Well the Audit system worked great while we were at MOT for a few days. But after driving home now it doesn't work. The rear camera still works great but I get a blank screen in both other switch positions for tank levels and compass. I checked the wiring and can't find any obvious breaks so it looks like it is kaput and I need to replace it.
Where is the preferred location for installing the See-Level monitor panel?
And where is the best (cheapest) place to purchase?
Thanks!
If you find a price lower than RVUPGRADES.com post it. As for location several people have put the monitors in the service bay. Different model coaches take extra strips to work and buying 2 kits is cheaper than the strips and you get a second monitor.
If you can wait til Jan. and go to Quartzsite see-level will have a booth with good prices on systems and installs.
I just replaced my Audit system with Seelevel a couple of weeks ago. Yours may be slightly different but here's what I did.
Bought 2 full systems from RVUpgrades.com, which seemed to have the best all-round price. Talk to Garnett though if you have any questions as I found that RVUpgrades didn't have the answers. Due to tank height, I needed 6 sensor strips so purchasing 2 systems gets you 2 monitors for almost the same price as 1 system and 3 extra strips. The connections to the tanks, LP & DC were all made under the dash with existing Audit wiring, re-purposed for the Seelevel.
For the inside monitor, I ran wires from the dash, up the drivers side and into the cabinets, through the false cabinet floor to the existing instrument panel by the fridge.
The 2nd monitor went in the wet bay, which is a short & easy run across from the fresh water tank sensor. Even with using the Audit wiring, these 2 extra wire runs, with 4 wires each, used ~150 of new wire.
Garnett strongly recommends that the system be grounded directly to the battery. I took a chance and used the existing Audit ground under the dash, which seems to be working fine so far.
The hardest part of the install was removing the water heater, which got a new electric element, thermostats and plumbing with flexible lines while it was out.
The only surprise complication was getting the strips to stick to the tanks. Removal of the Audit foil tape left a residue that was very difficult to remove, and the Seelevel strips would not stick to it. After much acetone & elbow grease, they finally stuck but I reinforced them with gorilla tape around the edges for insurance. If your strips need to be trimmed to fit your tanks, I'd recommend saving the pieces to use for testing adhesion before trying to stick the strips. If the scraps don't stick, keep scrubbing until the do. Also, fully test the entire system with the strips temporarily but securely mounted with painters tape or something similar. You only get 1 shot at putting them in the right place.
Overall, it's not a particularly complicated or difficult installation but somehow took longer than expected. But it's worth it. The system works great.
Hi folivier,
Check out the iSeries Tank Monitor System. Only system I could find that has high and low level alarms. Works like a charm and great customer service.
iSeries Tank Monitor | RV Monitor | Boat Monitor (https://tankedge.com/products.html)
Bob
Thanks for the tips and advice. But I may be able to put off doing this a bit longer.
Thanks to a phone call from Rudy I found a loose connector (which I suspected after our rough Louisiana roads) and a bad ground wire. Works great for now.
When you fit the strips leave an inch or two below and above. It is nice to have it say zero before you are actually out of water and 100% befroe you are overflowing. Tank prep is important. You can clean it all off and the use some sand paper to make sure it is clean. Use whatever solvent the suggest for cleaning the tank. The strips and some solvents are not compatible.
I'd agree on the fresh water tank. I'm measuring 0% just before the pump draws air & 100% just before reaching the overflow level. For the grey & black tanks, I'm measuring the full volume of the tank.
BDale
Wow your tanks are easy access
Yes, the black & grey tanks are very easy access. The fresh tank wasn't so easy, having to remove the water heater to get to it. It was an opportunity to do preventive maintenance on the water heater and upgrade the plumbing behind it, which helped rationalize pulling it out.
My Seelevel is having an issue.. filling the fresh over 100% and it reads 5
stays on 5 and then goes down after while but its stuck on 5 for a while .. so its not like it goes 5 then 100% 99% ... it goes 5 then to like 75
I install mine 3yrs ago with no issues. Easy access to the tanks by removing the cover at the water manifold bay, started the strips 3/4 inch from top and bottom on all tanks. I decided to mount the display next to the existing inverter and power monitor display which require all new wires. Each tank will require two strips so it might be cheaper to buy two kits and mount the second display in the utility bay.
Steve
Enjoying our install. Placed pump/water heater gas switch monitor in bath. Converted previous water heater gas switch to electric switch. Nice to see tank levels in bath where most water and tank volumes are generated.
Installed 2nd monitor only display in utility bay to assist in emptying tanks and refill8ng fresh water.
Much improved data and should be asset in boondocking.
