Water tank level gauge. Best thing EVER!

[Nightwatch]

1 hour ago, Jess-- said:

our stainless tank has a loud boing just before it hits full (no the breather isn't blocked) and a quieter one when there is about 3 inches left in the bottom.

 

looking at the tank the rear wall of it is slightly distorted and pops in / out with pressure.

 

if filling on the thames you have 8 seconds from the boing to turn the tap off before water is spraying through the breather and filler, on a canal it's around a minute before it comes back out the filler (it never makes it to the breather due to lower water flow)

Thank you for the reassurances all.

[Guest]

I once thought of the clear vertical site tube for the water tank, but wondered if it might be prone to growing bacteria? I thought it might behave like a "dead leg" in general plumbing?

[blackrose]

13 hours ago, nicknorman said:

I don’t think it is a risk. If the breather was blocked you wouldn’t be able to extract more than a small portion of the water. It is simply a feature of stainless tanks that owners of boats with integral tanks don’t understand. When the tank is full, the water pressure pushes the  slightly non-flat sides out to an alternatively stable position. When that pressure recedes the sides return to their natural state of being slightly non-flat the other way. The boat we used to borrow used to do that, although the “boing” was at the nearly-full point (and thus a clue to look at the overflow when filling.

Well the breather might not be blocked on Nightwatch's boat but I've had a blocked breather and I was able to draw quite a lot of water out of the tank until something eventually gave. I also know someone who filled their stainless tank up to the top and left the boat in winter. The breather was full and froze. He returned a day or two later and began using the water over the next few cold days until the vacuum ruptured his tank so it can happen. Having worked on all sorts of boats I do understand the features of stainless tanks. 

[Nightwatch]

I have to say your initial comment was welcome. You don't know my boat. I think the hole in the filler pipe must be the breather.

 

Thanks again for interest.

 

Martyn

[George and Dragon]

11 hours ago, Nightwatch said:

I think the hole in the filler pipe must be the breather.

 

I have a small hole in the filler cap which I take to be the breather

[Jen-in-Wellies]

21 hours ago, catweasel said:

I once thought of the clear vertical site tube for the water tank, but wondered if it might be prone to growing bacteria? I thought it might behave like a "dead leg" in general plumbing?

I did make a see through sight tube level meter. It worked well, but soon went green with algae inside, despite being inside a cupboard. Long since removed. I can now tell from the slosh sound in the tank when it is near empty. The electronic flow meters do look intriguing though. My inner geek says Want One.

 

Jen

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

I did make a see through sight tube level meter. It worked well, but soon went green with algae inside, despite being inside a cupboard. Long since removed. I can now tell from the slosh sound in the tank when it is near empty. The electronic flow meters do look intriguing though. My inner geek says Want One.

 

Jen

Thanks the algae thing is of concern to me. It goes back to when I worked in a school and the drinking water was tested for Legionnaires etc on a regular basis. If any "dead legs" (I think that is the correct term) were left in a system, it sometimes showed up on the readings, and such legs were removed. I wondered if a sight tube might behave in a similar manner, and your findings suggest that it might.
ps yes I want a flow meter now, too. I do wish people would stop posting these things

[Chewbacka]

Sometimes it’s not possible to fill the tank fully, so the meter can be a bit hit and miss if you don’t know how much is in there to start with.  

Solution - next time the tank is empty, fill it with the meter on the end of your filling hose and using a dip stick, dip every 50 litres, that way you can calibrate your dip stick.  Or have two gauges, one for filling and one for emptying?

[Theo]

On 18/07/2018 at 13:31, larryjc said:

Mines even easier - I have a great big hinged hatch over the tank in the bow and just lift it up and look in!

I don't look in the tank.  I look at the water level in at the front end.  Anodes covered = full, anodes half out = fill, anodes out = drained down for winter.  I need to add some more anodes below those.

 

N

[Ian F B]

I also have an electronic water gauge much disparaged by certain forum members,not everyone has a 72 footer with a 20 billion gallon tank,our little 30 footer has a 40 gallon tank so a gauge is an absolute necesslty?

[rusty69]

3 minutes ago, Ian F B said:

I also have an electronic water gauge much disparaged by certain forum members,not everyone has a 72 footer with a 20 billion gallon tank,our little 30 footer has a 40 gallon tank so a gauge is an absolute necesslty?

Have you got a hole in the bottom of your boat? 

[Ian F B]

We did have,but Paul Barber did a re  bottom and new sides so now we float quite nicely?

[Ian F B]

Let me rephrase my last post,Flo was overplated, new base plate and new sides up to approx 150 mms above the waterline, we were invited over to see the work being carried out, and were more than satisfied with the end result and the good service we received.

Do not be afraid,good quality over plating is out there!!!!!???

[rusty69]

3 minutes ago, Ian F B said:

Let me rephrase my last post,Flo was overplated, new base plate and new sides up to approx 150 mms above the waterline, we were invited over to see the work being carried out, and were more than satisfied with the end result and the good service we received.

Do not be afraid,good quality over plating is out there!!!!!???

Do you mind me asking how much it cost to overplate, length of boat and steel thickness. 

 

No worries if you would rather not say. 

[Phil Ambrose]

On 18/07/2018 at 13:21, 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

I had exactly the same gauge though I could only claim 20 years  use 

Phil 

[Ian F B]

The boat is a 30 footer,which according to one of the previous owners was converted from a collier.

The steel used was 6mms which with the original 4mms gives a good solid hull.I estimate that the original hull steel was at least 50 years old from the information I was given,does this qualify as a historic boat? ???

As for the cost  it came out at roughly £5,600,which included a rudder repair and a 2 pack blacking.

[Ian F B]

1 hour ago, Ian F B said:

The boat is a 30 footer,which according to one of the previous owners was converted from a collier.

