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Old 09-16-2013, 09:23 AM   #1
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Happy Camper question

I don,t have a big problem with my black and gray tanks but I do want to clean them up. I have read about happy camper on the forum. Does any one have any idea if I buy the extreme cleaner can I use it as regular tank treatment until I use it up? Or could just using the regular happy camper clean thing up good enough over time? Like I said I don,t have any major problems, just the usual level sensor stuff. I guess I'm being cheap, but I just want to buy only what I need.

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Old 09-16-2013, 10:08 AM   #2
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Well, I use regular Happy Camper. Maybe I'm not doing it right so if there are other ideas, please chime in. I used 2 scoops the first time. Camped and flushed out after two weeks of careful use. Sensor said 1/3rd full. Subsequent trips have been a week long and black tank has read full prior to emptying at the end of those weeks. I had put one scoop in at the beginning of those weeks. One time the sensor read properly. The others it still reads 1/3rd or 1/2 full. We camp where we have to drive an hour to get to a dump station, so it has lots of time to slosh around and break up before dumping. My guess is that something ends up getting stuck on the sensor. One time we even used the hydroflush to flush things out as this is a new camper to us. That time it did read empty. Not sure if that is the fault of the Happy Camper or not. It does help with odor much better than other brands and isn't going to freeze if left over winter. Doesn't have that strong fragrance the blue stuff has either. I think I will keep using it but not try to depend on the sensors.
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Old 09-16-2013, 12:23 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by janepete View Post
Well, I use regular Happy Camper. Maybe I'm not doing it right so if there are other ideas, please chime in. I used 2 scoops the first time. Camped and flushed out after two weeks of careful use. Sensor said 1/3rd full. Subsequent trips have been a week long and black tank has read full prior to emptying at the end of those weeks. I had put one scoop in at the beginning of those weeks. One time the sensor read properly. The others it still reads 1/3rd or 1/2 full. We camp where we have to drive an hour to get to a dump station, so it has lots of time to slosh around and break up before dumping. My guess is that something ends up getting stuck on the sensor. One time we even used the hydroflush to flush things out as this is a new camper to us. That time it did read empty. Not sure if that is the fault of the Happy Camper or not. It does help with odor much better than other brands and isn't going to freeze if left over winter. Doesn't have that strong fragrance the blue stuff has either. I think I will keep using it but not try to depend on the sensors.
I've replaced sensors before. easy job. So if the PO hadn't cleaned tanks well a crust will form on sensors which will hold moisture. If you let them dry your reading will go to 0. They work on conductivity so as long as the sensor is wet and the sides of tank is wet they will still read. Bottom line, you can't trust them
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Old 09-16-2013, 01:01 PM   #4
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They did read 0 after they dried once. PO used it in a permanent site, so suspect it didn't get cleaned great, that's why we did the hydroflush. Still, looking down the toilet works pretty good. Rather practice my ukulele than crawl down underneath and tackle that job.
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Old 09-16-2013, 02:05 PM   #5
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On my 'new to me' T1550 I used the Extreme Cleaner. I followed the instructions for the Cleaner and I added just water into the black tank and a bag of crushed ice. I then drove about 30 miles and then dumped the tank. The aggitation of the ice scrubbed the tank while i drove. It seemed to work great for me. I don't have sensors on my tank but the smell is gone and looking into the tank with a flashlight it looks pretty good.
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Old 09-16-2013, 02:24 PM   #6
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When I got my Jayco I tried the ice, didn't work, tried calgon,didn't work, tried just water and aqua chem, didn't work. Tilted trailer away from sensors and left set a few days. Then pulled sensors from tank. After all that cleaning the sensor heads still had a crust on them that needed scraped off. New sensors only cost about $2.00 each.
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Old 09-16-2013, 06:00 PM   #7
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OK, so I may have to replace the sensors. We have a 2499 Sunline Solaris 2004.
Does any one know how to change the sensors out? I can deal with crawling under the camper and possibly a face full of gunk.

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Old 09-16-2013, 08:39 PM   #8
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Here you go. easier to change than clean real dirty ones.
http://tweetys.com/quickprobe.aspx

RV Holding Tank Sensor Removal - YouTube
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Old 09-17-2013, 06:36 AM   #9
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Jim,
Thanks for the video on sensor replacement. I would have probably struggled with trying to undo the well nut! And thanks for referencing the Horst sensors. Assuming you keep up on the tank maintenance do they keep on working long term?
Thanks,
Bill S
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Old 09-17-2013, 08:12 AM   #10
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That looks easier than I envisioned. Might have to give it a go.
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Old 09-17-2013, 05:01 PM   #11
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I replaced my old sensors with the Horst sensors last year I never get a false reading now. It's a easy upgrade to do.
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Old 09-23-2013, 08:52 AM   #12
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Thanks for the heads up on the Horst sensors. My black tank sensor used to be my eyes as the toilet flushed. Now in our MH, the toilet is plumbed at an angle to the black tank and I can't see in anymore.
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