Again thank you for all the ideas. After almost 2 months of obsessing and researching I have finally found a system that will work for me.
SCAD monitors fell off the shortlist when I learned they could only use their sensors and I would need 2 displays to show levels on 3 tanks. The most attractive feature of the SCAD system was the external sensors, however, in my application only 1 tank was accessible to install the sensor.
Kus Industries makes reliable reed/magnetic sensors for fuel, water, and waste tanks. They also have a clever mounting system that only requires one hole in the tank, making the installation pretty simple and fool proof. They are also reasonably priced. These resistive senders are not compatible with the SCAD monitors.
This month Defender has a deal on a Simrad GO7 XSR MFD with a $100 rebate. I was considering adding a remote display for the instruments and the MFD was the cost of the display and could show tank levels for up to 5 tanks. The display issue was solved.
The last piece was translating the output of the sensors to NMEA 2000. Navico makes a tank level sensor that does just this at a fairly reasonable price.
Installing the system on the N2K network will be easier than running the wires for the SCAD system. Tank levels will also be visible on the primary Chartplotter and on the phone and tablet apps. The latter will be handing when filling the tanks. I can watch the levels on the phone and know when the tank is full.
Finally, when I ordered the MFD, Defender gave me an extra 5% off if I signed up for their mailing list.
The total cost is more than 2 SCAD systems, however, the greater functionality of the system is a plus.
SCAD monitors fell off the shortlist when I learned they could only use their sensors and I would need 2 displays to show levels on 3 tanks. The most attractive feature of the SCAD system was the external sensors, however, in my application only 1 tank was accessible to install the sensor.
Kus Industries makes reliable reed/magnetic sensors for fuel, water, and waste tanks. They also have a clever mounting system that only requires one hole in the tank, making the installation pretty simple and fool proof. They are also reasonably priced. These resistive senders are not compatible with the SCAD monitors.
This month Defender has a deal on a Simrad GO7 XSR MFD with a $100 rebate. I was considering adding a remote display for the instruments and the MFD was the cost of the display and could show tank levels for up to 5 tanks. The display issue was solved.
The last piece was translating the output of the sensors to NMEA 2000. Navico makes a tank level sensor that does just this at a fairly reasonable price.
Installing the system on the N2K network will be easier than running the wires for the SCAD system. Tank levels will also be visible on the primary Chartplotter and on the phone and tablet apps. The latter will be handing when filling the tanks. I can watch the levels on the phone and know when the tank is full.
Finally, when I ordered the MFD, Defender gave me an extra 5% off if I signed up for their mailing list.
The total cost is more than 2 SCAD systems, however, the greater functionality of the system is a plus.
. Think WEMA holding tank gauge. Same thing.