The steel used was 6mms which with the original 4mms gives a good solid hull.I estimate that the original hull steel was at least 50 years old from the information I was given,does this qualify as a historic boat? ???

As for the cost  it came out at roughly £5,600,which included a rudder repair and a 2 pack blacking.

Also included a new weed hatch to comply with safety cert?

[Momac]

The references to the replacement gauge and the meter are useful in case of future need.

My water tank gauge is good at showing full and near empty but nothing much in between .

 

We are marina based so easy enough to depart from the mooring with a full tank of water. When we are on  a longer cruise we know the water can last probably 4 or 5 days . Our previous boat had a smaller tank and obviously needed more frequent visits to a tap.

I did once fail to take the opportunity to use a water point and at the next stop the tap was further away than my hose . Fortunately another  boater helped with the loan of another hose. A similar issue occurred on our recent holiday but that was a friends boat so we joined our hoses together. Having some hose fittings available  to aid this might be useful. 

 

I also carry a couple of 5 litre containers which we use for drinking water , preferring not to use the tank. Having a portable container  may also be helpful   if its  a walk to a tap and  the tank water level is low.

 

On the whole it is wise to top up before the it becomes urgent ,as suggested.

 

 

[Justin Smith]

I absolutely cannot understand why every boat hasn't got a water level meter. We only hire boats but it is not unknown to get in a stressful situation worrying if we'll have enough water and our last holiday was a good example. It was the last afternoon of our trip and we thought we might be short of water as all of us wanted showers. One of the water points in our Nicholson's (it was on the Thames) wasn't there so we ended up cruising far later than we wanted to feeling under pressure (the opposite of what you want on a boating holiday) and leaving us a shorter cruise to the boatyard in the morning. We actually like a few miles just before we have to hand the boat back.... A level meter would probably have meant a much more relaxed carry on.

In far off days when I was into cars and built my own Westfield the fuel level sender was literally a float on the end of a short wire arm which pivoted and indicated the fuel level. It was easy to fit, just cut a hole in the top of the tank then make the wire arm the right length (it was adjustable) to reach the bottom and top of the tank. You may even have been able to alter the height of the arm on which the pivot was mounted so it was in the middle of the tank (height wise), I cannot remember as it was 30 years ago !

That would be perfect as it would give a better indication than just full, medium and empty. Bearing in mind how important water is, all boats should have one surely ? ! ?

 

Edited June 23, 2021 by Justin Smith

[Tracy D'arth]

15 minutes ago, Justin Smith said:

I absolutely cannot understand why every boat hasn't got a water level meter. We only hire boats but it is not unknown to get in a stressful situation worrying if we'll have enough water and our last holiday was a good example. It was the last afternoon of our trip and we thought we might be short of water as all of us wanted showers. One of the water points in our Nicholson's (it was on the Thames) wasn't there so we ended up cruising far later than we wanted to feeling under pressure (the opposite of what you want on a boating holiday) and leaving us a shorter cruise to the boatyard in the morning. We actually like a few miles just before we have to hand the boat back.... A level meter would probably have meant a much more relaxed carry on.

In far off days when I was into cars and built my own Westfield the fuel level sender was literally a float on the end of a short wire arm which pivoted and indicated the fuel level. It was easy to fit, just cut a hole in the top of the tank then make the wire arm the right length (it was adjustable) to reach the bottom and top of the tank. You may even have been able to alter the height of the arm on which the pivot was mounted so it was in the middle of the tank (height wise), I cannot remember as it was 30 years ago !

That would be perfect as it would give a better indication than just full, medium and empty. Bearing in mind how important water is, all boats should have one surely ? ! ?

 

Plimsol line?

[GUMPY]

15 minutes ago, Justin Smith said:

Bearing in mind how important water is, all boats should have one surely ? ! ?

Absolutely no need here for one. The tank lasts Eight days plus, we refill on the 7th day. It saves having something else to go wrong, leak etc

[tehmarks]

1 hour ago, Justin Smith said:

We only hire boats but it is not unknown to get in a stressful situation worrying if we'll have enough water and our last holiday was a good example. It was the last afternoon of our trip and we thought we might be short of water as all of us wanted showers...

 

If you lived aboard, you'd probably have become used by now to the fact that sometimes you just can't have a shower and learnt to live with being slightly 'natural' when the circumstances demand...

 

(I jest of course)

 

As a liveaboard, I don't really feel the need for a water meter. I have an 800L tank in the bow, and the trim difference between empty and full is significant. More useful than easy than a meter, for me, would actually be painting load lines on the stem post. Low tech, high utility. I haven't done it yet, mind.

 

But as a liveaboard, I just fill up whenever I pass a water point and very rarely run out. I appreciate that when hiring, stopping for water is an additional time sink in a way that it isn't for someone who is always cruising.

Edited June 23, 2021 by tehmarks
Formatting

[Sea Dog]

I have, in common with many, a sensor which fits in line after the tank outlet and a little needle gauge showing percentage of fill (mines in the bathroom). Made by MCS, it's hard to think how it could be simpler and is an absolute doddle to fit, calibrate and use. Why anyone would prefer not to have that facility I'm not sure, but I suspect that they're the same people you see walking the motorway hard shoulder carrying a petrol can... 

[GUMPY]

31 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Why anyone would prefer not to have that facility I'm not sure, but I suspect that they're the same people you see walking the motorway hard shoulder carrying a petrol can... 

No, they are the people that know that their car does at least 500 miles to a tankful and fill up when the odometer gets to 450?

[Sea Dog]

1 minute ago, Loddon said:

No, they are the people that know that their car does at least 500 miles to a tankful and fill up when the odometer gets to 450?

Or else they know their fuel level by the trim of their car, but forget to account for the mother in law in the back seat...