REMOTE MARINE FUEL TANK LEVEL MONITOR

What does it do?

Boat owners often want to remotely monitor the parameters of their boat. Some really effectvie remote systems are available to remotely monitor things like tanks and sensors. If a boat has analogue gauges, the gauge is powered when the ignition is on. Remote monitoring needs to happen when the ignition is off. We can monitor the voltage on the tank sensor but that is not effective if ignition is off and the sensor has no voltage applied.

We can do many things to resolve this issue such as adding more tank sensors or applying voltage to the main helm gauges permanently but these are fairly radical solutions.

Solution

How can we keep the existing analogue tank sensors and the existing gauges and still remotely monitor the levels when the boat is sitting dormant? The answer is a very simple but very effective modification using the Sieltec Analogue Gauge Interface, the AGI-1.

REMOTE MARINE FUEL TANK LEVEL INTERFACE BOARD

Interface Board

By using this basic interface board, the exisitng system can operate exactly how it was designed and only switch on the remote monitoring system when the ignition is off. The difficulty is duplicating the existing gauges when the ignition is off. We simply install a "dummy" gauge to take the place of the helm gauge when the ignition is off. That way we can be sure our remote monitoring reflects the same value as the helm gauges.

Installation

Typicaly the interface is connected to a Victron Tank 140 analogue input. The tank 140 is in turn connected to a Victron CerboGX and monitored on the Victron Virtual Remote Monitoring (VRM) system.

This simple board helps allow remote monitoring of the tank levels while the boat is dormant without radically changing the original circuit configuration.

The board has clearly marked connections so it can be installed with confidence.

Analogue FUEL gauge interface

FAQs

1. Q. For remote tank monitoring do I need a Victron CerboGX with tank 140 accessory or similar from another brand?

A. Yes.

2. Q. Can I keep the existing gauges working as they did originally?

A. Yes.

3. Q. Can I remote both port and starboard fuel tanks with the one Analogue Gauge Interface?

A. Yes, the interface can handle two tanks. If you only have one, just use half of the connections.

4. Q. Can the interface handle both 12 and 24 volt sytems?

A. Yes, it can handle both voltage standards.

5. Q. What else do I need to make this work?

A. You will need to purchase exactly the same gauge as you have at your helm for each tank monitored.

6. Q. Does the board draw much electrical current?

A. When the ignition is off the board draws no current. The dummy gauges draw a small amount when the ignition is off. When ignition is on the board draws 75mA at 24 volts so the current draw is negligable.

7. Q. Can the system only work with the Victron Tank 140 system?

A. No, it can work with any remote monitoring system that will take an analogue input.