Dipping tank with brass dipstick

[Poignard]

This thread reminds me that I must make a new wooden dipstick to replace my old one, which is marked in 2 gallon divisions, with one, calibrated in 5 litres divisions. This will save some mental arithmetic when re-fuelling

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

A bare wooden dipstick will clearly show the different areas of 'wet' and 'dry'.
If you find difficulty in distinguishing the wet area on a metal stick just lay it flat on absorbent paper. If possible do not use plain white; best IMHO (also for locating leaks in pipework) are the blue paper napkins widely available in supermarkets. The wetted part shows up as black.

 

[John the kiwi]

In my youth i worked in the oil industry and used these products for dipping x million litre storage tanks.
Some multi million litre petrol tanks had a deliberately added level of water. Theory being that if the tank leaked at the base it would be water not petrol.
We therefore dipped twice: once with water paste to find the depth of water and then with fuel paste to get the total level.
http://www.gammontechstore.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1904

 

[[70521]]

We like to be sure of how much fuel we are using and like the simplicity of the dip stick but sometimes it is difficult to read the level

On my last boat where I could dip the tank I had a bit of wood with notches in it every 10 litres, easy in a 40 litre tank. On my current boat I fill the tank to a predefined mark use the engine recording the hours and then refill the tank back to the level recording the number of litres used. A simple sum then gives the litres per hours used. Averaged over a season gives you a very good indication of lph.

 

[greggron]

+1
Matt black dowel is the way to go. The fuel level shows up clearly.

+1. Blackboard spray paint with masked off 5ltr intervals.