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Water tank level gauge. Best thing EVER!


ronnietucker

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I'm not sure of the capacity of my boats water tank, so it was always a bit of Russian roulette when using a lot of water. Am I nearly out? Will I awake in the morning to the horror of not having enough water for a cuppa?

Water tank level gauge to the rescue!

It did involve cutting a hole in the (top!) of my water tank then inserting the probe thing:

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You do need to cut the probes to length. The two longest ones should pretty much touch the bottom of the water tank (to show nearly empty) with the other two cut in relation to the two longest to give a notice of full and half full.

A cable runs from the probe thing to the little control panel. It needs a 12V supply.

Let's see:

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Oh! I could do with a top up!

*glug glug glug glug* (that's the water tank, not me)

IMG_20180715_121335.jpg.83942dd14b4ad9dad68ade18d1025472.jpg

Ah! Much better

Best £40 I've spent in a long time.

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I've discovered this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007WMHZQ6/?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&psc=1

 

It requires no hole in the tank, no 12v supply and costs peanuts.

 

It measures the volume of water consumed.  So I know when it reads 250 litres, it's time to fill up.

 

 

 

 

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22 minutes ago, koukouvagia said:

I've discovered this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007WMHZQ6/?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&psc=1

 

It requires no hole in the tank, no 12v supply and costs peanuts.

 

It measures the volume of water consumed.  So I know when it reads 250 litres, it's time to fill up.

 

 

 

 

Now THAT does look a good idea. Can you simply fit it inline before or after the pump?

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18 minutes ago, koukouvagia said:

I've discovered this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007WMHZQ6/?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&psc=1

 

It requires no hole in the tank, no 12v supply and costs peanuts.

 

It measures the volume of water consumed.  So I know when it reads 250 litres, it's time to fill up.

 

 

 

 

It does look OK, but the meter isn't going to be in a convenient and easy to see place.

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3 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Now THAT does look a good idea. Can you simply fit it inline before or after the pump?

Yes. You can fit it anywhere in the inlet pipe.  Mine goes just before the pump.  

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We have a cheaper device on Trojan. It's a 4' long garden cane. One end (the "dirty end") we use to dip the diesel tank. The other (the "clean end") we use to dip the water tank. Hasn't failed yet.

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1 minute ago, Athy said:

We have a cheaper device on Trojan. It's a 4' long garden cane. One end (the "dirty end") we use to dip the diesel tank. The other (the "clean end") we use to dip the water tank. Hasn't failed yet.

Unfortunately, I don't have direct access to the tank. It's like a petrol tank in a car. The water goes in a fill point down to the tank which is under a floor panel.

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Mine is even cheaper I know my tank will last a week with ease, so I just fill up after 7 days use normally Sunday though recently it has migrated to Wednesday. Never run out of water accidentally in 25 years

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2 minutes ago, Loddon said:

Mine is even cheaper I know my tank will last a week with ease, so I just fill up after 7 days use normally Sunday though recently it has migrated to Wednesday. Never run out of water accidentally in 25 years

But if you have a visitor to the boat who is not used to being frugal with water, you can point out, for example, how much water they may be using in the shower.

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10 minutes ago, dogless said:

Never pass a tap without filling up.

It's no good knowing you need water if there's no tap nearby ;)

Rog

Me too. We can go a week including washing machine etc etc but try to fill up every other day as you don't know when you might be stuck for a few days miles from a tap. 

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39 minutes ago, koukouvagia said:

But if you have a visitor to the boat who is not used to being frugal with water, you can point out, for example, how much water they may be using in the shower.

Visitor? ? 

We don't have those unless they bring their own accomodation!

The only ones we have had are well educated in boat ways.

 

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1 hour ago, Athy said:

We have a cheaper device on Trojan. It's a 4' long garden cane. One end (the "dirty end") we use to dip the diesel tank. The other (the "clean end") we use to dip the water tank. Hasn't failed yet.

Yes, I had one of them too.I stopped using it when my coffee started tasting of diesel.

This device looks good,I will be ordering one.

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36 minutes ago, Furness said:

Yes, I had one of them too.I stopped using it when my coffee started tasting of diesel.

 

:D

Hence the importance of ensuring that it's the dirty end (recognisable, as it is darker in colour) which is used for the diesel tank!

But in any case we never use water from the tank for drinking, we carry bottles on the boat for that.

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2 hours ago, Athy said:

We have a cheaper device on Trojan. It's a 4' long garden cane. One end (the "dirty end") we use to dip the diesel tank. The other (the "clean end") we use to dip the water tank. Hasn't failed yet.

Which end for the pumpout tank? ,?

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1 hour ago, john6767 said:

I just look at the green stuff showing on the waterline at the bow, if there is 2 inches time to fill up.

Me too.

 

I simply do not understand the need for electrical water gauges. A length of vertical clear plastic tube. a coloured bead that will float and a bleed valve on top can be discretely located on most boats. Maybe more difficult on a cruiser if the tank is completely under the floor but as cruiser water tanks are often under a seat/bed it can still be done.

 

Connect tube to the pipe between tank and pump. To read open bleed valve and see where the bead is, close bleed valve. The valve is needed in case an open tube allows the pump to suck air down the tube although it did not on the Elysians we had on the fleet.

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3 hours ago, Athy said:

We have a cheaper device on Trojan. It's a 4' long garden cane. One end (the "dirty end") we use to dip the diesel tank. The other (the "clean end") we use to dip the water tank. Hasn't failed yet.

I'm a bit more high-tech than you: I have two sticks, one for each tank ?

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35 minutes ago, rgreg said:

I'm a bit more high-tech than you: I have two sticks, one for each tank ?

Posh or what? You'll be wanting two boats next. Apparently some people do have more than one.

 

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We have the MCS gauge which works on the static head of water. Just needs a T off the tank outlet. Works really well and allows water stop planning. We stop far less to fill up that we used to, simply because remaining water content is a known fact, not a guess. The washing machine is a big variable takes about 1/4 tank with “super rinse” but I can see at a glance whether putting it on is a good idea or whether we need to fill up.

 

For the luddites  exactly the same argument can be used for fuel in a car, and indeed many of my earlier motorbikes didn’t have fuel gauges, you just ran for x miles between fills. However I think if you bought a new car and it didn’t have a fuel gauge, you would be upset!

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8 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

 

For the luddites  exactly the same argument can be used for fuel in a car, and indeed many of my earlier motorbikes didn’t have fuel gauges, you just ran for x miles between fills. However I think if you bought a new car and it didn’t have a fuel gauge, you would be upset!

Non of my bikes had a fuel gauge, but all had a reserve. I used to wait to switch to reserve then fill up. 

Edited by rusty69
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