Hi,
Peggy, I bought your book (waiting for delivery...), and have taken all
your advice in installing a holding tank in my Catalina 36:

- Using the High-Test (expensive!) no-odour hose
- All fittings on the top of the tank
- 1/2" expensive plastic for the tank
- two vents (3/4") on opposite corners for flo-through ventilation
- tank is big. It really is. Big. How big? 132 litres (about 34 US Gal)

Anyway, my question: There are lots of tank level "meters" around. Can
I just use a fuel-tank "sender" (float on a lever)? Or, there are some
that have patches that stick on the outside of the tank for Empty, 1/2,
3/4, full etc. Do they work? There was one for about $250CDN that did this
- looked like it would do the job (and for the water tanks as well!) but
iirc the one you recommend is about $1000?

Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36

Lloyd Sumpter wrote:
Hi,
Peggy, I bought your book (waiting for delivery...), and have taken all
your advice in installing a holding tank in my Catalina 36:


Anyway, my question: There are lots of tank level "meters" around. Can
I just use a fuel-tank "sender" (float on a lever)? Or, there are some
that have patches that stick on the outside of the tank for Empty, 1/2,
3/4, full etc. Do they work? There was one for about $250CDN that did this
- looked like it would do the job (and for the water tanks as well!) but
iirc the one you recommend is about $1000?

Noooo...the one you want is the Snake River Electronics AcuGage
(http://www.snake-river.org)...nowhere NEAR $1,000. The senders do
indeed go on the outside of any tank that isn't metal (internal senders
for metal tanks)...a system that will handle up to 4 tanks, including
water, waste and diesel, would be about $250 CDN.

Neither the internal nor external senders ever come in contact with the
tank contents...so they can't clog or corrode...nor are there any moving
parts to fail. I've 'em still working on boats after 15+ years--the only
gauge I've ever found that lasts more than about 5 years--if that long.

Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://www.seaworthy.com/html/get_ri...oat_odors.html


Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36

Wow wee!
Someone must be 'full of it' to spend that much on a holding system :-)

Lloyd Sumpter wrote in message
news
Hi,
Peggy, I bought your book (waiting for delivery...), and have taken all
your advice in installing a holding tank in my Catalina 36:

- Using the High-Test (expensive!) no-odour hose
- All fittings on the top of the tank
- 1/2" expensive plastic for the tank
- two vents (3/4") on opposite corners for flo-through ventilation
- tank is big. It really is. Big. How big? 132 litres (about 34 US Gal)

Anyway, my question: There are lots of tank level "meters" around. Can
I just use a fuel-tank "sender" (float on a lever)? Or, there are some
that have patches that stick on the outside of the tank for Empty, 1/2,
3/4, full etc. Do they work? There was one for about $250CDN that did this
- looked like it would do the job (and for the water tanks as well!) but
iirc the one you recommend is about $1000?

Lloyd Sumpter
"Far Cove" Catalina 36

On Tue, 05 Aug 2003 19:14:38 +0000, Peggie Hall wrote:

Lloyd Sumpter wrote:
Hi,
Peggy, I bought your book (waiting for delivery...), and have taken all
your advice in installing a holding tank in my Catalina 36:


Anyway, my question: There are lots of tank level "meters" around. Can
I just use a fuel-tank "sender" (float on a lever)? Or, there are some
that have patches that stick on the outside of the tank for Empty, 1/2,
3/4, full etc. Do they work? There was one for about $250CDN that did this
- looked like it would do the job (and for the water tanks as well!) but
iirc the one you recommend is about $1000?

Noooo...the one you want is the Snake River Electronics AcuGage
(http://www.snake-river.org)...nowhere NEAR $1,000. The senders do
indeed go on the outside of any tank that isn't metal (internal senders
for metal tanks)...a system that will handle up to 4 tanks, including
water, waste and diesel, would be about $250 CDN.

Neither the internal nor external senders ever come in contact with the
tank contents...so they can't clog or corrode...nor are there any moving
parts to fail. I've 'em still working on boats after 15+ years--the only
gauge I've ever found that lasts more than about 5 years--if that long.


Thanks! Yes, it looks like I can get the LED-4 module for around $250
(plus $60 or so for the "diesel module").

One problem: The guy that built the tank (Barr Plastics in Langley - great
people!) say basically NOTHING will stick to the plastic they use. How do
the AcuGage aluminum strips stick to the plastic tank? Do they fall off?

Lloyd

One problem: The guy that built the tank (Barr Plastics in Langley - great
people!) say basically NOTHING will stick to the plastic they use. How do
the AcuGage aluminum strips stick to the plastic tank? Do they fall off?

