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Diesel/fuel tank gauge vs dipstick?


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Hi All,

Been searching on here and read some old topics where people have asked about a fuel gauge - I see that almost everyone says don't bother, and go with the tried and tested dipstick level instead. I love this as A) it's much simpler and nothing to go "wrong" once you've marked it appropriately and B ) much cheaper!

Now, excuse this dumb part, but I'm 99% sure that my fuel tank is not directly below the filling point, and instead the diesel goes through a pipe at a slant/bend to get into the tank. Therefore I can't dipstick it right? Or am I being an idiot and there is typically some other access/inspection point from which to dip one's stick?!

Many thanks in advance

Tom

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5 minutes ago, TitaniumSquirrel said:

Hi All,

Been searching on here and read some old topics where people have asked about a fuel gauge - I see that almost everyone says don't bother, and go with the tried and tested dipstick level instead. I love this as A) it's much simpler and nothing to go "wrong" once you've marked it appropriately and B ) much cheaper!

Now, excuse this dumb part, but I'm 99% sure that my fuel tank is not directly below the filling point, and instead the diesel goes through a pipe at a slant/bend to get into the tank. Therefore I can't dipstick it right? Or am I being an idiot and there is typically some other access/inspection point from which to dip one's stick?!

Many thanks in advance

Tom

There's a difference between a slant and a bend. Ifit's just slanted it's only a matter of a longer dipstick calibrated accordingly.  A bend might be a little more difficult. 

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The previous owner made up a bit of bamboo cane to dip the tank on my boat. I have used it once or twice and it works fine, but I wouldn't have chosen bamboo as it has a soft central pulp that would be prone to shedding bits in the tank over time. I'd have used a piece of plain dowel. However my main method of keeping an eye on fuel is the hour meter on the tacho......I note what the hour meter says when it's filled and reckon on about 1 litre per tacho hour, which seems to work well.  

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7 minutes ago, DarrenG said:

What type of dipstick is best? In his case wood may not bend, but cable fish rods as suggested would.

 

I'm actually interested in what people use for dipsticks?

I use a length of wooden dowel with calibrated notches. Wood is good because its easier to see the wet diesel level. Its not trivial if you want to be accurate, dipping to quickly can raise the level and the stick dragging against the tube/pipe side can give errors. You are not allowed to have a metal dipstick, if the BSS man spots anything that looks like a metal dipstick he will fail you. This is to prevent a metal dipstick from penetrating the bottom of the tank 😀.

 

We have a floor mounted tank with long slightly curved filler pipes, but there is a purpose made dipstick tube on top of the tank.

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56 minutes ago, DarrenG said:

What type of dipstick is best? In his case wood may not bend, but cable fish rods as suggested would.

 

I'm actually interested in what people use for dipsticks?

Mine's a length of African Mahogany 25mm x 6mm with a radius machined on one edge. What else would one use? 

Actually it was to hand at the time ⏲ 😅 🙃 

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I take another approach. Instead of using the dip stick to measure the distance from the bottom of the tank to the surface of the diesel, I measure from the top of the tank to the surface of the diesel. I look down the filler hole while slowly lowering the stick in. When the stick touches the surface, there is a noticable disturbance of the diesel surface as a meniscus forms around the tip of stick. I then note the point of the dip stick that is at the top of the filler opening. The dip stick is graduated in litres required to fill it to the top, rather than litres from the bottom. I know that 225 litres is needed to fill on the dip stick is an empty tank, having once accidentally run out.

The advantage of this approach is that only a tiny bit of diesel ends up on the end of the dip stick, which is much easier to clean off and doesn't leave a rag, or tissue covered in diesel stinking the boat out. My original dip stick was a bit of plastic dowel that happened to be around. When this broke, fortunately not in the tank, I transferred the markings on to a section of 20mm aluminium angle that also happened to be around, using a borrowed set of number/letter punches and filled in the letters with red nail polish to make them stand out.

My whole approach, both rigid dip stick and looking at the diesel surface for contact will obviously only work with a straight route in to the diesel tank.

Jen

Edited by Jen-in-Wellies
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42 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

 

My whole approach, both rigid dip stick and looking at the diesel surface for contact will obviously only work with a straight route in to the diesel tank.

Jen

...and a torch shining down into the tank?

I don't think I've read the word "meniscus" since I did O level physics at school. Copying from the blackboard, I inadvertently wrote it down as "nemiscus" and have thought of it in that way ever since.

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8 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

The advantage of this approach is that only a tiny bit of diesel ends up on the end of the dip stick

 

Thanks, I think that is rather clever, I'm going to give this one a go.

 

Not surprising that wood is the most common it seems, and maybe some types are better than others, but I wasn't keen on the way it absorbs some of the fuel which makes bits of grit and dirt stick to it easily.

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25 minutes ago, DarrenG said:

 

t I wasn't keen on the way it absorbs some of the fuel which makes bits of grit and dirt stick to it easily.

Me neither so I painted my dipstick (vertical access to tank). Gradations marked on stick used in conjunction with a rough chart of estimated volume of contents.

Trouble with a painted surface is it makes assessing the fuel level a bit difficult. Solution: lay an old newspaper on the deck and lay the stick on the paper (after dipping) - the wet bit on the paper indicates the relevant mark on the stick. 😁

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  • 3 months later...

My dipstick is a piece of clear acrylic tube. Lower into the tank, place thumb over the top end and remove. You can then see both how much diesel is in there (like a thermometer) and also whether there is any water at the bottom.

 

Once measured, release thumb and it runs back into the tank.

 

Alec

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On 07/06/2022 at 07:26, robtheplod said:

I just fill up every 2 weeks of full cruising.... seems to work ok!

 

Ditto.

 

 I like KIS.

 

As far as water is concerned most narrowboats have their water tank in the bow so by looking at how much of the muddy waterline is above the actual water level gives a air idea when the tank needs refilling. I had often thought of painting a couple of marks on the bow to show full and empty.

Edited by Tony Brooks
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On 06/06/2022 at 22:03, DarrenG said:

I'm actually interested in what people use for dipsticks?

We use an épée. Well, it looks like a decorative épée as it's not flexible and the end has been cut off so it's a few mm clear of the base of the tank. It came with the boat.

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On 07/06/2022 at 07:41, Jen-in-Wellies said:

I take another approach. Instead of using the dip stick to measure the distance from the bottom of the tank to the surface of the diesel, I measure from the top of the tank to the surface of the diesel. I look down the filler hole while slowly lowering the stick in. When the stick touches the surface, there is a noticable disturbance of the diesel surface as a meniscus forms around the tip of stick. I then note the point of the dip stick that is at the top of the filler opening. The dip stick is graduated in litres required to fill it to the top, rather than litres from the bottom. I know that 225 litres is needed to fill on the dip stick is an empty tank, having once accidentally run out.

The advantage of this approach is that only a tiny bit of diesel ends up on the end of the dip stick, which is much easier to clean off and doesn't leave a rag, or tissue covered in diesel stinking the boat out. My original dip stick was a bit of plastic dowel that happened to be around. When this broke, fortunately not in the tank, I transferred the markings on to a section of 20mm aluminium angle that also happened to be around, using a borrowed set of number/letter punches and filled in the letters with red nail polish to make them stand out.

My whole approach, both rigid dip stick and looking at the diesel surface for contact will obviously only work with a straight route in to the diesel tank.

Jen

Yes, that's my preferred method with a piece of dowel notched at every inch between full and nearly empty.

Chris

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