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Fresh water tank gauge


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Hello

Looking to get some sort of water gauge for my water tank, so that I have a better idea of when I'll be running out and need to go top up, rather than being rudely surprised by it! I've seen a couple online where you install them inline when the tank is full, and it learns the first time round basically what you're tank size is, and from then on can approximate it each time after if that makes sense. However, they're over £100. e.g. https://www.force4.co.uk/item/Topargee/Water-Tank-Gauge-Surface-Mount/G39

 

There are then more expensive ones that seem to rely on pressure - https://www.midlandchandlers.co.uk/products/tank-gauge-fresh-water-ei-100

 

And then really cheap ones that I'm not convinced would do what I was after - https://www.amazon.co.uk/12-24V-Non-contact-Liquid-Detect-Container

 

Just wondering if anyone has any advice or pointers on what they've used? Bad or good!

 

Cheers

 

Tom

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6 minutes ago, TitaniumSquirrel said:

There are then more expensive ones that seem to rely on pressure - https://www.midlandchandlers.co.uk/products/tank-gauge-fresh-water-ei-100

Buy it direct from MCS, much cheaper than Midlands! 

https://www.mcsboatproducts.co.uk/our-products/freshwater

 

We have there fresh water and pumpout tank gauges. Seem to do the job well enough. 

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6 minutes ago, TitaniumSquirrel said:

Just wondering if anyone has any advice or pointers on what they've used? Bad or good!

 

 

I don't know how ours is 'plumbed in' as it was already done when we bought the boat - all I know is the there is a cable disappearing into the top of the tank.

 

I wouldn't be without it. Saves untold problems.

 

 

It is mounted square - its the camera thats 'on the squint'

 

20210812-144323.jpg

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I use a Topargee  flowmeter as used by campervans etc. The flowmeter is plumbed into the feed . You calibrate it by measuring how much water the tank holds by filling it and emptying it again through the meter, and then each time just fill the tank and zero the meter. My meter is plumbed in next to the pump and is connected to the gauge by two thin wires so the gauge can be mounted anywhere. It runs on 2 aa batteries. It’s dead simple, reasonable cost and reliable.  Just have to remember to reset it each fill. No more water anxiety. I’ve tested it against empty milk bottles of water and it’s very accurate reading to the nearest litre 

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1 hour ago, Athy said:

 

Yes if you can get a stick down the neck. I can’t and I’m not alone with the problem 

 

25 minutes ago, Jim Riley said:

A vertical clear sight tube with floating bead, no wires no fuss. Put an in line tap at the top to seal it off when not needed. 

Again obvious with easy access . Not possible for me and others. Also another potential leak points  and pipe to freeze 

 

a stick is  is the obvious one which I use for diesel but then I can get the stick in the tank

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1 hour ago, Athy said:

Dipstick.

Quite so.

We carry a garden cane on the boat. One end dips the water, the other end dips the diesel.

 

 

Not sure that is a good idea - getting your ends mixed up could give problems.

 

I remember going into the toilet in a rural French 'transport cafe' and thought I had walked into shower room by mistake - big room tiled on all 4 walls and the floor, in the middle of the floor was a hole, each side of which was a 'footprint' and there was a rope hanging down from the ceiling.

 

Strange showering arangement I thinks, then when I saw the stick leaning up in the corner 'it clicked'.

 

The stick was used to poke reluctant turds down the hole.

 

From whence came the term 'getting the shitty end of the stick' if you were not careful or, someone had 'accidentally' inverted the stick.

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42 minutes ago, Jim Riley said:

A vertical clear sight tube with floating bead, no wires no fuss. Put an in line tap at the top to seal it off when not needed. 

I had a problem with the clear tube turning green and yucky inside, even with the site tube behind a cupboard door and in the dark for most of the time.

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43 minutes ago, Jim Riley said:

A vertical clear sight tube with floating bead, no wires no fuss. Put an in line tap at the top to seal it off when not needed. 

I'm looking at something like this, seem compatible with 15mm Speedfit, just need to add an extra T junction and shut-off valve.

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4 minutes ago, Puffling said:

I'm looking at something like this, seem compatible with 15mm Speedfit, just need to add an extra T junction and shut-off valve.

That looks ideal. I had a problem with changes in port to starboard trim drastically changing the accuracy of my sight tube gauge when I had one on the boat. Placing it close to the centre line of the boat would get round this. Perhaps extending the T off the main water line to the pump to ensure this. All depends on your boat layout if this is practical.

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10 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

That looks ideal. I had a problem with changes in port to starboard trim drastically changing the accuracy of my sight tube gauge when I had one on the boat. Placing it close to the centre line of the boat would get round this. Perhaps extending the T off the main water line to the pump to ensure this. All depends on your boat layout if this is practical.

Good point about the trim, hadn't thought of that being an issue.
As far as your algal growth problem inside the tube (cited as an issue by others as well), I wonder whether having a black sheath which slides over the acrylic tube would work - even stitched fabric would suffice, it might provide an additional insulation value to the tube to guard against freezing. 

 

Or introduce a small colony of fish into it to nibble the algae - ideally those eyeless fish that inhabit subterranean potholes. You could screen the outlet to the tube to prevent them migrating to the shower and surprising you during morning ablutions.

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1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

Not sure that is a good idea - getting your ends mixed up could give problems.

 

 

I can't see how - unlike the stick in your French story.

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53 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

I had a problem with the clear tube turning green and yucky inside, even with the site tube behind a cupboard door and in the dark for most of the time.

And were the rest of your pipes green and yucky inside then?

Put the inline tap below the sight tube then you can at least easily remove the tube to clean it!

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3 minutes ago, Athy said:

I can't see how - unlike the stick in your French story.

 

Your stick will absorb a bit of diesel every time you use it - if you rotate it and use the diesel end in the water tank to will get the diesel leeching off into the water and will get a rainbow sat on top of your water.

A single drop of diesel can cause a huge rainbow across a marina.

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I know this thread is about fresh water tanks, but we have a 'sight tube' on our fuel 'wing tanks'. But it is a simple method  of geting an idea of the levels be it a water tank or a fuel tank.

You do need to 'press the buttom' at the bottom to let the level in the tube stabilise with the level in the tank.

 

Our main tank is 1000 litres and has a conventional dial fuel gauge, but once that tank is full and the fuel is fed into the 2x 900 litre wing tanks you have no idea how much fuel you have - the gauge simply shows the main tank is 'full'.

The 'wing tanks' are connected by manifold to the main tank and as the main tank fuel is drawn off it is replaced by fuel from the wing tanks, so, you could use up to 1800 litres and still be showing a 'full tank'

 

Hence the sight-tubes.

 

 

 

 

Fuel sight gauge.jpg

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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10 minutes ago, David Mack said:

And were the rest of your pipes green and yucky inside then?

Put the inline tap below the sight tube then you can at least easily remove the tube to clean it!

I can't see inside the other pipes, so don't know. The green is most likely from chlorophyll, so needs light to grow.

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2 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

I can't see inside the other pipes, so don't know. The green is most likely from chlorophyll, so needs light to grow.

But if your sight tube is in the dark...

 

Part of the problem may be that the water in the sight tube doesn't really get replaced, so the chlorine in it will diffuse out over time allowing the greenery to grow, whereas the water in the rest of the system is being replenished.

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