Fuel Gauge.

[Dharl]

 

Our gauges on all the tanks are good enough to know when its time to empty/fill the relevant tanks.

 

Peering down holes and poking about with sticks is a bit antiquated in this day and age.

 

agree that peering into holes is a bit antiquated. Using a dip stick is still a good back up, also how else do you check you oil levels on your gear boxes and main engine..?

[Naughty Cal]

 

agree that peering into holes is a bit antiquated. Using a dip stick is still a good back up, also how else do you check you oil levels on your gear boxes and main engine..?

 

On the engine its a gauge and light on the dashboard.

 

Gearbox, well thats hung off the back of the boat so gets changed once a year then left alone.

[Slim]

Big contrast to today's tech filled cars.

Imagine explaining to a young driver they have to use their noggin to work out when they need to fill up, most cars give a range read out now, making a fuel gauge fairly redundant as well!

 

My car doesn't even have an engine dipstick! Well, it does really but you can only get to it from underneth when it's up on a lift! You also need it connected to a computer to change the oil!

 

 

Frank

[Alan de Enfield]

My car doesn't even have an engine dipstick! Well, it does really but you can only get to it from underneth when it's up on a lift! You also need it connected to a computer to change the oil!

 

 

Frank

 

Mercedes ?

[Timleech]

My tank has one of these. I don't suppose you can buy them now.

It's very pessimistic but gives me an idea of when to dip the tank. I might take it out and 'adjust' it while the tank is low. The tank is tapered, so I've had to stir up a few brain cells to work out approximate calibrations for a dipstick.

Regular use of a metal dipstick can be an issue in sheet metal tanks, not really a problem with the built in tanks which have become the norm for narrowboats. There used to be some sort of ruling about them in the BSS, but not sure that it still applies.

 

Tim

[Hawkmoth]

 

That sounds dangerously like 20th century thinking. When boats were horse drawn they had no fuel gauges so why on earth would someone want one now? So much better to use a mouldy stick?

 

Mark & Michelle: Not sure where you are based but an Electrician called Sandra up in Northwich installed our fuel gauge, really simple to do (PM me if helpful and I will dig out contact details). It was easier to run the gauge via a switch rather than the ignition, the switch is there as these modern fangled unnecessary things use a tiny bit of power. Oddly enough it never measures 100% full but it seems very accurate towards the bottom of the tank so I don't think about calibrating it.

What was it then? About 10 lock/miles to the bale of hay?

Bob

[gazza]

 

We set off for Hull with 3/4 tank. We know it takes us roughly 60 litres there and 60 litres back so no need to carry a full tank. Plus they sell diesel there and we had already checked they had plenty in stock.

 

If there was no gauge how would you gauge how much fuel had been used? Our fuel consumption varies quite a bit depending on sea conditions and loading of the boat. If the gauge wasnt there we would have to get a rough estimate of what we had left to decide whether to call into port to refill or carry on to the next. That would involve dipping which wouldnt be very comfortable on the sea (The fuel tank can be checked from the midships bedroom but wouldnrt be nice with the boat pitching and rolling)

 

If we used the rule of thirds our fuel tank wouldnt be big enough to make a "safe" passage on the east coast. Its all well and good making these "rules" but they are not always practicle on the water.

 

Our gauges on all the tanks are good enough to know when its time to empty/fill the relevant tanks.

 

Peering down holes and poking about with sticks is a bit antiquated in this day and age.

The only accurate way to determine consumption is to use a correctly marked dipstick :-) hence this discussion.

 

The other way is to brim your tank before you leave, make a note of engine hours and use your chart plotter to accurately record your trip. Once you arrive refill to the brim, note how many hours run and distance travelled then work it out from there.

 

Re the 1/3 rule. Your tank size means it may be prudent to put in before you wish to. It doesn't stop you travelling your desired route when everything is going well. Its when things go pear shaped you need to take into account how much fuel is worth having as a back up.

 

Leaving with 25% less range than you potential have isn't ideal, but as you say, nothing is cast in stone. And as you know your boat well you obviously are comfortable with your crusing arrangements.

 

Keep your cruise logs coming, they are a welcome addition to this website :-)

[gazza]

My car doesn't even have an engine dipstick! Well, it does really but you can only get to it from underneth when it's up on a lift! You also need it connected to a computer to change the oil!

 

 

Frank

A retrograde step, we have an iveco 7.5t flatbed at work, the previous one had a dipstick and oil filler accessible from the front of the vehicle.

The new one doesn't, you scroll thru several menus to get a reading. The drivers used to be happy to dip the oil, none of them are interested in faffing about looking for a computer read out of how much oil is in it. When they find its low the cab needs tilting to top it up, consequently they don't bother.

 

Progress eh?!

[Naughty Cal]

The only accurate way to determine consumption is to use a correctly marked dipstick :-) hence this discussion.

 

The other way is to brim your tank before you leave, make a note of engine hours and use your chart plotter to accurately record your trip. Once you arrive refill to the brim, note how many hours run and distance travelled then work it out from there.