I dunno why the strips stick to polyethylene either--'cuz nothing
should...but when applied according to directions, using the adhesive
supplied, they do. And they STAY stuck.

You'll love this system, Lloyd...more and more production boat builders
are going with it because it costs 'em less and outperforms AND outlasts
than any they've been using. I haven't met anyone yet who didn't think
it was the best thing since the automatic bread slicer.

Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://www.seaworthy.com/html/get_ri...oat_odors.html

On Tue, 05 Aug 2003 13:11:35 +0000, Lloyd Sumpter wrote:

On Tue, 05 Aug 2003 19:14:38 +0000, Peggie Hall wrote:

Lloyd Sumpter wrote:
Hi,
Peggy, I bought your book (waiting for delivery...), and have taken all
your advice in installing a holding tank in my Catalina 36:


Anyway, my question: There are lots of tank level "meters" around. Can
I just use a fuel-tank "sender" (float on a lever)? Or, there are some
that have patches that stick on the outside of the tank for Empty, 1/2,
3/4, full etc. Do they work? There was one for about $250CDN that did this
- looked like it would do the job (and for the water tanks as well!) but
iirc the one you recommend is about $1000?

Noooo...the one you want is the Snake River Electronics AcuGage
(http://www.snake-river.org)...nowhere NEAR $1,000. The senders do
indeed go on the outside of any tank that isn't metal (internal senders
for metal tanks)...a system that will handle up to 4 tanks, including
water, waste and diesel, would be about $250 CDN.

Neither the internal nor external senders ever come in contact with the
tank contents...so they can't clog or corrode...nor are there any moving
parts to fail. I've 'em still working on boats after 15+ years--the only
gauge I've ever found that lasts more than about 5 years--if that long.


Thanks! Yes, it looks like I can get the LED-4 module for around $250
(plus $60 or so for the "diesel module").


Correction: Called Steveston Marine and they had a LED-4 kit for $296
(incl tax). The diesel module was $231 (???). And the Fancy System (Ultra
8) would be about $850 including tax (getting close to that $1000 I mentioned...)

The Joys of living in Canada...

Lloyd

Correction: Called Steveston Marine and they had a LED-4 kit for $296
(incl tax). The diesel module was $231 (???). And the Fancy System (Ultra
8) would be about $850 including tax (getting close to that $1000 I mentioned...)

Noooooooo....that's utterly ridiculous. You could come to the US, buy
the system AND have a week's vacation over here for that!

Watch your email...


Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://www.seaworthy.com/html/get_ri...oat_odors.html

On Tue, 05 Aug 2003 20:49:33 +0000, Peggie Hall wrote:

One problem: The guy that built the tank (Barr Plastics in Langley - great
people!) say basically NOTHING will stick to the plastic they use. How do
the AcuGage aluminum strips stick to the plastic tank? Do they fall off?

I dunno why the strips stick to polyethylene either--'cuz nothing
should...but when applied according to directions, using the adhesive
supplied, they do. And they STAY stuck.


Bad News: apparently they're no longer shipping adhesive with the
systems: http://www.snake-river.org/pdf/Glue.pdf

Hope the off-the-shelf stuff works as well as you say their stuff used
to!

Lloyd

Yeah, WestMarine has it for $215CDN. But, first, I'm a bit of a Patriot:
I like to Buy Canadian when I can (even if the product is from the US).

Can't fault you for that...but there is a limit!

When I owned my company, many of our Canadian customers rented US
addresses from places like Mailboxes Etc...some went together with dock
mates and took turns coming across to pick up stuff they ordered from
us, WM etc. How often they came over depended on how close they lived to
the border...but compared to the outrageous jump from domestic to
international shipping rates just to drive across a bridge and the
exhorbitant "customs brokerage fees," a lot of 'em didn't think 100
miles was too far to come, especially if they could take turns with the
other folks using that address and only have to do it once every month
or so to pick up everything they'd all bought.

Just an idea...

Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detai...=400&group=327


And second, I've had some terrible experiences lately buying from the
US. Specifically:
1. A $1200 package from Edson in Eastern US, shipped FedEx ground. Cost me
$100 in brokerage fees (not including shipping), took 6 weeks, and an hr's
long-distance phone calls to Toronto.
2. Five $2.50US solar cells ended up costing $50. Yes, the shipping and
brokerage cost MORE than the material!

(Note that none of this had any duty or taxes: these are all shipping,
handling, customs and brokerage "fees")

So I'm not too keen about buying stuff from the US. I will show SM&H the
WestMarine website and SnakeRiver.org's suggested retail and see if
they'll match the price.

Lloyd