Any opinions on Fuel Senders?

[Blitz]

My existing Fuel Sender has failed and I need to get a new one to install. Don't have much reason to change the style of my sender since it is your basic arm type sender typical of most simple tanks - but am wondering if technology has changed much in the 27 seasons since boat was constructed. My tank is rectangular, not baffled, and installed along the centerline of the boat under the cockpit.

I would like to use an internal sensor as before and was shopping around since the original sender (made by Medallion Instruments) isn't readily available but should be no big deal since most replacement sensors/senders works with my Teleflex 30-240 Ohms gauge.

In shopping around I noticed on Defender a Flexi-sensor made by US Marine and was wondering if anyone has had good or bad experience with this type:
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|51|87367|94940|305311&id=1638338

Also searched previous threads and it seems the WEMA sensors might be a bit more stable and was wondering from the forum of any positive or negative experience with these types of slide units:
http://www.wemausa.com/tank-sensors/details_SSS_SSL_tank_sensors.htm

My tank is 16" wide X 24" long X 12" height, so I'm guessing I should use a 11" sensor to allow the one inch on bottom not to be measured since the pick-up tube is a little bit off the bottom of the tank.

Any opinions are always appreciated.

Thanks - Neal

 

[Stu Jackson]

They all eventually fail. Try this parallel thread: http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=133856

 

[Dennis Ferriello]

Blitz:
We recommend with our Monitor panels the WEMA SSL. Since we don't make one we tested many fuel senders to go with our products and the SSL was better then most.
Stu is also right they all do fail sooner or later but the SSL seems to be a lot better then others.
The beginning of the year we will be coming out with our own Diesel Fuel Sender, no moving parts, so no float to worry about.

Thanks to all the Sailboatowners that have purchased our products.

Dennis Ferriello
www.ferriellosales.com
dennis@ferriellosales.com

 

[windward54]

I'll second Dennis's recommendation on the WEMA sensor. When our sensor failed on the boat I had before this one, I switched over from the arm style to the WEMA. I found it to be a little more accurate.

 

[Steve Dion]

I have had a WEMA unit for a couple of years. So far so good, no complaints.

We monitor the hours between fill-ups in our fuel log too.

 

[Mike B1026]

WEMA here also. Have had it for about three years. Very high quality. (I hated to hide it in my fuel tank) True, it does have a moving part (float) but I can't see how it would fail. The float isn't physically attached to the sender unit, no wires, contacts etc.

Pretty reasonable cost.