I am getting a light on the empty I don't think it is a ground problem or a circuit breaker popped. Now I don't know what to check. Does anyone have any ideas on how to trouble shoot this problem?
 :help

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Carol

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Re: Tank monitor not working correctly
« Reply #1 on: December 26, 2014, 04:10:57 pm »
OK, this is gonna sound really stupid, so forgive me, but maybe the monitor is simply broken?  Can you call the manufacturer and find out if kaputness can manifest itself with all empty readings?  Just a thought.

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TomHanlon

Re: Tank monitor not working correctly
« Reply #2 on: December 26, 2014, 05:43:36 pm »
OK, this is gonna sound really stupid, so forgive me, but maybe the monitor is simply broken?  Can you call the manufacturer and find out if kaputness can manifest itself with all empty readings?  Just a thought.

Carol that is not stupid at all. I plan on calling the factory and then the manufacture next week. I was hoping someone on here would have had this problem and knew how to fix it.

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Carol

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Re: Tank monitor not working correctly
« Reply #3 on: December 26, 2014, 08:52:30 pm »
Ah, well the only problem I have had with the monitor is the black reading becoming useless after the first week or two.  I don't understand why a better system can't be installed on these things.  Good luck getting your answer and if it comes from outside the forum, keep us posted!

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Bob Mahon

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Re: Tank monitor not working correctly
« Reply #4 on: December 26, 2014, 10:20:06 pm »
Not ever having had this issue but applying some logic and assumptions;
1 .. there cannot be penetrations for gage sensors in the tank.
2 .. a sensor can be placed external to the tank.
3 .. generally, a sensor will be downstream of the shut-off valve.
Question 1: did you shut off the Propane valve when winterizing?
Question 2: will the gage read level with the valve open?
Carry on, regardless..................
"In God we trust" to save our country and bring our troops safely home.

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Bruce

Re: Tank monitor not working correctly
« Reply #5 on: December 27, 2014, 01:19:57 am »
Ah, well the only problem I have had with the monitor is the black reading becoming useless after the first week or two.  I don't understand why a better system can't be installed on these things.

Hi Carol,
Sorry to hear that your black tank monitor is useless for you.  We had the same feeling with each of the several RV's we've owned prior to our PC, but have had no major troubles with the black monitor on our 2014 2552 after more than a year of using it.  Only in a couple of cases did the black sensor not show empty after fully completing the entire routine that we list below.

There are a number of posts on this forum with ideas to keep the black tank monitor operating correctly (some by Sparky, for example).

Here is the routine that we use:
We dump the black tank about once a week during an extended trip (flushing it with a full tank of gray water each time),
Add a package of Thetford Aqua-Kem Dri and a gallon of so of water to the toilet,
Always do the same as above at the end of each trip, and
Back flush the tanks with the built-in flushing system whenever the tank monitors don't show empty after a dump.

Hope you find a routine that will work for you.

Bruce and Sharon

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Carol

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Re: Tank monitor not working correctly
« Reply #6 on: December 27, 2014, 08:35:46 am »
Thanks Bruce & Sharon.  I will buckle down, use your suggestions, and see if I can fix this for 2015 (my New Year's resolution!)

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Pax

Re: Tank monitor not working correctly
« Reply #7 on: December 27, 2014, 12:09:19 pm »
Tom:

Not sure how much help this might be, but I had read a while ago that there are usually five IC's (integrated circuits) like these at the display panel somewhere, one for each tank and one for the battery....

http://www.onsemi.com/pub/Collateral/LM339-D.PDF

There are usually resistors in the line as well (between full and 2/3, 2/3 and 1/3, etc)  Some panels may have small adjustment potentiometers below the LED's on the panel.  I'm not at the rig and don't know if mine have these.

- Mike

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gl1500

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Re: Tank monitor not working correctly
« Reply #8 on: December 27, 2014, 01:07:40 pm »
Mike,
    The reference material of the IC circuits are spec. sheets for Design Engineers.  I could not see any variable resistors on any of the IC's.  I am not sure of the actual design, but the sensors in the tanks are essentially an on or off signal to the comparators.  The signal is based on the liquid in the tank allowing current flow from that level to its respective signal input on the IC.  Major problem is debris in the tank sticking to the sensor giving an inaccurate reading.  A while back someone had mentioned a new type sensor for the tank that was much more accurate.
     Unless a person knows electronics, I would not experiment with a variable resistor in the system if there is one, unless the Manufacturer could provide information on what to do. 
    Electronics can be very sensitive and once off their design parameters it is hard to get them back without the proper electronic test equipment.
    Bob

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Pax

Re: Tank monitor not working correctly
« Reply #9 on: December 27, 2014, 01:43:10 pm »
I thought Tom had a problem with the propane tank sensor, not the holding tanks.  I agree with you about not messing with that type of electronic thing unless you know what you're doing (and I'm not an electronics expert by any means), but it's good to know what might be there and what it's purpose might be.

  - Mike