Grey water level sensor repair

[R-N-R]

Just posted this on rv.net, but thought I would try to get some input from here as well.



Well I read several pages of history on level gauge threads but did not come across anything close to my problem. One post referenced taking out the probes and cleaning it, but that was all it stated... .



My black and grey gauges have been reading high for a while. I have used level gauge cleaner without much success. I also have a multi-directional spray head/hose kit from CW installed on both tanks.



Today I noticed that the wires attached to the tank from the outside were seriously rusted, so I set out to clean them up. On the grey tank, the middle sensor came out of the tank. Now of course I have a hole in the tank. It appears that there is a 1/2 broken off grommet of some sort in the hole. The sensor is a bolt with a button cap on the inside. How should I go about fixing this? Is the depth into the tank citical? Does an arm of some sort hit the contacts as a float rises? Can I attach the sensor and "patch" the hole by putting a layer of silicone between the tank and a flat piece of plastic screwed to the tank from the outside? Are these sensors made to be removed for cleaning? I can't imagine how to get it back in without patching it somehow. Or, should I just patch the hole and forget about it?



Thanks in advance,

Bill

 

[richardcoxid]

If your sensor “buttons” are like mine they are similar in operation to the rubber expansion type thermos stoppers. I. E. you insert the sensor into the hole in the tank, turning the screw expands the rubber inside the tank making a liquid tight seal.



I forget what they are called, but they are available in various sizes at Lowes, Home Depot and most other well equipped hardware/home improvement stores.



In my outfit some of the sensors stopped working, on investigation the tanks must have shifted slightly breaking the wires. I rewired, removed and replaced the sensors with new ones, no trouble since!



Good luck



May you be blessed with fair winds and following seas.

 

[WestTN]

It sounds like you are describing 'well nuts'. Lowes and Home Depot usually stock them in the specialty hardware.

 

[richardcoxid]

WestTN



You are correct, Well Nuts is their name!



I guess that I should have added some additional information in my first post.



There aren’t any “floats or “contacts” inside the tanks. As the liquid level increases in the tanks and covers the Well Nuts the circuitry measures the conductivity of the liquid between the Well Nuts to get a level indication.