Fuel gauge

[ghostlymoron]

On my last boat I had a fuel gauge with a float on a stick linked to a dial gauge on the instrument panel. Not very accurate in anything of a choppy sea but useful nonetheless. Current boat has nothing so I will have to dip it to find out the quantity remaining. Is there anything better?

 

[prv]

Both our boats have had a vertical sender rather than an arm; one of them had a sort of perforated tube around the float which might help damp down the sloshing?

Pete

 

[David2452]

You can get an ultrasonic transducer that is also designed to "smooth out" the readings when the stuff starts sloshing about. I have also seen slow reacting gauges that work with ordinary 10Ω to 180Ω resistive float senders.

 

[pvb]

Both our boats have had a vertical sender rather than an arm; one of them had a sort of perforated tube around the float which might help damp down the sloshing?

I replaced one of those earlier this year. It was a VDO Dip Pipe Sender. They are excellent and give a very well damped reading. They're available in many different lengths - http://www.furneauxriddall.com/acatalog/VDO-Fuel-Level-p1.html

 

[pmagowan]

I use a standard vertical sender from ASAP supplies and it works fine but there will always be an issue with sloshing. I was thinking about the way a magnet in a copper tube resists movement and was wondering if there was a way to use this effect to dampen slosh. It might be another workshop project to add to the list once I have built my workshop!

 

[pvb]

I use a standard vertical sender from ASAP supplies and it works fine but there will always be an issue with sloshing.

The VDO dip pipe senders I linked to only have small holes for fuel to flow through, so sloshing hardly affects them. Much better than any lever arm sender.

 

[macd]

The VDO dip pipe senders I linked to only have small holes for fuel to flow through, so sloshing hardly affects them. Much better than any lever arm sender.

Dip pipe senders' resistance generally works opposite to float-on-a-stick jobs, so you'd need a new gauge, too (or be happy to see reported tank levels rising as you use fuel. If only...)

 

[prv]

Dip pipe senders' resistance generally works opposite to float-on-a-stick jobs

I think both types are available in both American and European resistance standards.

Pete

 

[Cloven]

Present & previous boats both had rubbish fuel gauges. I replaced both with these, gauges & appropriate senders supplied by ASAP. Links below may help.

http://www.asap-supplies.com/search/fuel+gauge/faria-fuel-level-gauge-industrial-black-style-gp0709

http://www.asap-supplies.com/search...tank-sender-unit-us-resistance-single-station

Easy to fit and wire in.

 

[David2452]

I think both types are available in both American and European resistance standards.

Pete

Exactly so, but US senders are not only upside down, they work from 240Ω empty to 33.5Ω full instead of 10Ω empty to 180Ω full for Euro types.

 

[Jabs]

It sounds way over the top but I have fitted an engine hour meter and monitor fuel consumption very precisely.

I know consumption per hour at three different rpm settings and double check at every fill.

It's a lot of work but I know where I am every hour.

Tony

 

[macd]

I think both types are available in both American and European resistance standards.

Pete

Indeed they are, but the pivot type and float type (of whichever national convention) report opposite resistances. Think of it: the float type shows less resistance with a full tank; the pivot type, in which an arm on the pivot tracks on a resistance wire, reports the opposite.

 

[David2452]

Indeed they are, but the pivot type and float type (of whichever national convention) report opposite resistances. Think of it: the float type shows less resistance with a full tank; the pivot type, in which an arm on the pivot tracks on a resistance wire, reports the opposite.

Wrong, I generally stock VDO, all marine euro regardless of lever type or straight are 0Ω empty to 180Ω full, as are other makes I have come across, though in smaller numbers. Likewise all US units in the VDO dealers catalogue show as 240Ω full to 33.5 Ω empty, again regardless of type. But don't take my word for it, just look it up in the VDO catalogue.

 

[prv]

Wrong, I generally stock VDO, all marine euro regardless of lever type or straight are 0Ω empty to 180Ω full, as are other makes I have come across, though in smaller numbers. Likewise all US units in the VDO dealers catalogue show as 240Ω full to 33.5 Ω empty, again regardless of type. But don't take my word for it, just look it up in the VDO catalogue.

Thanks, beginning to doubt myself for a moment there

Pete

 

[macd]

But don't take my word for it, just look it up in the VDO catalogue.

I don't need to take anyone's word for anything. I swapped a knackered pivot-type to float 18 months ago and the same gauge read backwards.

 

[David2452]

I don't need to take anyone's word for anything. I swapped a knackered pivot-type to float 18 months ago and the same gauge read backwards.

So, your one was ass about face and from that you deduce they all are? like I said just look it up.

 

[pvb]

Wrong, I generally stock VDO, all marine euro regardless of lever type or straight are 0Ω empty to 180Ω full, as are other makes I have come across, though in smaller numbers. Likewise all US units in the VDO dealers catalogue show as 240Ω full to 33.5 Ω empty, again regardless of type. But don't take my word for it, just look it up in the VDO catalogue.

The Furneaux Riddall site I linked to earlier shows 2 different VDO gauges, one for dip pipe sensors, one for float arm sensors. The dip pipe one is described as "110/50 - 2ohm Resistance"; the float arm one is described as "10 - 180ohm Resistance".

http://www.furneauxriddall.com/acat...Dip-Pipe-Compatible--A2C59514079.html#SID=886
http://www.furneauxriddall.com/acat...Gauge--Float-Arm-Compatible--A2C59514082.html

 

[nigelmercier]

You can get an ultrasonic transducer ...

I've got one of these on my oil tank at home, most impressive. On my boat I have a VDO arm type, with careful height adjustment and bending it can reach from the bottom to the top, even though it is mounted away from the deepest part of the tank. My advice would be to ignore the VDO fitting instructions, they are designed to make the installation easy, not accurate. I also have a programmable gauge that I built myself, or I will do when I finish the MkII version.

Surely the argument over resistance and direction is irrelevant, the OP needs a new sender and a gauge.

 

[Ravi]

You can get an ultrasonic transducer that is also designed to "smooth out" the readings when the stuff starts sloshing about..

Does anyone know of an ultrasonic gauge (?that can be fitted externally to the tank?) ?
My tank is shaped like a wedge. (Like a slice of cake on its side.) and is only about 17 cm deep at the highest point.

It sounds way over the top but I have fitted an engine hour meter and monitor fuel consumption very precisely.

I know consumption per hour at three different rpm settings and double check at every fill.

It's a lot of work but I know where I am every hour.

Tony

I use the same method and can predict usage to within a litre.. But, because of the nature of my tank, it is hard to judge when it is full before diesel starts to flow out of the overflow (into the cup someone, hanging over the side has to hold underneath.)

Also I made the mistake of lending my boat to an idiot who, despite me stressing the importance of logging engine hours, didn't bother and ran out of fuel. So, a fuel gauge is back on my wish list.

 

[salar]

I don't need to take anyone's word for anything. I swapped a knackered pivot-type to float 18 months ago and the same gauge read backwards.

If that happens I almost guarantee that it is because you are trying to read a US spec sender with a EU spec guage. Dual purpose senders have a jumper wire you cut to convert it, others are available as two different versions. When I bought Rebel Runner the previous owner had never resolved the reading backwards problem, a simple snip with wire cutters fixed it. Then I swapped the whole caboodle out for a gauge and sender from Asap anyway...