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Waste tank sensor

Posted: September 20th, 2021, 6:19 am
by pepmyster
Good day to everyone!!!! Just looking for tips . The infamous waste tank tank sensor, the one with 3 floating levels, goes out of sorts once and a while. I remove the tank sensor, clean, looks good, reinstall. That would be good for a while then, here we go again and have to clean again. Oh yea, the SMELL!!!!! Gotta love it. Anyway, the sensor is good but cleaning all the time? Gezzzzz. Any solutions to this. We never put toilet paper down there if you need to know. I checked for solid sediment and there is none.

Re: Waste tank sensor

Posted: September 20th, 2021, 6:52 am
by Midnightsun
Had issues with mine also and ended up replacing the sensor assembly. Works fine now however low/medium and full is rather non informational IMHO. The trick to keeping the floats working is to use liquid laundry detergent in the tank a couple of times a season which also cleans the tank pretty darn good.

With a fresh pump out I fill about 1/2 with water and pour in a good cup or 2 of detergent. I let it slosh around on the trip out and use the other head while it sort of self cleans. After a day or so on the water it is back to the pump out to remove the tide and water.

That being said I do have plans to install a proper gauge to give me a more accurate reading. Some will recommend the tape type sensors mounted on the outside of the tank however I had one (original snake river) and it was problematic. I swapped out the main display for the new and improved model which worked but for only a couple of years. Sold the boat and the new owner had to replace the display unit again. After a few more years it once again died. The display contains all the electronics to make this work but as you can see it did not fair very well at all and on top of that they are several hundred dollars each time.

An accesible float for periodic maintenance made of stainless is something I am considering if I have the headroom to install one. https://www.fisheriessupply.com/wema-us ... ank-sensor

Re: Waste tank sensor

Posted: September 20th, 2021, 9:46 am
by pepmyster
Stainless makes a lot of sense since the original is plastic and it’s getting old I will try your soap solution and clean the sensor, again. Let us know how the stainless one works out.

Re: Waste tank sensor

Posted: September 20th, 2021, 11:47 am
by bud37
There has been some interesting discussions of the pros and cons of using SS in waste tanks. My personal experience with a very nice SS waste tank did not go well, after a while it sprung pinhole leaks here and there as something was attacking the stainless. Needless to say we replaced with hvy plastic.

I know you are not talking about the tank, this is just an anecdote about Stainless. Do your research.

Re: Waste tank sensor

Posted: September 20th, 2021, 12:50 pm
by Midnightsun
Hmmm, a good boating friend of mine had a 30' Doral Express Cruiser some time ago. They came with Aluminum holding tanks!! Needless to say after 10 years or so it sprung a leak. Had to cut out the base of the bed in the aft just to get to it. :-O Since only one size fit there and nothing was available, I welded up a stainless steel tank for him to the same dimensions. Wonder if that tank is still kicking. :-D

Thanks for the heads up on the stainless. ;-)

Re: Waste tank sensor

Posted: September 20th, 2021, 2:02 pm
by Midnightsun
That being said. Maybe these newer SCAD units work better than the Tech-Edge/Snake River units I had in the past. Seem to have good ratings across the board. Like the format. Decisions, decision, decisions! https://www.scadtech.com/tank_monitors

Calibration.

Re: Waste tank sensor

Posted: September 20th, 2021, 3:56 pm
by pepmyster
That’s a fancy display!!!!

Re: Waste tank sensor

Posted: September 20th, 2021, 5:21 pm
by Midnightsun
Not bad, they seem to be priced around $170 US for the complete kit.

Re: Waste tank sensor

Posted: September 20th, 2021, 5:37 pm
by km1125
Midnightsun wrote:Source of the post That being said. Maybe these newer SCAD units work better than the Tech-Edge/Snake River units I had in the past. Seem to have good ratings across the board. Like the format. Decisions, decision, decisions! https://www.scadtech.com/tank_monitors

Did you have problems with the Tech-Edge unit? I had one on my boat and it seemed to work well. I have another set with three sensors I was going to list in the classified. Seems like they use the same external tank sensor that the Scad uses.

Re: Waste tank sensor

Posted: September 20th, 2021, 5:47 pm
by Midnightsun
km1125 wrote:Source of the post
Midnightsun wrote:Source of the post That being said. Maybe these newer SCAD units work better than the Tech-Edge/Snake River units I had in the past. Seem to have good ratings across the board. Like the format. Decisions, decision, decisions! https://www.scadtech.com/tank_monitors

Did you have problems with the Tech-Edge unit? I had one on my boat and it seemed to work well. I have another set with three sensors I was going to list in the classified. Seems like they use the same external tank sensor that the Scad uses.


I did however it was not the sensors, the main board/unit was the issue. 4 of them in about 11 years. Not going back to Tech-Edge/Snake river