I had the same issue with mine during the installation. It turned out to be the strip lifting slightly off the tank surface where I hadn't taped it completely for testing. All it takes is a little bit of the bottom or top edge of the strip to not be in contact with the tank surface for it to read erratically. That's the 1st thing I'd recommend checking.
Any tips on how to install fresh tank sensor without removing hot water tank? Went to install my Amazon.com: See Level 709P3W1003 Tank Monitor System: Automotive (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019QGWODO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and decided to replace the hot water heater to make access to the tank easier. I am finding taking off the trim and the riveted on strut bracket more difficulty than anticipated. Did you? I took some of the hw trim off, put it back on, decided to make hw replacement a spring job. I would like to get the sensors for the Seelevel on though this week. Have you been able to install fresh water tank sensors without removing fresh water tank? I've seen the post saying you only need to know when it is getting empty, I may just do that until spring (I like knowing also before it is full) if I do not find another way to reach the top of the fresh tank.
2 things - any metal near the strip can cause false readings. And on my mine I had to add a second (better) ground to get my fresh tank readings to work properly. I left the first ground point and just added a second. All my ground wires on sensors and the two monitors are interconnected as I believe See Level advises (it's been a while).
The See Level tech support told me to add these 6" by 6" rubber pads (Home Depot )on top of the strips to ensure against metal interference. I just duct tapped them over the top. There's a few fittings right next to the fresh tank that could be problematic.
Mine worked for a few months and then started getting erratic .. emailed support.. said add the thick rubber. I did and it didn't work.. they sent me a new 16" strip to replace the two stacked.. works perfect now.. no charge from support for the new strip
For mine, removing the water heater was all but required. Even if I could manage to properly place the strips, the tank needed extensive cleaning for the strip to stick, and the only way to get that done was with the water heater removed. Removing the water heater was done without removing the door trim pieces but it did require flexing the water heater sheet metal on the left side a little bit. Nothing excessive and it went back in the same way. Removing the water heater was also an opportunity to replace the electric element and rework the piping to add flexible, braided hose between the WH & new Sharkbite fittings. That made reinstalling much easier and it will also be much easier if it ever has to come back out again. I'd recommend removing the WH rather than fighting it.
Sorry, traveling without my schematics. I have a question regarding using the SeeLevel water pump switch in the MODEL 709-P3W . In my FT the water pump switch is in the wet bay, the lav, and the kitchen. I believe it is protected by a relay in the middle bay drivers side behind a fg panel. Does anyone know the protection rating on this relay? I am using the Shurflo 4048-153-E75 water pump, a max 10 amp water pump.
The SeeLevel manual says:
How to avoid damaging the display or pump switch due to
excessive current:
1. Please be aware that the water pump switch circuit has a
limitation on current draw of 10 amps, some large pumps
can draw over 10 amps. These high drain pumps must use a
relay or the display console printed circuit will overheat and
damage the display permanently.
2. If the 12V supply line from the electrical panel does not have
a 10 amp fuse rating, please be sure to install the supplied
fuse holder with a 10 amp automotive style fuse inline on the
+12V red wire.
Jack,
Your latching relay is hid behind the fiberglass cover in the basement. Now depending on the day of the week, bargin of the week, what coach trim, or who knows will determine what relay they used. I know of a coach that is 5 after our coach that has a diffrent latching relay than ours. So to determine the amp rating on the latching relay we need to know which one was installed.
There is also manual resetable breaker that is hid behind the same panel for the water pump. It will be in the line of breakers mounted on the base plate. This breaker is the 12 vdc feed for the water pump, ours is a 15 amp.
Mike
The water pump switches on my '97 are momentary switches. The only option on the SeeLevel was a latching on/off. My understanding was that it would not work (confirmed by Garnett) so I went with the no-switch model. Having the switch in the on position would send constant power to the relay. I don't think that would be good, and you'd probably lose the use of your other pump switch (wet bay, kitchen, etc.) Maybe you could work around that by adding more relays but I saw no reason to change anything.
Jack, all of your momentary switches for the water pump close a ground path to the latching relay. It latches providing power to the pump or unlatches cutting power to the pump. To use at pump switch on the SeeLevel panel you need to change it to a momentarty switch and use it to close a ground path. The pump may be more than he capacity of the original switch. If not and you use it to power the pump then none of your other switches will turn it off.
Thank you all, I was of course hoping for an easier solution. Now I will take this information and decide what to do when I install, and post a picture. Any other ideas will be appreciated. It looks like I may have to install the displays without the switch.
I have a display in the bathroom and one in the wet bay. Both are not too far from water pump switches. One wire from a momentary switch on the SeeLevel panel to a ground line on the switched side of a water pump switch is all it needs.
Don't you also have to include a +12VDC at the switch if you want to have the LED indicator to show the status of the pump?
