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Old 03-07-2018, 14:59   #16
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Re: Alternative to fuel gauge

The OP said it was a BRG steel hull. His designs tend to use sections of the bilge for tankage. Sticking them might be difficult?
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Old 03-07-2018, 18:11   #17
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Re: Alternative to fuel gauge

Well, yes, which really lends strength to what I said: Listen for the gurgle :-)! I doubt that every tank has a separate filler. They are presumably interconnected, but of course they need to be individually vented. And, one hopes, vented HIGH, so the vent(s) don't spit solid fuel when the "composite" tanks come near to being full.

TP
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Old 03-07-2018, 20:40   #18
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Re: Alternative to fuel gauge

I cant dip stick my tanks. Have the pneumatic gauges. Perfect.
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Old 04-07-2018, 00:22   #19
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Re: Alternative to fuel gauge

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Originally Posted by TrentePieds View Post
I doubt that every tank has a separate filler. They are presumably interconnected, but of course they need to be individually vented.

TP
They were interconnected. At some point the main hose leaked somewhere along the hull, under the deck fill.... So all tanks are now completely separate. I fill them from jerrycans. May sound very primitive but turns out to be quite convenient.

Impossible to gauge with a dipstick. Or by sound. Reasonably simple by counting the number of jerrycans emptied in a tank. But I'd rather have a more positive feedback.

I had a tank tender, which eventually stopped working. Have replaced with a WEMA electronic unit, with one sender to the day tank and one sender to the water tank.

I am considering adding senders to all of my fuel tanks, but the cost of several senders is hard to justify.
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Old 04-07-2018, 01:44   #20
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Re: Alternative to fuel gauge

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A thermistor. It's the little gadget they use for low fuel warning in a car, only you would use it in reverse. They conduct when they get hot so you would put it at at the top of the tank. The light would come on when the tank was not full.
Thanks for the tip. This is what I am looking for. Fitted to a rotary switch, this would make a cost effective solution.

Are you aware of thermistors with reverse activation? I mean, is like to be sure that OFF means full rather than defective...
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Old 04-07-2018, 05:59   #21
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Re: Alternative to fuel gauge

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Originally Posted by gauvins View Post
Thanks for the tip. This is what I am looking for. Fitted to a rotary switch, this would make a cost effective solution.

Are you aware of thermistors with reverse activation? I mean, is like to be sure that OFF means full rather than defective...
It is a little more complicated than whacking a thermistor in the tank and connecting a light to it. Usually some electronics are involved but really, anything is possible using semi-conductors, relays or computer chips.
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Old 04-07-2018, 06:07   #22
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Re: Alternative to fuel gauge

I've been logging the engine hours when I fuel for boat for years so I pretty much how much fuel I use per hours. This has been a lot more accurate than my fuel gauge.
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Old 04-07-2018, 06:47   #23
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Re: Alternative to fuel gauge

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I've been logging the engine hours when I fuel for boat for years so I pretty much how much fuel I use per hours. This has been a lot more accurate than my fuel gauge.
+1


Lot of boats don't have a working fuel gauge or ability to be dipped.

Even if they do, a gauge can fail or dipstick go missing at any time.

We keep constant track of running hours since last fill to estimate fuel remaining.

1. Fill tanks.

2. Run for 10 hours at normal cruising speed.

3. Refill tanks.

4. Divide gallons of fuel purchased by 10 to calc gallons/hr consumption.

5. Divide total tank capacity by consumption rate to determine max range (running hrs).

6. Multiply total running hours capacity x cruising speed to determine max range (miles).

7. After every fill, keep track of hours run (and calculate gallons consumed and time / distance remaining before empty) until next fill and start over.

We have a 17 USg tank and 0.5 G/hr consumption at 5 knots (Yanmar 3GM).

This gives us a 34 hour range which at cruising speed = 170 nm.

I trust the running hours calculated fuel remaining more than I do a gauge of any technology.
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Old 04-07-2018, 07:09   #24
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Re: Alternative to fuel gauge

Quote:
Originally Posted by gauvins View Post
They were interconnected. At some point the main hose leaked somewhere along the hull, under the deck fill.... So all tanks are now completely separate. I fill them from jerrycans. May sound very primitive but turns out to be quite convenient.

Impossible to gauge with a dipstick. Or by sound. Reasonably simple by counting the number of jerrycans emptied in a tank. But I'd rather have a more positive feedback.

I had a tank tender, which eventually stopped working. Have replaced with a WEMA electronic unit, with one sender to the day tank and one sender to the water tank.

I am considering adding senders to all of my fuel tanks, but the cost of several senders is hard to justify.
If you can fill each tank with a jerrycan, why can't you use a dipstick? Can't you put the dipstck in the same hole the diesel goes into?

You can also calibrate a dipstick for tanks that have an irregular shape. My diesel tank of 280 liters is not uniform in shape. When I emptied the tank a few years ago for cleaning, I refilled it with 50 liters at a time, making a notch on the dipstick (a length of wooden dowel) for each 50 liters. It's a simple and effective solution.
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Old 04-07-2018, 07:58   #25
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Re: Alternative to fuel gauge

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Originally Posted by Copacabana View Post
If you can fill each tank with a jerrycan, why can't you use a dipstick? Can't you put the dipstck in the same hole the diesel goes into?
Not always ... both of my tanks have two 90 degree bends in the fill line.
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Old 04-07-2018, 22:15   #26
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Re: Alternative to fuel gauge

Look into capacitance sensors, I think Wema makes some and I know Paccar uses them on their trucks. Chances are you can adapt one to let you know its full.
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Old 05-07-2018, 00:30   #27
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Re: Alternative to fuel gauge

You can buy small float switches which have a magnetic reed switch in a threaded stem with an annular magnet in the float which are easily installed - needing a single hole through the top of the tank - and quiet cheap. I have used them in both plastic and all SS although the SS ones tended to be fairly expensive. Google Jaycar and they are Cat No SF-0922.
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Old 05-07-2018, 04:09   #28
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Re: Alternative to fuel gauge

^^ Good call RaymondR
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Old 05-07-2018, 05:19   #29
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Re: Alternative to fuel gauge

Choices I see are to mess about with a gauge system OR designate one tank as a Day tank and place a fuel gauge on the day tank. When the day tank is at 33-50%, fill it from tank “A”. Log how much came out of “A” and you know +/- a gallon what is in “A”. Repeat and either drain “A” or pull from “B” to keep trim, log it. This setup replaces gauges with a fairly accurate log system.

The suggested system needs one gauge, a transfer pump and some plumbing. More importantly, a filter can be added to polish the stored fuel before placing it in the new day tank.

When it is time to refuel, you know tanks A, C and F are dry. And the Day tank needs 12 gallons. Much easier to fuel-up!
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Old 09-07-2018, 08:01   #30
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Re: Alternative to fuel gauge

We have five large fuel tanks below deck, total 400 gallons. I use a calibrated dip stick. I don’t trust electronics for this job. All were broken when we bought the boat including the four water tanks.
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