| Author |
Message |
G H (216.86.99.229)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, May 28, 2001 - 6:45 pm: | |
I was wondering if anyone knows of a tank monitoring device that reads metal tanks without probes or internal floats. I think I read an add somewhere but cannot find it any more please e-mail me if you can help. |
FAST FRED (63.215.239.2)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 29, 2001 - 5:51 am: | |
THE boat folks have a system where a tube is run thru the top each tank {of anything} .
A manifold at the gage selects the tank to be read , and by pushing a button the line gets evacuated , allowing the tank gage to read how many inches are in the tank.
Some reads as % of full.
YOU have to calibrate to know what 50% or 10 inches really means.
But there is nothing IN the tank to break.
Would this be of interest?
FAST FRED |
DrEd (205.188.196.113)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 29, 2001 - 8:02 am: | |
I would be interested in learning more about the boat folks tube means of probing a metal tank. I have metal tanks. |
SteveSanford (216.89.38.148)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 29, 2001 - 12:01 pm: | |
You can use the same monitors for plastic tanks, just hook up your tank to a piece of pvc pipe capped on each end the same highth of the tank, with a hose on the bottom and one on the top, and put the montitor sensors on the plastic pvc tubes. Steve |
Lee Thornton (209.193.43.252)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2001 - 1:01 pm: | |
In the industrial control systems world, we use what we call a bubble tube. A tube extends to the bottom of the tank and air or an inert gas is pressurized into the tube until it bubbles out of the open end of the tube. The pressure required to do this is measured (it is directly porportional to the depth of the liquid it has to push out of the tube). For example, it takes 12 inches of pressure to bubble in a tank with 12 inches of water in it. One PSI is equal to 27.7 inches of water pressure.
This only works in an open or vented tank, naturally. And it takes a pretty accurate pressure measuring device to read any tank under a couple of feet high (can be done, but it costs more). |
Henry van de Graaf (Hcvdg) (198.26.130.36)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2001 - 6:53 pm: | |
Hmmm... maybe one could stick the sensor (acu-gage) inside a pvc tube (closed at bottom)and stick the tube in the tank from above.
The object would be to use as narrow a tube as able (so as not to take up too much room). In this way there would be little to clog (think black tank).
Just a thought. |
Henry van de Graaf (Hcvdg) (198.26.130.36)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2001 - 7:03 pm: | |
So much for thinking... I checked an acu-gage info site and found that an adapter in made (cost?).
http://users.cwnet.com/thall/acu_gage.htm |
JR Pettipiece (209.254.248.82)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2001 - 7:16 pm: | |
I met a guy at a boat show that was selling tank sending units and monitors. Check out Centroid products at http://www.centroidproducts.com/ . They sell sending units for all tanks that mount through the top of the tank, and have no moving parts. They also sell a moniter that will keep track of a dozen or so tanks, and battery levels. You can also set it to tell consumption rates,and I think it will even give estimated remaining run time. Hope this helps. |
G H (216.86.99.198)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2001 - 9:05 am: | |
Just so everyone knows the adaptor that acu gauge is talking about is one you make yourself.
you put a pvc tube vertically on the outside of the tank with a feed line from the bottom and the top of your tank to it cap the open ends and strap there monitor to the pvc on the side of the vertical tube that is how they use there system.
l-------- Top of tank
l
l
l
l-------- Bottom of tank
Looks something like that. |
Bus Jock (205.188.193.37)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2001 - 2:19 pm: | |
"Tank Sight" is one of the makers. Thereare several. You only need a 1/8 inch nylon tube in the tank. there is a bob weight to keep it on the bottom. There is a gauge with individual buttons for each tank, as Fred mentioned. Works great. Two scales in inches, one for water, one for fuel. Ours measures all of our tanks.. Very accurate.
I thought everyone used these??? they have been used on most of the boats I have worked on..
Jock Fugitt |