Diesel tank sender

[gatesharris]

We are going on our 3rd year with our Camano 31. It's just a wonderful boat for a couple.

We have just learned to live with the fuel gauge issues. The PO had installed a fuel flow meter and it gives a pretty good idea of how much fuel has been burned.

The 2 tanks are about 50 gal each and are inter-connected by a fuel line.

Even sitting at the dock, the gauges just don't display the same fuel level, even though, by necessity, the tanks have to have the same fuel.

When traveling, its gets a bit odd. The return fuel can be sent to either tank or both tanks. We haven't figured out how to balance it out yet. One tank will seem to have right much more fuel than the other. We just send the return to both tanks. One day we may try to figure out what's going on.

We just refuel when they drop below 1/2 and enjoy the boat. We can run 2,000 - 2,500 rpm and our 1/2 tank usage will get us about 20 hours. That works just fine for us.

Trying to figure out those gauges was getting in the way of our enjoying a great boat, so we just don't pay them much mind.

So far, so good.

Enjoy your boat!

 

[Martin J]

Summit racing have digital % full gauges for $40 and you can get a KUS tank sender for reasonable price as well. I upgraded all my (7) tanks to this and prepared a simple spreadsheet showing %= Galls. Just a card on the bridge. I did post some pictures on a previous post about gauges.

Here's a link to the gauge.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g2982-1w

 

[ORIF]

I use 3 methods on my Tollycraft with twin 3208s:

1. Engine hours and calculated burn rate. Calculation figures in each engine and the generator. Burn rate number jumps around a little because of variables like bottom condition but gets pretty close

2. I can't stick my tank in the traditional manner due to a dog leg right at the fill and another into the tank. I use a length of flexible fiberglass rod that I can snake down easily and get a reading. Haven't calibrated it yet but it tells me how close I am to the bottom or top.

3. Recently added an Optio Fuel flow monitor that works with a phone app. Seems to be accurate comparing to the 1st 2 methods.
Easy to install.
Good price point compared to some other options.
Incredible support from the company
https://www.interactio.co

 

[BrianSmith]

A question. Do we need to use Maretron's displays? Can the data be shown on a laptop or tablet? I'm using a laptop as a primary nav plotter and don't want to try to find space for another display.

If you're willing to do a little electronics DIY, you can connect the Maretron submersible pressure sensor to your N2K network with a US$5 microcontroller, a 150 ohm resistor, a Raspberry Pi, some free software, and a gadget that costs a couple hundred US$ for injecting data into the N2K network. If you want to see the data on your phone, tablet, or computer, you don't need that last gadget.

I'm doing that for my blackwater tank. The free Instrument Panel display software shows me how many flushes I have until my tank needs to be emptied.

Signal K » Welcome
https://github.com/SignalK/SensESP

This approach isn't for everyone. But if you have any interest in electronics at the hobby level, this is a really cool project. In addition to monitoring my blackwater tank, I have sensors for main engine oil pressure, the vacuum inside my Racor 1000, bilge pump activity, the voltage and temperature of both of my alternators, the temperature of my raw water exhaust elbow, and the temperature of my main engine thermostat housing. And I'm just gettin' warmed up! (This is NOT my project - I'm just an avid user and an occasional software contributor.)