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Vetus waste tank sensor/sender


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Back to the original topic for a moment, I thought someone (?) might be interested to know my progress.

 

I disassembled the potentiometer housing and took the coat hanger bit off so that I could fully withdraw the pot from the housing. I pulled out the long, custom spindle of the pot as it was just turning around and around (of course normal pots stop at kind of 11pm and 1am). Tried pushing the spline end into the pot, but whatever I do it just goes round and round - so it occurred to me it might be meant to be like that, in which case of course the rotational orientation that the pot is fitted when tightened up (there is the usual retaining nut) would be quite critical.

I also metered it out and it does go from zero up just past 2k (Its a 2k pot). Now my job is twice as hard because even if I put the pot back as it originally was, there is no guarantee that the moving bit inside is in any particular orientation. Of course, I can set the spline with the coat hanger fully in the up position, and fiddle with the pot until it reads zero ohms (shorting out wire sent gauge to full) but it would still take a great deal of care to get right.

Aside from all that, the readings were a bit touch and go and I wonder if the spline sits into the pot well enough. Maybe the original fault being that it was just turning on its own and not moving anything in the pot itself.

Anyone any experience of this type of pot?

 

 

DSC_0004.JPG

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45 minutes ago, Johny London said:

Back to the original topic for a moment, I thought someone (?) might be interested to know my progress.

 

I disassembled the potentiometer housing and took the coat hanger bit off so that I could fully withdraw the pot from the housing. I pulled out the long, custom spindle of the pot as it was just turning around and around (of course normal pots stop at kind of 11pm and 1am). Tried pushing the spline end into the pot, but whatever I do it just goes round and round - so it occurred to me it might be meant to be like that, in which case of course the rotational orientation that the pot is fitted when tightened up (there is the usual retaining nut) would be quite critical.

I also metered it out and it does go from zero up just past 2k (Its a 2k pot). Now my job is twice as hard because even if I put the pot back as it originally was, there is no guarantee that the moving bit inside is in any particular orientation. Of course, I can set the spline with the coat hanger fully in the up position, and fiddle with the pot until it reads zero ohms (shorting out wire sent gauge to full) but it would still take a great deal of care to get right.

Aside from all that, the readings were a bit touch and go and I wonder if the spline sits into the pot well enough. Maybe the original fault being that it was just turning on its own and not moving anything in the pot itself.

Anyone any experience of this type of pot?

 

 

DSC_0004.JPG

I would have expected the splined end of the shaft to lock into the pot

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On 06/03/2019 at 17:26, Johny London said:

Noticed my waste gauge not creeping up as per usual. Did a pump out and went to investigate the tank, found two wires connected to the sender unit so I shorted them out and sure enough the gauge reads full. I took the five screws out and pulled up the sender for inspection (and undid the two screws that hold its body together) - it seems to move freely, but keeping it at the "full" end of travel the gauge still reads empty. Put it all back together thinking to just get another one but having googled, the only place that might have one is Vetus themselves and they wanted all my details before they would think about emailing me back with a quote - so I'm assuming it will be unreasonably expensive (it looks like its just a sealed potentiometer with a bit of coat hanger wire and a ping pong ball on the end, £1.50 surely?).

Any advice regarding the fixability of the existing one or source for a spare? I only looked it over, to get to the nittty gritty I'd have to completely remove and clean somehow, before I could determine further. I couldn't tell if the outer spindle where the dip wire is attached, was moving the inner spindle of the pot, for example. It was a tad yucky.

Chap just posted on Facebook who has the same problem, have you fixed it yet

Edited by ditchcrawler
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No I have not fixed it yet - it's all cleaned up and put to one side while I try and figure it out. I don't do Facebook I'm afraid but would be interested to see how the other chap is getting on. In the meantime, I made rather a good blanking plate from a jam jar lid.

What happens when the tank gets full if you don't empty it and carry on using it? Does it come oozing out the air vent or does the bog just not flush down anymore? Might be the way to go.

