Concerned about water tanks

[JudyJB]

I had been worried about my fresh water being empty even though the sensor showed it half full because my water pump would not work. The mechanic showed me with a flash light inside one of my basement storage areas, that you could see it was really half full. Turns out my water pump takes a long time to prime and you have to open the taps to help it if you have not used it in several days.

However, do NOT leave your water pump turned on as you drive or park or all of your fresh water might drain into your grey water tank if you have left a tap open, as I learned recently. (Still learning, as you can see.)

I have 30 gallon grey and black water tanks and can take a brief shower and do a handful of dishes every day for four days without dumping grey water. Black water lasts me at least a week and I use plenty of water but hardly any TP. (Learned from that mistake way back in October if you want to see my panicy posts at 11:00 pm one night when i had a TP clog and could not use my toilet!)

[Olive600]

I had been worried about my fresh water being empty even though the sensor showed it half full because my water pump would not work. The mechanic showed me with a flash light inside one of my basement storage areas, that you could see it was really half full. Turns out my water pump takes a long time to prime and you have to open the taps to help it if you have not used it in several days.

However, do NOT leave your water pump turned on as you drive or park or all of your fresh water might drain into your grey water tank if you have left a tap open, as I learned recently. (Still learning, as you can see.)

I have 30 gallon grey and black water tanks and can take a brief shower and do a handful of dishes every day for four days without dumping grey water. Black water lasts me at least a week and I use plenty of water but hardly any TP. (Learned from that mistake way back in October if you want to see my panicy posts at 11:00 pm one night when i had a TP clog and could not use my toilet!)

Thanks, Judy. You and everyone here are so gracious about sharing your experience. I've learned a great deal in such a short time. I'm not sure what you mean by "leave a tap open." A faucet in a sink? Something outside? Betsy is so small that I'd hear it if I left a sink tap open. I think. So much more to learn.

Nikki

[JudyJB]

I only very occasionally use chemicals (enzymes) in my black tank. Since your sensors are probably gunked up, skip them for a while and use water softener for a while and plenty of water. With your tanks being about 30 gallons for each gray and black, you should easily be able to go for a week or two with the black--even adding a ton of water when you flush.

You might be able to view one or more of your tanks with a flashlight through one of your basement compartments. The factory guy showed me where my fresh water tank was and I could see through the opaque plastic that it was indeed half full, which is what the sensor showed. (I had been parked on slants and could not get my water pump to work, so I thought maybe it was really empty instead of half full. Turned out to be the water pump needing priming.)

Hopefully, by driving around with some water in your black tank (whihc should never be allowed to be empty) some of the gunk will go away.