Don
When I bought mine last year, Garnett told me that they did not offer a momentary switch option. Maybe they do now. It also appeared that the switch is integrated into their display panel and not easily replaced. I'm sure they'd tell you if it can be replaced, and that would be good to know before buying the switch version.
Well yes if you want an indicator light. That +12v comes from the latching relay as does the power to the pump.
This diagram is for the fill valve but it is the same as the water pump.
I definitely want the indicator light... our humble U270 only came with one water pump switch in the kitchen. I want to add one to the bathroom, and one by the exit door. Now I need to figure out if our coach has the wires already present in the bathroom, as I know the harness is the same in many respects across the model range. That would make a bathroom water pump switch an easy install if the wires are there. I figure I will have to run a pair of wires to the front for the extra switch by the exit. Thanks for the info!
Don
Be very careful. I am replacing the sensors and panel because the guy wired the relay to the pump incorrectly, and it smoked the board.Almost started a fire.
The old sensors won't work with the newer panel.
This one is in a Toterhome I just installed a satellite on. Everything is buried in the belly
Chris
Pretty easy to connect, harder to get wires where they need to go. An automatice timer shutoff for the water pump is easier to connect, no wiring to the front door.
Don, our kitchen and bath sink are on the same street side of the coach separated by fridge, so we just ran a water pump cable from kitchen to bath along the inside along side the ABS drain pipe. We don't have a slide, so running kitchen water pump cable to door was also without too much challenge. Water pump relay is mounted on bay wall, so running a water pump switch cable to water bay faucet area was also straight forward. Just have enough wires in the cable to toggle relay on & off and have an LED lamp light when relay is on.
Don, add this little programmable timer to the circuit. Plus 12v starts the timer, when it goes off it closes a path to ground (just like pushing the pump switch again) and the power to the pump and the indicator light and the timer goes off. Very simple add on and we never worry about "did we leave the pump on?".
12V 10 Amp Timer (SINK OUTPUT) [TMR10-SINK] - .95 : 3rd Brake Flasher Web... (http://www.3rdbrakeflasher.com/timer-c-68/12v-10-amp-timer-sink-output-p-210.html)
I have thought about putting in your timer idea, but how do you keep the ice maker happy with it?
Thanks for the link Roger, I have read your posts on this project and it seems like an excellent fail safe. I still intend to add switches as a nighttime convenience, as I have no issue with running wires to the appropriate locations. All I need is the time ::) ^.^d
Don
How much water does it need to make ice? Your accumulator should provide a half gallon or so even with the pump off.
If we are not using water then the pump is off. Safe practice.
Unfortunately my coach has had the water pump upgrade and no accumulator. From what I have read on the Forum, it is not recommended to add the accumulator to my pump. Sometimes there is a negative trade off to an upgrade.
I did the water pump upgrade long ago and have one of the variable speed water pumps that say not to use an accumulator. I bought a nice stainless steel Shurflo 3400 series accumulator which I plan to install behind the bottom drawer in the kitchen. I did some research and found accounts of those who used accumulator tanks with the variable speed pumps without issue. I will have to do some testing, but my theory is that the cut in pressure of the pump just needs to be in the right psi with the accumulator tanks air. Some testing will be necessary to get it right, but that is my theory and I am sticking to it until I get empirical data to prove or disprove it. I tend to forget the details of past research until a project is underway, but that project is on on hold until higher priorities are dealt with... I will of course post the results when I have managed to complete the project. Worst case scenario, I will change out the pump and keep the accumulator if I find they won't play well together. The reason I am dead set on having an accumulator tank in the system is that although the Aquajet 55 ARV pump has worked well and reliably since I installed it 5 or so years ago, but having the pump run every time you flush the toilet at night or have run periodically when make RO drinking water is less than optimal. My hope is that the 2 gallon tank (total volume, .7 gal liquid at 20PSI) will even out the night time flushes and reduce the frequency of the RO driven cycles.
Don
I tried it both ways. Yes, the pump doesn't run every OTHER time you flush, but when it does run, it runs a long time before it shuts off. That in itself was ignoring in the middle of the night.
I tried all kinds of pressure setting's on the new Accumulator tank.
The new Surflo's, make as much or more then city pressure, mine is at 55. Love it, and the wife never complains anymore about pressure when on the pump
Pressure with the Aquajet 55 ARV has never been the issue. As the name implies, it is rated at 55 psi and the same shower experience as good city water pressure. I just want to hopefully lessen the frequency of the cycles. and smooth out the flow on very low demand uses. It will be an experiment! 8)
Don
To avoid running the pump in the middle of the night, we turn it off and put a pitcher of water on the counter for refilling after flush. It works pretty well.