How much gas can you put in your 140 gallon tank?

[SBH2OMan]

I've only gone from empty to full one time, and I'm about ready to do it again. While I do it, I'll be re-calibrating my float sensor.

The last time I did it, I was only able to put in about 120 gallons, but the boat was on a trailer, so I'm wondering if that was the reason, or simply because the tank wasn't actually "empty" due to the location of the fuel pickup.

I'm going to do a 5-point calibration: Empty, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, & Full

The trick is I'll need to tell the system how many gallons are represented by each of those values. If I assume that "empty" is 0 gallons and "full" is 140 gallons, I have a feeling I'll be wrong.

Any suggestions? This is one of those things where I have one shot at getting it right...

The good news is that I have redundant fuel level systems - one actual float level and the other the "theoretical" fuel based on the fuel management system. The latter, however relies on humans to accurately record each fill (which doesn't always happen) thus the redundancy (and importance) of the float.

 

[Brent]

I would calculate the tank volume from the dimensions as a check.


I would contact the tank maker and ask them about the tank capacity and other details

I would find the spot where the tank top or cockpit deck is level

I would do 14 data points with each one is 10 gallons.

Hopefully the gas pumps have been inspected and certified for accuracy. I assume gas pumps for vehicles are regularly certified but don’t know if marina pumps are certified .


After adding gas, I would wait several minutes for reading to stabilize


If you have a second tank pickup and access, use a rod and mark each point and map it to height and fuel sender reading

M2cw


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[mheltunen]

The geometry of the tank in your vessel (and mine) does not represent well on our fuel gauge. What your doing is a good idea and I’ve done it myself. I have also removed the plug from the unused pickup hole in the tank and measured the level by dropping a thin wood dowel (a long one).


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[warthog5]

but the boat was on a trailer, so I'm wondering if that was the reason

Yes.....Boat sits level or slightly down in the bow on the trailer.....Sits ass end down in the water.

Vent is towards the front of the tank.