 

Re the 1/3 rule. Your tank size means it may be prudent to put in before you wish to. It doesn't stop you travelling your desired route when everything is going well. Its when things go pear shaped you need to take into account how much fuel is worth having as a back up.

 

Leaving with 25% less range than you potential have isn't ideal, but as you say, nothing is cast in stone. And as you know your boat well you obviously are comfortable with your crusing arrangements.

 

Keep your cruise logs coming, they are a welcome addition to this website :-)

Re the 1/3 rule, our tank size would make it impossible to cruise parts of the East Coast we enjoy. There are not that many places to stop in certain parts!!

 

PS we didnt worry leaving with 25% less fuel than we could carry going to Hull. We knew we had loads to do that certain trip there and back with what we had. No point carrying extra weight when there is no need.

[mango]

Many hire boats have simple mechanical fuel gauges, like the one at the bottom of this page: http://www.tek-tanks.com/boattanks/fuel-level-indicators/

 

The dial is recessed, so protected from damage.

[gazza]

Re the 1/3 rule, our tank size would make it impossible to cruise parts of the East Coast we enjoy. There are not that many places to stop in certain parts!!

 

PS we didnt worry leaving with 25% less fuel than we could carry going to Hull. We knew we had loads to do that certain trip there and back with what we had. No point carrying extra weight when there is no need.

If you haven't got this book its well worth getting - tidal havens of the wash and humber.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1846232791?pc_redir=1408233743&robot_redir=1

 

Henry Irving updated it a few times, I have a 1990 version, the channels and approaches will obviously be out of date, its a fascinating book with some useful info on some of the more underused places on the east coast.

Whilst the author was boating at the totally opposite end of the scale to you, it still has some relevance and is a good read non the less.

 

Cheers.

Edited August 28, 2014 by gazza

[ditchcrawler]

Many hire boats have simple mechanical fuel gauges, like the one at the bottom of this page: http://www.tek-tanks.com/boattanks/fuel-level-indicators/

 

The dial is recessed, so protected from damage.

We use to have the mechanical type on our cranes Offshore, they were a right pain and couldn't be relied on.

[mango]

We use to have the mechanical type on our cranes Offshore, they were a right pain and couldn't be relied on.

Obviously they need to be calibrated but why are they unreliable? I can see that a float-operated gauge might not work well in a toilet tanks but a diesel tank should be an ideal application.

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

Half fill a clear plastic bottle with a bit of diesel, and then roll it, a gentle shake or a thump or two now & again repeated for a few hours (to simulate a decent trip) Hey presto Frothy Fuel, False Float or Sender reading. (Yes, ofcourse more a problem on lumpy water)

Ever wondered why the fuel pump Filling Nozzle shuts off when filling your vehicle up, but after a cpl of seconds, you can always squeeze a bit more in !,, (it's Frothy)

Edited August 28, 2014 by Paul's Nulife4-2

[DandV]

Have a fuel gauge with full scale deflection from E (Enuf ?) to F (F All) of about an inch. This year needs blowing up,( with an air pump to reset) so now use a dipstick with a 595mm full scale range. As the tank is a constant horizontal section we now have with a bit of maths and a tape measure after a 100 litre fill a highly accurate calibated fuel gauge. The same level on the dipstick always has the same amount of fuel to a high level of accuracy. This cannot be said for the instrument gauge.

Don

[RichardN]

 

That sounds dangerously like 20th century thinking. When boats were horse drawn they had no fuel gauges so why on earth would someone want one now?

 

What was it then? About 10 lock/miles to the bale of hay?

Bob

 

Hmm and the dip stick?

[John V]

 

 

Hmm and the dip stick?

 

 

Don't ask!!!

[system 4-50]

Mechanical, maybe, but don't have anything obvious on your boat that says the diesel tank is full!

[Ssscrudddy]

My boat came with a fuel gauge... in the form of a dipstick, marked out in 25 litre sections, highly accurate. & apparently I want about 250 litres of diesel tomorrow.

 

As SLIGHTLY , do people have gauges fitted to their water tank / pump-out tanks? I would find those more useful then a Fuel Gauge, especially as I don't want to go and dip the 'pump-out' tanks

Got an MCS gauge for the poo tank, also highly accurate, full is full, which can also be confirmed by peering into the hole.
Got an MCS gauge for the water tank, not so accurate, or rather full would be full but just a cup of water from the tap knocked the reading down to just under 8, then highly accurate all the way down to empty which would be empty. But for no apparent reason it changed, empty is now just under 2, & full is past the 10 mark & it doesnt do it's cup of water from the tap thing any more.

I've never had a fuel gauge on any of my motorbikes, always had to do the trip thing when I filled up. My last bike, a Buell, was a pain cuz it didnt have a fuel tap, which means it didnt have reserve if I forgot to do the trip thing, & as the fuel was in the frame you could never tell how much fuel you had left. 1 bike I had, a hard tail chop, would only do 55 miles before it was fully out of fuel pic here.

