Water tank gauges - suggestions

[cmedsailor]

I would like to install a water tank gauge (actually most probably one meter and two "sensors" one for each tank) in my boat. Can you suggest some easy to install and preferably not expensive? Also I would really like to avoid making a big hole on the tank for the sensors.
I was looking at the "Force 4 Water Tank Gauge" (currently 64,95) that needs only two small wholes for the sensor. Has anybody used those?
Thanks

 

[Talulah]

I can see how you only need two small holes for the sensor pins but how is the unit attached to the water tank?

 

[prv]

You can get capacitative sensors that stick on the outside of a plastic tank and need no holes at all.

Pete

 

[noelex]

The tank tender system is excellent, very reliable and very easy to install, but its not cheap.

If you need a battery monitor as well the blue seas VSM may be worth considering, but its no cheap.

Can you fit a sight tube ?, now that is cheap, but usually difficult to fit

 

[Barry Jones]

I normally use the MSC one which has a sender on the pipe and therefore doesn't need you to go in the tank itself.

£77.50

 

[NormanS]

A clear sight tube works well for me. Teed into the cross connection pipe between the two tanks, and protected by a normally closed gate valve, so I can use it for each tank in turn. Nothing to go wrong, although probably better to renew the plastc tube now and then.

 

[PetiteFleur]

This year I fitted a very cheap DIY system on my boat, this is a similar one on ebay. See:- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ELECTRONI...K_BOI_FarmingEquipment_RL&hash=item2eb89fee22

Again a German made gauge that runs off 2 x AA batteries and it works fine. I had to buy the 12 core cable off ebay and make up a plastic rod which held the wire and bolted to the inspection hatch on the tank. Because my tank is not a regular shape the accuracy is suspect but it does give you a good indication of water level.
A nice DIY project which is simple to do and not connected to the boat wiring.

 

[cmedsailor]

This year I fitted a very cheap DIY system on my boat, this is a similar one on ebay. See:- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ELECTRONI...K_BOI_FarmingEquipment_RL&hash=item2eb89fee22

Again a German made gauge that runs off 2 x AA batteries and it works fine. I had to buy the 12 core cable off ebay and make up a plastic rod which held the wire and bolted to the inspection hatch on the tank. Because my tank is not a regular shape the accuracy is suspect but it does give you a good indication of water level.
A nice DIY project which is simple to do and not connected to the boat wiring.

Interesting but is it OK (health wise) to have those core cables in the water tank even if you don't drink that water? I am wondering.

 

[cmedsailor]

The tank tender system is excellent, very reliable and very easy to install, but its not cheap.

Which one are you referring to?
Thanks

 

[Robin]

Lateral thinking

Our last boat (Jeanneau) which had three separate water tanks, used a meter to count the amount used in litres. This meant that one meter could cover all three tanks and the counter itself was remotely mounted in the electrical control panel. I think it was called a 'Debitmeter', or similar and ours was standard equipment from1988 but I saw them advertised in a French Chandlers catalogue fairly recently. Provided you know how many litres from full to sucking air it is very easy to use because you reset the counter to zero with a simple button press after filling up. The working bit is a simple flowmeter installed in line to the pressure water pump.

 

[noelex]

Which one are you referring to?
Thanks

This one

http://www.thetanktender.com/

They make models that will measure many tanks.
One gauge will measure fuel, water waste etc.
To install it you only need to lead a 3mm tube between the tank and guage.
A small 3mm hole is drilled into the top of the tank and the fitting is tapped in. They even supply the 3mm tap. No electricity is needed so there are no wires to hook up.



Here is mine on the bottom right.

 

[Albert Ross]

This year I fitted a very cheap DIY system on my boat, this is a similar one on ebay. See:- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ELECTRONI...K_BOI_FarmingEquipment_RL&hash=item2eb89fee22

Again a German made gauge that runs off 2 x AA batteries and it works fine. I had to buy the 12 core cable off ebay and make up a plastic rod which held the wire and bolted to the inspection hatch on the tank. Because my tank is not a regular shape the accuracy is suspect but it does give you a good indication of water level.
A nice DIY project which is simple to do and not connected to the boat wiring.

PetiteFleur, are you using the Brocott Gauge on water tank or on a sewage holding tank?
I was wondering if this might be the cheap answer for a holding tank gauge but am concerned that the wires in the tank may get encrusted with salty cr*p (which will conduct electricity) and thus make the gauge register as "full" all the time. I'd appreciate your comments. Thanks.
Peter

 

[Gwylan]

Tell me more!

I normally use the MSC one which has a sender on the pipe and therefore doesn't need you to go in the tank itself.

£77.50

Looksl ike what I want - do you have a link? Please

 

[Barry Jones]

http://www.midservicecentre.co.uk/

 

[BrianH]

I fitted this one - it uses the same multiple core cable detector principle as above. The same supplier offers 6m of 12-core cable as an option - it's what I used.

I tee'd-off a clear plastic tube from the main tank output pipe into the hanging locker with the open end well above the tank level and ran the multi-core cable down that.

The unit uses an internal battery that is only used when checking the level.

A point to note in preparing the cable - baring each core to the correct percentage level (could be logarithmically spaced if tank not a regular shape) - is that the earth return one should be bared mid-way between the bottom and top ones as resistance increases with water distance and will result in much dimmer LEDs if significantly further from the activated ones.

It's a cheap and cheerful solution and worked well for me this year.

 

[PetiteFleur]

PetiteFleur, are you using the Brocott Gauge on water tank or on a sewage holding tank?
I was wondering if this might be the cheap answer for a holding tank gauge but am concerned that the wires in the tank may get encrusted with salty cr*p (which will conduct electricity) and thus make the gauge register as "full" all the time. I'd appreciate your comments. Thanks.
Peter

Hi Peter - it was on a water tank(not the Brocott one but similar principle). Hmm - not sure whether it'll work on a holding tank but it's cheap enough to test it. I did ask if it would work in a diesel fuel tank and they said 'NO'! You probably would not need to use the full no of contacts - say 4 or 5.