Tank sensors/gauges

[MikeP]

After futzing with the acumulators yesterday, and before we went out for the afternoon, the Admiral was cleaning a bit in the galley and said, "there's not much water coming from the faucet." I checked the electric gauge for the water tank which is mounted in the vertical wall of starboard cabinet in the master stateroom. It showed around 1/2 tank. I started messing with the pump because it clearly wasn't pulling any water - thinking, "Wow, I was just working on all this and now the pump failed." But then, remebering the "let's start simple thing," I rechecked the water in the tank.

There wasn't any. What failed was the gauge. The electric gauge sensor is mounted to the top of the screw-in mechanical float gauge. I pulled the gauge and it had come apart - the float itself was no longer part of the gauge.

So with that preliminary out of the way...I reviewed all the posts on tank gauges and am thinking putting in the Snake River system. I see that they have the foil sensors for tanks that have access to the sides and the tube-type for those that don't. Do the tube type fit in place of the oem float-type gauges? I would assume that some sort of adapter is necessary?

I have yet to manage (after trying on-and-off for several months) to remove either fuel tank sensor though I pulled the water tank sensors fairly easily. Fortunately, the fuel gauges work fine. I have a custom made 1/2" drive socket with a large square extension. You can attach the 1/2" drive breaker and put a large wrench on the flat section as well. This allows you to have two people applying torque at the same time. Didn't help. I'll get them off eventually.

For those using the Snake River on the 53MY, which tanks did you need the tubes for? It looks like both fuel tanks need tubes because I can't see any access to the sides but the water tank under the queen bed does as do the waste tanks.

I have mixed feelings about replacing the fuel gauges because when we refuel, the admiral watches the mechanical gauges as I fill the tanks. We stop fueling when the mech gauges are between 7/8 and full to avoid any spills. Will the Snake River gauges accurately track the level as it changes rapidly when refueling?

[Nonchalant1]

Mike,

Re: Snake River - Use tubes for everything. The foil strips only work on smooth tank sides, not the heavy woven roving fiberglass Hatteras uses. Diesel fuel tubes are a separate requirement anyhow. The tubes screw right into the holes where you took the old sensors out. Just use PVC pipe threaded adapters from Home Depot to get it down to 1 inch thread. Measure the length from threads to tank bottom with a stick and they make custom tubes that long.

Yes the gauge will update as you're filling it with fuel. You can set how frequently you want it to update, but it also updates every time you cycle the reader between tanks, so I just go from one tank to the other and back and it's updated at the push of a button.

Get the Accu8 gauge because it shows tank capacity in 10ths. The lower level readers are in 1/4ths of a tank. Also, you can add more tanks later if you want (up to 8). However, like all tank gauges, it assumes the tank is regular in shape, so the forward holding tank and fuel tanks will be off because their bottom is V shaped. The empty and full measurements are still very accurate, but you have to interpolate in between based on tank shape. You can definitely fill to 9 tenths without spilling with these, but I just use my ears at the fill tube and a No-Spill vent bottle when filling with fuel anyhow. I fill em until the vents start gargling. I usually know within 5 gal of how much it'll take due to FloScans.

Re: removing tank sensors. Scrape around the edge of the threads with a knife point to remove paint, etc. Spray with PB Blaster. Wait a day. Use a large socket and 1/2 in drive you have with a breaker bar and it'll come loose. If you have original Rochester gauge sensors, the socket that fits your sensors will also fit your prop nuts! The fuel tanks have bronze fittings glassed into the top and are very strong. Mine could handle all the leverage I needed to loosen the sensors. A longer pipe as a breaker bar will do it or bend your 1/2 in drive. Note from Genesis: don't loosen the fuel sensors with a full tank or you'll get a lot of diesel in the bilge.

Doug Shuman

[Genesis]

Yeah, the problem I have with replacing the senders is that when I fuel I MUST have access to a visual gauge, or I will end up with fuel in the water, and we know what that means.

There are reasons to not like the mechanical gauges in the top of the tanks, but this isn't one of them. I have thought about changing things on my boat, but have decided to stick with what I have.

[Traveler 45C]

Good idea to monitor the gauges while you fuel. Perhaps these gauges could be mounted in the cockpit. These don’t need constant monitoring, therefore, they don’t need to be on the bridge.

[SKYCHENEY]

I have the Hart Tank Tender. It is very easy to install, just run 1/8 plastic tube to each tank. It does not use any electric, all mechanical (air pressure) to read each tank. And, it reads in inches on an analog dial so that once you have a chart made up of the readings, it is accurate to within 5 gals or so. You may want to check it out.

[Nonchalant1]

Gee - we put "No commercial listings allowed" on our boats for sale and parts for sale sections, and now they come here. Let's add that note to the general discussion board and will somebody boot this non-Hatteras owner, non-contributor off the board?

Doug Shuman

Just wanted to put our website up so you can compare monitor systems.
The xxxxxx.

[jim rosenthal]

Right. I emailed the administrator about this and I think he took it off. While some of us are both boating enthusiasts and in the boating business, I think he went too far.