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Old 06-06-2012, 09:05 PM   #1
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Name: Garth
Trailer: Casita SD 17 - 1998
California
Posts: 3
monitor for batt. & holding tanks

Our Casita does not have any monitors on the battery or the fresh water & holding tanks.
All the commercial units I see are expensive. Any way to make an
inexpensive monitor?
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Old 06-06-2012, 09:09 PM   #2
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Trailer: 1988 16 ft Scamp Deluxe
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Hi Garth, welcome to FiberglassRV. I can offer no suggestions for monitors, but my trailer (and me) is too simple for that I subscribe to the KISS principle... to see if the black water tank is getting full... I open the flapper and look . I can tell the gray water tank is full when the water backs up into the sink or won't go down... another But it works and never breaks!

Others with suggestions will be along shortly, but wanted to take the time to say
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Old 06-06-2012, 09:17 PM   #3
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Name: Garth
Trailer: Casita SD 17 - 1998
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tank monitors

Thanks Donna. That is the least expensive way.
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Old 06-06-2012, 10:01 PM   #4
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I don't have a black water tank, so that's not a concern. Gray water tank is 26 gallons, fresh water tank is 12 gallons. I very seldom connect to city water, I think I've connected 3 times in 6.5 years. I can tell about how full the gray water tank is by how much fresh water I've used. I can look at the fresh water tank to see how much water is in it.
From experience I know that after about 4 days when I've had to run the furnace in the morning, I'll need to charge the battery. That and I have plug in meter that tells the charge. The only time I missed on the battery was when the temps dropped into the teens then to single digits. The battery ran out around 5 am. on the 4th day. Now I charge it a bit more often, depending on the weather. I have a solar panel that I use to charge the battery. Out of the past 500+ nights I've probably plugged in about a dozen times.
Week-end trips I don't worry about any of it. I leave home with a full fresh water tank and enjoy the trip.
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Old 06-06-2012, 11:23 PM   #5
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Trailer: Casita Freedom Deluxe 17 ft
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Battery Monitor

For the battery, I use the Equus 3721 Battery and Charging System Monitor. You just plug it into a 12V outlet. I got it on Amazon for about $15. It's good for peace of mind!

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Old 06-07-2012, 08:28 AM   #6
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Trailer: 2022 Escape19 pulled by 2014 Dodge Ram Hemi Sport
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I have a new set of gauges for 3 tanks, they do not require drilling holes but apply directly to the tank for measurement. see here
http://www.rvgauge.com/downloads/705_Brochure.pdf
if interested-pm me
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Old 06-07-2012, 10:04 AM   #7
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I also use a small battery monitor that plugs into the 12v outlet - simple and cheap and it works well.

I have also from time to time wished for a tank monitor but have had them on another RV and know they dont always work so well, so reluctant to spend big money on one. As others have suggested it pretty simple to tell if the black water on mine is full as you can see it from the top when its getting close to being full - the grey water is another matter but if dry camping I know if I have refill my fresh water tank twice & I'm close to using up the 2nd tank full I need to drain off the gray or if I wait it will let me know it needs to be drained by coming back up in the shower pan drain as a reminder.
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Old 06-07-2012, 12:10 PM   #8
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Trailer: Bigfoot 25B21FB
British Columbia
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The SeeLevel II gauges are one of the best ones out there. Very accurate and give exact % of levels. Nice if you like gadgets and can afford the. The manufacturer does have an online sale going on right now too.
https://www.securewebexchange.com/rvgauge.com/sale.htm

Best price still: http://www.bestconverter.com/SeeLevel-Gauges_c_108.html
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Old 06-07-2012, 01:07 PM   #9
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I have a new in box set of SeeLevel Gauges and sensors for 3 tanks & battery and has water pump switch all for sale, if interested, pm me.
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Old 06-07-2012, 05:37 PM   #10
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Name: RogerDat
Trailer: 2010 Scamp 16
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I'm in the why bother with a gauge group. Camped for 10 years without them, got to listen to sister and parents complain about how the gauges on their rigs were wrong or just not accurate enough to be useful through several rigs.

I think if one wants to use gauges they need to be good ones, so you can trust them, or inexpensive but able to give you some general idea of the situation like the $15 battery gauges mentioned in prev. posts.

Good gauges come from recomendations of people such as the ones that haunt this forum. Just make sure your expectations of "good" in terms of function and price line up with the suggested gauge.
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Old 06-07-2012, 06:17 PM   #11
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Most common problem with gauges is that the probes inside the tank get things hung up on them or dirty over time and as a result dont register correctly. Can be hard sometimes to get the probe clean. The ones that use the tape on the outside of the tank rather than a probe into the tank may or may not avoid that issue - cant say as I havent used that type.
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Old 06-07-2012, 07:31 PM   #12
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Don't know about Casitas, but on a Scamp you can tell the level of the toilet tank by pressing a very bright flashlight right up against the plastic. And, yeah, it works a lot better at night.
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Old 06-08-2012, 06:38 AM   #13
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If you're looking for inexpensive solutions, check out what peterh did when he added another fresh water tank. It uses a strip LED and a sight window. Maybe it would give you ideas. This is a long topic, well worth reading... but this is a direct link to a picture: Peterh LED for fresh water tank
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Old 06-08-2012, 07:03 AM   #14
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This is what I use in my Casita 
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Cigarette Lighter Socket Equus | Cigarette Lighter Socket
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