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If you have a plastic poo tank there's a much much better gauge than the stinky shi..y, sticking float types. You don't even have to open the tank at all and let the stink out to fit them. I've fitted two of them and perfect. The kit comes with strips of sticky foil 2'' wide that you stick on the tanks side from top to bottom H fashion. In the centre bar of the H is a sensor that is wired to a little control box with LED indicators to indicate the fullness. It is 12v powered. If the the shape and, size and capacity of the tank is unlnown it can be configuered and adjusted at the control box, after a few fills and empties and reconfiguring at the control box the capacity indicator LED's will read correct.  Unfotunately I don't know the make of these things as the boat owners supplied them, who have now dissapeared. Plobably made on China, vely leriable, No 1 glood ploduct.  No workee on the metal tank.

Edited by bizzard
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1 hour ago, bizzard said:

If you have a plastic poo tank there's a much much better gauge than the stinky shi..y, sticking float types. You don't even have to open the tank at all and let the stink out to fit them. I've fitted two of them and perfect. The kit comes with strips of sticky foil 2'' wide that you stick on the tanks side from top to bottom H fashion. In the centre bar of the H is a sensor that is wired to a little control box with LED indicators to indicate the fullness. It is 12v powered. If the the shape and, size and capacity of the tank is unlnown it can be configuered and adjusted at the control box, after a few fills and empties and reconfiguring at the control box the capacity indicator LED's will read correct.  Unfotunately I don't know the make of these things as the boat owners supplied them, who have now dissapeared. Plobably made on China, vely leriable, No 1 glood ploduct.  No workee on the metal tank.

This maybe https://www.scadtech.com/tank_monitors

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  • 2 years later...
On 19/03/2019 at 12:18, Johny London said:

No I have not fixed it yet - it's all cleaned up and put to one side while I try and figure it out. I don't do Facebook I'm afraid but would be interested to see how the other chap is getting on. In the meantime, I made rather a good blanking plate from a jam jar lid.

What happens when the tank gets full if you don't empty it and carry on using it? Does it come oozing out the air vent or does the bog just not flush down anymore? Might be the way to go.

Hi Johny 

 

Did you manage to find a solution for this issue? Did you revert to buying an original replacement?

 

I’ve experienced the same issue as yourself with the exception that as I pulled the end of the float out it separated and one of the pieces dropped back into the abyss (not even going to try and fish that out!)

 

I’m just thinking of alternatives to retrofit as I’m not convinced on the reliability of this unit considering it’s failed after 2 years. Ideally using the existing hole, just wondering whether the MSC or Wema units would fit and secure in to the existing cut out.

 

cheers for any info you may have. 
 

Deep (lock)

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12 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

You may not get a reply as he last visited the forum 2 years ago.

Thanks Alan, I was hoping this may pull him back in but I suspect it’s a sh!!!y post to come back to 😅

 

I did note it was an old post, I’m open to any other suggestions our learned boater friends maybe familiar with.

 

thanks again 

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On 06/03/2019 at 21:05, Sea Dog said:

Johnny, if the Vetus spare is, as expected, silly money, consider replacing the whole thing with one from MSC.  No moving parts, sender and analogue gauge about a hundred quid, about a tenner more for digital.

Problem, with MSC is if they freeze. The pressure sensor can withstand a bit of frost if no power is on, but if powered on and below 0 the buggers stop working, as they do if you get minus 10 even with no power on.  I now take email home for the winter.

 

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8 minutes ago, Detling said:

Problem, with MSC is if they freeze. The pressure sensor can withstand a bit of frost if no power is on, but if powered on and below 0 the buggers stop working, as they do if you get minus 10 even with no power on.  I now take email home for the winter.

 

I'm surprised to hear that. I have them on both fresh and black water tanks and they've done plenty of winters both with the boat occupied and unoccupied. Both tanks/sensors are below the waterline though, so pretty well protected.

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40 minutes ago, Detling said:

Problem, with MSC is if they freeze. The pressure sensor can withstand a bit of frost if no power is on, but if powered on and below 0 the buggers stop working, as they do if you get minus 10 even with no power on.  I now take email home for the winter.

 

 

You call your poo tank sensor "email" ?

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