Infrared Temperature Gun – for tank temps

rwidman · Jun 18, 2012

Shoalwaters said:
Fluke and Snap-On will certainly be pricey - probably worth it if they form part of the tools of your trade (or if you just like very nice tools). For testing tanks and a/c outlets, you might consider something by Craftsman or even Harbour Freight at a fraction of the price. I have a cheap one for checking exhaust elbows, a/c's and the like. It has worked well for the last 3 years. I believe I read somewhere that these things all work on the same principle, although the quality of manufacture may vary. I'm guessing that the most likely cause of failure would be leakage of corrosive goop from dead batteries.

I had a Craftsman. The first one failed quickly and was replaced under warranty. The second lasted a couple of years.

I decided to try something else and bought the "top of the line" model at Harbor Freight for about $30.00. It's been fine.

If I used one in my work or was working on critical systems, I would probably buy a better known brand. For casual use, the cheap ones seem to do the job.

rwidman · Jun 18, 2012

Art said:
RT - Being a coast-living Atlantic Ocean boy from ages past, my preferred marine fuel gauge is a straight wood stick with volume notches implanted by knife blade... sticks are more accurate (every time) than any other item could be; besides maybe a clear glass tank with no schmeg stuck to its interior sides - LOL!

But, alas... the "new" boat makers (mine's a 1977 - and fairly new to me!) figured their "high tech" (automotive copy) in-tank mechanical gauges would make every lazy boater happier than hell! That is till they ran out of fuel some day with the ageing gauge still reading 1/4th full! So... with their great new mechanical fuel reading gauge available the “smart” (spelled s-t-u-p-i-d) boat designers decided that gave them license to place the tanks and fill hose at angles so that NO straight stick could possibly ever be used to “accurately” check fuel levels for making sure their super stupendous mechanical fuel gauges were not telling a fuel level fib!

If the world simply adhered to KISS – what a relaxing life it would be!!

The other side of your story is, in some cases, having a straight shot from the deck fitting to the tank so a stick could be used to measure fuel level would mean that the deck fills are not easily accessible for actually filling the tanks.

I can fill both my fuel tanks (one on each side) from the cockpit. I have to pull the water hose through the cabin and fill the water tank on the side that's away from the dock through an open cabin window. I would not want to do that with a fuel hose.

Boat design and construction is a series of compromises.

rwidman · Jun 18, 2012

Art said:
For fuel, water, or waste tanks: To determine a tank material’s temperature differences at its fluid level...

As often happens, this thread seems to have gone off on a tangent, but if it's your thought that measuring the temperature at different points on the outside of your fuel tank will reveal the fuel level, devices to accomplish this are already available for propane tanks. Stick on strips that change color. Check your local home center or even Walmart.

ARoss · Jun 18, 2012

Having installed float sensors and experiencing failure in short order, I reverted to the Mark I Mod I dipstick method of determining fuel level. No moving parts, simplicity in itself.

Art · Jun 18, 2012

Marin said:
Sounds like a good solution. Do tou think it would work equally well on tanks made of other materials? Iron, fiberglass, plastic?

Our four stainless saddle tanks have calibrated sight gauges so no problem determining fuel levels. But for tanks without them your IR gun method sounds like a problem solver.

Don't know for sure on other tank materials... but probably the same law of physics should take place with any container type that had air space and a fill level of fluid space. One increment of necessity seems to be having considerable heat added to local ambient air around any tank, and in relatively short order too... such as in an engine compartment’s increased heat due to engines running. Our tanks' broad sides sit about 18" separated from each engine's outside edge. I checked twice after running for one hour each time and each time there were days between engines running so the temps of tank air/fluid levels had time to stabilize. In the case of my boat's fuel tank to engine close proximity layout, I believe if engines were run for many (say eight hours) the tank's fuel may gain more heat that makes the air to fluid heat differential less notable. Similarly... if engines just run for couple minutes the temp differential would probably not be as pronounced.

PS: – I purchased IR Gun off EBay at very reasonable cost. Works well.

Infrared Temperature Gun – for tank temps

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