[Phil Ambrose]

Nice bike and love the" washing line"

Phil

[nicknorman]

Got an MCS gauge for the water tank, not so accurate, or rather full would be full but just a cup of water from the tap knocked the reading down to just under 8, then highly accurate all the way down to empty which would be empty. But for no apparent reason it changed, empty is now just under 2, & full is past the 10 mark & it doesnt do it's cup of water from the tap thing any more.

 

The MCS gauge works on pressure / head of water. Whilst the empty and full points are adjustable, you also need to bear in mind that the position of the sensor is important. It may be mounted on the plumbing T piece such that rotating the plastic fitting moves the vertical position of the sensor, thus affecting both full and empty readings. Maybe someone has rotated your sensor? It should be positioned at the bottom of the tank level, unless of course you want it to read empty before the tank is actually empty. Once positioned correctly you can take the lid off the sensor and adjust the full and empty readings.

 

Your "cupful" effect sounds like it was the water in the filler neck -'a cupful of water in the filler neck obviously makes a significant difference to the head of water, whereas a cupful across the whole area of the tank doesn't. I would set it to read full after the cupful is taken out.

If fuel gauges are such a good idea why then is it a legal requirement for light aircraft to have (and to use) a dip-stick? Pilots have excellently accurate fuel gauges and they do complex and accurate consumption calculations - but they must dip the tank before they even start the engines - you cant beat a bit of good, old-fashioned 'analogue' when your life depends on it!

 

You make your own luck!

Absolutely not true. Both the light aircraft I fly cannot be dipped. Its true that on some types such as Cessna with fuel in the wings and unreliable fuel gauges, that dipping is normal practice but it is most certainly not a "legal requirement",

[Naughty Cal]

If you haven't got this book its well worth getting - tidal havens of the wash and humber.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1846232791?pc_redir=1408233743&robot_redir=1

 

Henry Irving updated it a few times, I have a 1990 version, the channels and approaches will obviously be out of date, its a fascinating book with some useful info on some of the more underused places on the east coast.

Whilst the author was boating at the totally opposite end of the scale to you, it still has some relevance and is a good read non the less.

 

Cheers.

Got it already thanks.

 

Most of them are sadly out of reach with NC as they are badly silted. She would be just too deep.

 

We also have the Blyth Yacht Club cruising guide for the East coast from Grimsby to Rattay Head. Again lots of places we can sadly not enter. Some we will be willing to give a go though

[Ssscrudddy]

The MCS gauge works on pressure / head of water. Whilst the empty and full points are adjustable, you also need to bear in mind that the position of the sensor is important. It may be mounted on the plumbing T piece such that rotating the plastic fitting moves the vertical position of the sensor, thus affecting both full and empty readings. Maybe someone has rotated your sensor? It should be positioned at the bottom of the tank level, unless of course you want it to read empty before the tank is actually empty. Once positioned correctly you can take the lid off the sensor and adjust the full and empty readings.

 

Your "cupful" effect sounds like it was the water in the filler neck -'a cupful of water in the filler neck obviously makes a significant difference to the head of water, whereas a cupful across the whole area of the tank doesn't. I would set it to read full after the cupful is taken out.

 

Thanks for this, I may have knocked it ages ago, I'll have a go at fixing it at some point. But not before I [try to] put on a new alternator belt. Definitely not a DIYer me, at least up until I bought this boat.

[gazza]

Got it already thanks.

 

Most of them are sadly out of reach with NC as they are badly silted. She would be just too deep.

 

We also have the Blyth Yacht Club cruising guide for the East coast from Grimsby to Rattay Head. Again lots of places we can sadly not enter. Some we will be willing to give a go though

The Blyth one I haven't got, will keep an eye out for that. Thanks for the heads up on that one.

 

Our Elysian goes 2' 10" draft, we are a single shaft on a keel with an elderly wooden skeg. She won't take drying out, so we need a deep water mooring and the dinghy to do any exploring.

 

This years winter work is to fit a stainless Steel skeg and associated bracing, still won't be happy about drying out but won't have to worry about folding the skeg in half, knacker the rudder and potential sinking of the boat - which will be nice :-)

[Naughty Cal]

The Blyth one I haven't got, will keep an eye out for that. Thanks for the heads up on that one.

 

Our Elysian goes 2' 10" draft, we are a single shaft on a keel with an elderly wooden skeg. She won't take drying out, so we need a deep water mooring and the dinghy to do any exploring.

 

This years winter work is to fit a stainless Steel skeg and associated bracing, still won't be happy about drying out but won't have to worry about folding the skeg in half, knacker the rudder and potential sinking of the boat - which will be nice :-)

We have dried NC out and she sat nice and level. She sits on the bottom of the vee on the hull and the bottom of the raised leg quite nicely. She didnt look incredibly stable but didnt move as we moved around on her so safe enough. We just try to avoid it if at all possible!

 

Does open up more moorings of course.