SeeLevel gauges for tank levels

[outwiththedogs]

A Scamp owner I was emailing with is installing SeeLevel gauges for the holding tanks. He says it measures to within less than an inch, and also reads the battery to 1/10 of one volt. Anyone familiar with these? What would be the benefit of that degree of accuracy? We are mainly dry campers and I usually have a general idea of what tank levels are. The battery less so but still within shouting distance.
Thoughts?

https://www.garnetinstruments.com/wp...m-no-title.png

Thanks,
Catherine

[MyronL]

They may be right, they may be wrong, but I just don't trust the trailer tank level sensor lights over the counter top.

Why can't they make a water tank with a clear, see-into-it area so you can do a simple, visual check of the water level? Ah, that would only be necessary for the fresh water tank, thank you very much.

[Brian B-P]

The SeeLevel system is an excellent solution... and that's not just my bias (Garnet Instruments is a local company).

The definitive thread about installing a SeeLevel system in an Escape:

New Tank Monitor

Two other relevant discussions of alternatives for level measurement:

• Has anybody installed an iSeries tank monitor?
• Tank Sensors, Horst vs. the See Level II system

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by MyronL

Why can't they make a water tank with a clear, see-into-it area so you can do a simple, visual check of the water level?

It doesn't need to be clear. With a flashlight (hold the flashright right against the tank, so you can see the glow coming back out through the tank wall), the water level is visible in typical translucent fresh water tanks. Of course that only works if the tank is exposed (not covered by insulation, for instance), but that would also be true of a clear window.

The usual fix for an obscured (or opaque) tank is a sight glass: just mount a vertical run of clear plastic tube (or hose) in a visible location and at the same height as the tank, connected to the tank at both top and bottom. The level in the tube matches the level in the tank. This doesn't work for waste tanks, as the tube get fouled.

The fresh tank is generally not the problem for stock level systems anyway (since the sensors generally don't get fouled), except that the stock system only has four steps (empty, 1/3, 2/3, full), which is a little vague for some users and purposes.

[currinh]

We've had good luck with our SeeLevel system.

Thanks.

[outwiththedogs]

Good heavens, more on tank monitors than I ever imagined. Thanks for the links, it was quite a read.
Catherine