Tank Tender

[Geoff S.]

Chuck and John;
Thanks for the link and the info; sounds like Tank Tender is the way to go!

Or should I say..."Tanks a lot!"
(sorry)

[Geoff S.]

Apologies to Slow Shoes; didn't mean to hijack your thread!

[slow shoes]

Originally Posted by Geoff S.

Apologies to Slow Shoes; didn't mean to hijack your thread!

No apologies needed. All the info has been great! Sounds like I'm going to go for it, as I'm tired of the guessing games.

[Geoff S.]

I'm with you. Looks like Defender (Discount Marine and Boat Supplies - Inflatable Sales - Defender) has better prices than Tank Tender direct. Anybody know of a cheaper source than Defender?

[irwinsailor]

They cost more than I thought they did! Our's was on the boat when we bought it.

[slow shoes]

I have one last question on installation before I buy. (ok, actually two). How much do the fittings for the tank tender protrude above the tank itself. I have floorboards and berth boards above most of my tanks, and I'm wondering if I will run into any clearance issues. Also, does the tubing that comes with the tender take well to sharp turns when leading the tubing to the tank, or will it "kink" if you try to bend it too agressively.

[AnchorageGuy]

The fittings on mine are at 90 degree angles and only stand maybe a bit more that 1/2" tall. You need a gradual curve in the tubing, it will kink if you try to make sharp turns.

[GordMay]

I think that the Hart Tank Tender uses 1/8" I.D. “Semi-Flexible” Nylon Tubing, which can be bent (without kinking or pinching) to about 10 x Outside Diameter. This allows a safe bending radius of about 2-1/2". Just don’t “force” the bends, and you should be ok.

A “Flexible” substitute tube can be bent to a tighter radius (as little as 3 x OD).

[slow shoes]

Thanks again for the replys. Clearance above the tanks won't be an issue with only a 1/2" to deal with. I'm still a little concerned about snaking the tubing to all of my tanks without kinking the tubing, but I think I should be ok. We'll see.

[svbravo]

I see that the tank fittings are stainless steel. Has anyone installed a system with aluminum tanks, without corrosion problems due to dissimilar metals?

[belizesailor]

Ive installed them on alum fuel tanks w no problem. Just use a dab of TefGel to be sure.

[svbravo]

Thanks for that, Belize. I was thinking Tefgel or Duralac would do it as well. I just got an email an hour ago from TankTender rep. She said they recommend oversizing the hole in the tank, then epoxying a piece of hard fiberglass over this hole. Finally drill and tap the small hole for the fitting into the fiberglass as normal. Happy to hear you've had good luck with the Tefgel. Cheers.

[belizesailor]

Isolation by oversizing or similar is a good solution, but a lot more involved than a bit of tef gel.

I used an existing threaded bolt hole of an old sending unit plate. Same size. Worked fine. Been installed for many years w no issues. I think the fact these are diesel tanks probably helps eliminate the corrosion issue...no salt water normally present.

[coopec43]

I really don't need to know how many liters(gallons) in the fuel tank I just need to know if it is "full", "pretty full", "getting low" so I'm going to install a sight glass on both tanks. They are not cheap but they are simple and of course I can calibrate the contents of the fuel tank by marking beside the sight glass as I fill it for the first time.

https://www.johnsonvalves.co.uk/tank...ge-indicators/

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by svbravo

Thanks for that, Belize. I was thinking Tefgel or Duralac would do it as well. I just got an email an hour ago from TankTender rep. She said they recommend oversizing the hole in the tank, then epoxying a piece of hard fiberglass over this hole. Finally drill and tap the small hole for the fitting into the fiberglass as normal. Happy to hear you've had good luck with the Tefgel. Cheers.

That seems like an awful lot of work. Since most of the fuel tank sanders I have seen have a rubber gasket is there really a problem?

Pete