marlin
Member
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2012
- Messages
- 12
We have an Albin 36, Fuel gauge is clear line on side of tank but we cant see fuel.* Does anyone have a place to get new clear sight gauge line that will work or Ill take some advice. Thanks, Tom
*just did mine...same size as on my water tanks...something like 1/2" for my boat. Bought a bunch of 1/2 in clear vinyl tube nat local hardware store...bought enough to redo in a year or so if it becomes discolored again.marlin wrote:
We have an Albin 36, Fuel gauge is clear line on side of tank but we cant see fuel.* Does anyone have a place to get new clear sight gauge line that will work or Ill take some advice. Thanks, Tom
*just did mine...same size as on my water tanks...something like 1/2" for my boat. Bought a bunch of 1/2 in clear vinyl tube nat local hardware store...bought enough to redo in a year or so if it becomes discolored again.
-- Edited by psneeld on Friday 24th of February 2012 04:15:58 PM
some plastics are not designed to be used with fuel and willl disolve, change color etc. when used with pther materials. No tubing should be used that isnt designed for use with diesel fuel if you have a diesel,or gasoline if gas powered. This is especially important for systems your life may depend upon.
When I first started working in a marine store I remember selling replacement sight glass tubes that really were glass.
Those same glass sight tubes are still available wherever boiler and pipe fitter supplies are sold. Quite common and surprisingly durable too.
............ Not everyone shops down the street at West marine every weekend...
We need to support West Marine so it will be there when we really need it. I just take the Internet pricing and they match it. Sometimes they give me stuff for free. And if the hardware store stuff is $2.00 and the marine stuff is $2.50, I spring for marine just for the peace of mind.
If it really doesn't matter (like interior screws and wire ties), I'll just use the less expensive hardware store stuff. I had to redo some of my boat's potable water plumbing and the local ACE Hardware store had matching PEX fittings so that's what I used.
How does a day tank break? Perhaps it had a glass sight tube?
Gimme a break...vinyl or PVC doesn't "dissolve" but it does harden with age. Long before any sever issues arise, the tubing will be replaced due to discoloration or I will be replacing my tanks in the next few years.
The real joke is the tubes are secured by shutoff vale. The only time they could leak more than a few ounces of fuel is when checking the fuel quantity and I'm staring at them.
Some of you guys got to get out more into the real world and see what is being used on boats all over the place. Not everyone shops down the street at West marine every weekend...
Maybe i should hyave used the word fail in stead of dissolve.
So if the tube leaks then their is an automatic shut off valve that seal off the site glass? I've never seen that, all i have seen are simply a tube connected to the tank with maybe a manual valve. My experiance is with large tanks and fuel is always in the glass registering the level in the tank.
Now i am not a chemical engineer but was involved in testing of different types styles of portable fuel tanks for CARB. When i asked our chemical engineers why it was necessary to include specific requirments as to the type of plastics used in the construction of hoses nozzles tanks, they looked at me like i was an idiot, repling, "don't you realize that most plastics are made from petrochemicals and as such may be prone to failure when used to contain petrochemicals or fuels? That plastics must be formulated for the purpose for which they are intended and only plastics certified for fuel use may be used for fuels." We did have issues with five gallon water jugs people were buying for gasoline when the new cans hit the market with the no drip or spill nozzles. People were buying them to use for fuel because they cost $5 and the new cans for fuel at that time cost around $20. Same can as far as shape size just different spout. The water jugs were not required to have the no spill drip spouts like the fuel cans were.
use walmart tubing if u like to save a buck. My intent was simply to point out the many diferent plastics each designed for a specific purpose and improper choice for the application can pose potential hazard.Manual shutoff....how complicated can some of you guys make this?
I just deleted a long answer about chemical engineering, vinyl tubing and the realities of keeping life simple...
So in short...read my first sentence...
Since Boaters World closed, WM is the only game in my town.
There are a few others. Defender and Hamilton Marine are the first two to come to mind. Defender has a good website, reasonable prices and fast shipment.
Apparently I wasn't clear. West Marine is the only local boating retailer left in my town (and many others). Of course there are many Internet vendors. I use defender's prices to get West Marine to price match. I have an account at defender and buy stuff from them that is not available locally.