newcomer questions

[RoYoT]

We just bought a 2010 Scamp 13. How do we know when the gray water tank is getting full? We haven't used it yet but are learning a lot from this forum. Thanks,
RoyT in Bellingham

[Frederick L. Simson]

Does your Scamp have a bathroom? Or just a kitchen sink? Without a tank monitoring system it is difficult. I usually find out that my 16' Fiber Stream's gray tank is full when the shower drain backs up. (Oops)

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by RoyT

We just bought a 2010 Scamp 13. How do we know when the gray water tank is getting full? We haven't used it yet but are learning a lot from this forum. Thanks,
RoyT in Bellingham

I usually have a pretty good idea how full the gray water tank is by how much of 12 gallon fresh water tank I've used.
The tray water tank is 26 gallons. If you used the full 12 gallons and refilled it without emptying the gray water, you'll be getting pretty close.
When leaving a campground that has a dump station, I dump and if they have fresh water I'll fill the fresh water tank. Meaning I'm traveling with a full fresh water tank and an empty gray water tank.

We're not big water users, 12 gallons will last about 10 days easily. I think we through about 20 gallons in 3 weeks once this past winter. Since some of that water went into drinking and food we were quite a ways from having a full gray water tank.

[Donna D.]

Hi RoyT in Bellingham, welcome to FiberglassRV.We're glad you're here

One of the easiest methods of knowing how much is in your gray water tank, is to NOT let it fill up . Seriously. There are a variety of totes to bleed off tank water(s). This is my solution:

[RoYoT]

Thanks for your replies and suggestions. I didn't know if there was a way to observe the level by looking somewhere. That reminds me of another question. If we use all the fresh water in the tank could we run the hot water tank dry and burn it out? Perhaps we can tell by the sound of the pump that it is out of water. Thanks, RoyT

[Mary F]

I don't think so, Roy. There must be fresh water in the line to push the water from the heater; as the water pressure falls, when the fresh tank empties, the hot water tank also will not "run." There're still 6 gallons if water, but to use them you must draw them out into a bucket, via the water heater's drain (if there is one).