6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

[Saskatoon2005]

Just curious if anyone has ever seen a portable fuel level senser. I have two 6 Gallon fuel tanks and they are covered while in the boat. At the end of a long day of fishing, I would love to know how much fuel is in my tank without having to go open up the back to see.....any help ? Thanks in advance...

 

[Chris1956]

Re: 6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

Years ago, my friend had three metal 6 gal tanks installed in his boat. He had electric fuel level senders in each tank. He also had a three-way selector valve, that he turned manually to choose which tank the motor would draw from. The selector valve would also choose the correct electric sender, so when you swiched the valve to have th motor draw from a full tank, the electric guage on the dash went back up to full. Since the wires on the senders prevented him from removing the tanks to fill them, they were more like three small permanent tanks.

You can likely find all these components and assemble such a system. It does have it's drawbacks.

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: 6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

I wonder if it would work with the 6 Gal. plastic gas tanks.....Chris, that system sounds really really cool. I would like to develop a way to be able to still remove them though...gotta think of something...LOL!

 

[Mark42]

Re: 6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

I believe Tempo has them. Check out their site then look up the part number here.

 

[Mark42]

Re: 6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

I believe Tempo has them. Check out their site then look up the part number here.

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: 6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

so if i cut a hole in a plastic tank, these senders will work? Is there a template for these holes? I need to know how big to cut the hole in order for the sender to be installed. How difficult is it?

Hey Mark42,

have you ever installed one in a plastic tank before? Just curious, and thank-you for your reply.

 

[Mark42]

Re: 6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

When I used two 6 gallon tanks, I looked for the electric senders. I ended up installing a 14 gallon permanent tank, so I didn't buy them.

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: 6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

Mark,

I wish you tried this so I would have an idea if it would work on a plastic tank, has anyone tried this yet????? Please advise if you have....

 

[Chris1956]

Re: 6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

Sask, If the senders are a standard design with a ground and a sender connection, they should work on a plastic tank. There are many permanent plastic in boats these days. My boat has a 63 gal plastic tank.

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: 6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

Chris,

thanks, I know that it would make sense, but sometimes we all need pointing in the right direction....LOL! Yeah, cool, so I can cut the hole to the corrrect size and it will work, but I was looking at a picture of the sender and the screws look like they are screwed into the plastic to hold the sender onto the tank, will the plastic be thick and strong enough to hold the screws? Seems like they would come loose or pull out easy, but maybe the plastic is thick, and the screws are course, that would work then indeed, or do I need some sort of backing material? I imagine that a plastic made tank with sender has a backing plate to accept the screws making a better tighter seal...

 

[Chris1956]

Re: 6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

Sask, It kinda depends on where you are placing the sender, and the kind of tank you have. If you place it on a thinner part of the tank, than is usual, you may have an issue with the self-tapping screws. Perhaps the usual sender area is thicker. A backing plate would fix this. You can also use pop rivets with backing plates, if you can get to the inside of the tank.

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: 6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

Well Chris1956,

I have two 6 Gallon tanks, so I will make a project out of one of them and see :

1) If I can just screw into the plastic and that it will just hold and not leak; and

2) If I have to, make the sender hole close to the fill hole and try and put some backing for the screws to bite into and make a tighter hold.

Is there a special sealer for plastics that I can use as well to aid in the adhesiveness of the sender to the plastic container? Would epoxy help If I predrilled holes for the screws, filled them with epoxy and then dscrewed through the epoxy and the plastic for a nice tight fit.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: 6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

I think a rubber gasket is the correct material for sealing. I do not like epoxy and plastic together, since the plastic is flexible and the epoxy is not. I do not know if drilling out the plastic and filling with epoxy will work, but I do not think so. Use nuts and washers for backing, if you do not like rivits. You could try plastic deck lumber for backing also. That stuff should hold a screw

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: 6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

I would have to make the hole close enough to the fill hole so that I could get my fingers in underneath the sender screw nuts to hold them while I tightened up the screws from above with my other hand.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: 6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

Sask, You can remove the mechanical fuel sender (if it has one) and place the electric one in its place or next to it.

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: 6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

No mechanical fuel senders--these are portable gas tanks...like this....

http://www.iboats.com/mall/?session..._id=238173&list_time=1171739234&view_id=40322

...but without the fuel gauge...I bought two for cheap at Canadian Tire here in Canada.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

Everyone keeps talking about a installing a backing plate to provide a tight seal. Although that's an absolute must, how do you propose holding it in place while installing it, the required gasket, the sender, at the same time you are installing screws and/or nuts. Remember -- this is inside the tank and the fill hole is not large enough to get your hands into. The material in those tanks is not thick enough to support screws of any sort, and they do not have a flat surface for a gasket to seal to. Look at the picture of the Tempo tank in the link shown above. The tank (and others like it) are rounded and have embossed lettering that would have to be ground off. It is far easier and safer to install a single square or rectangular above deck tank that has provisions for a sender. Lastly, 6 gallon tanks blow up like a ballon unless the vent is left open and you don't want to do that when transporting full tanks as it would blow the gasket and possibly leak fuel.
If you are hell bent on doing this, fuel senders are fairly universal, have a 30-240 ohm range and the float arms are available in different lengths and most are adjustable. The gauges are fairly universal. You'll need to use a two pin male/female connector in the harness at each tank to quickly disconnect the tank to remove it for refilling. The female end will need to be installed on the harness end, not the tank end. You will need one gauge and a single pole double throw switch to select which tank you want to read. You will also need a two way fuel valve if you want that feature. Both electric and manual are available and again a selector switch would be needed if using an electric valve. Just do it right and google "above deck fuel tanks".

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: 6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

Wow, silvertip

You sound a little grumpy. So I guess I will "Just do it right and google "above deck fuel tanks""

Patrick

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

You are asking the questions! I provided some insight. Calling someone "grumpy" is a typical response when posters get suggestions that they don't want to hear. I often wonder why folks work so hard to create problems for themselves. Did I at any point tell you NOT to do this? Did I not point out some potential safety issues? And did I not offer suggestions on what what was need to do this IF you decided to go ahead? Did I not point out something that was not thoroughly thought out? I was at my local farm store last evening browsing the fishing dept and they had 6 gallon tanks with mechanical gauges for 20 bucks. A 12 gallon above deck tank was less than $50. You can also buy replacement caps that have the fuel gauge built into them. For about the same money you will spend on all the stuff required to install a dual tank fuel system and gauges you can buy the parts to make a correct and much safer single tank system. Above deck tanks are available in all sorts of shapes and sizes from flat, wide, long, tall, skinny, etc and with 9 gallons and up capacity as well as with or without fuel senders. As part of your conversion -- add a fire extinguisher and make sure your liability insurance is up to date. Your passengers will appreciate it.

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: 6 GAL. portable gas tank fuel level senser....do they make them?

Silvertip,

I did not call you grumpy based upon your suggestion of not wanting to be heard. Usually people back-track and explain in detail there "side" of a conversation because they feel guilty about something...thanks for your two cents though-I'll take it into consideration -- and yes I do need to get a fire extinguisher, saw a nice set-up in another restore project on here that finished up with a fire extinguisher and a first-aid kit. Smart!