Fuel gauges

[castaway]

I have a gauge on each of my diesel tanks, one of which is broken. This is not a problem as the tanks are linked and I assume that they balance.

I was wondering how they work as they have what looks like a pump up button on the front. The thing is that the working gauge reads half full but when I tried to top up the tanks I ended up with fuel coming out of the breathers all over the place so I might be reading them wrong.

Am I right in thinking that these gauges will slowly return to zero, and to read the correct contents level, the button requires a few pumps??

Anyone else got these type?, unfortunately they dont appear to have a manufacturers name on them. The body is square, light grey plastic. with the round button on the front.

Info please. Thanks Nick

 

[halcyon]

Think you will find there American, remember seeing a similar system 10 / 15 years ago that measured upto to four tanks. They work on pumping the air out of the pipe from gauge to tank, them measure the pressure in the pipe caused by the head of fluid in the tank. You have to do this each time you take a reading, they were not cheap, and sold on the grounds that electricity did not come into it.
Hope this helps.

Brian

 

[kgi]

Nick this may sound dumb but its possible that it may be the type that you hold the button in to get a reading. hope ive just not made a complete turkey of myself.........!

 

[Piers]

Might I suggest you don't assume thay are linked? If they are, and the boat is not vertical, one tank would start to drain into the other creating an imbalance.

I suspect they are separate, but with a manifold (and fuel cock) to enable linking.

Piers du Pré
MBM Cruising Club enthusiast
www.dupre.co.uk/fsPlaydeau.htm

 

[Guest]

Nick
I have this type fitted and they work very well, measuring both fuel and water tank levels.
They show depth of liquid so tank shape comes into the reading. They are connected to the tanks by a small bore plastic tube, which has a little push pump to blow the air out, whilst pressing the appropriate button underneath. Sound complicated but it's not. Dont pump too violently as you might damage the delicate pressure guage mechanism. It's likely that your dodgy one simply has a leak in the tube.
I've probably got the original instructions and will send you a photocopy if it helps.

Regards
Bernard

 

[castaway]

Thanks for the replies... I discovered that the tanks are linked last week, as after a longish stbd tack, the stbd tank had apparently transfered its contents to the port tank. This in turn had overflowed onto my side decks.\

This is what you suggested Piers.

I took a while to ponder this as was a bit baffled at first. I will check and hope that the system has a stop cock to isolate the tanks from each other.

Bernard.... Thanks for your offer of copy of the instructions to the gauge. I will send a PM.

Thanks again Nick,.

 

[Paulka]

A similar system (or is it this very one?) is regularly advertised into (nearly) all american sailing - sorry yachting - magazines.
Look for :
Tank Tender
Hart Systems Inc.
Tel. : 253-858-8481
Fax : 253-858-8486
No known website.

Paul

 

[halcyon]

That's the one I thinking about, one less worry.


Brian

 

[Chris_Robb]

Re: Linked Tanks

Like you I hace linked tanks and discovered the same way that when healing the laws of gravity apply!

I now keep the cross over off unless refilling.

However watch out for the following:

1. Which tank does the return (leak off) diesel go to. You may find quite a volume is moved in 24 hours of motoring. I found this out when I was drawing off the other tank, and the one with the return overflowed from the breathers!

2. If you draw from both tanks, and you allow the fuel to run to the lee tank, then you will dra AIR through the higher tank - obvious really - but I learnt the hard way!

 

[castaway]

Re: Linked Tanks

That is a very good point..., I hadnt thought about the return. Thanks,Nick