How much is in there?
The new vehicle has gauges to track fluid levels in several areas. Unlike the Version 1 vehicle, this one has a functional gas gauge. Small thing, but nice; some would take it for granted. Additionally, there are sensors for:
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Fresh water
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Gray water (grooming wash water)
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Black water (toilet waste)
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LP Gas tank
These sensors and the control panels that monitor them are from Snake River Electronics. This is a semi-custom product. The control panel was programmed at the factory for the various sensor types and alarms associated with each tank. We chose this system because it did not require drilling through the tank to mount sensors that could potentially leak or foul up with debris internally.
Panels
There are two panels displaying the data from the sensors. The Ultra-8 model in mounted in the grooming area and has full functionality. A smaller unit, the Smart 3, with three tank display, is mounted in the cab and monitors LP Gas, gray water and the top fresh water sensor. The Ultra-8 panel is programmed at the factory for the type of sensor on each input, and how to respond to the low level condition; whether or not to sound an alarm. Calibration of each sensor for the full/empty levels is semi-automatic, and is done after installation.
Sensors
Water Based
For water tanks, the system uses a pair of foil strips attached to the exterior of each tank. The tanks must be non-metallic. The maximum length of the sensor tape is 30" which was not long enough for the large fresh water tank, so two sensor inputs are used. When the top sensor reads empty, the tank will be half full/empty and the balance will be read on the lower sensor. Because of our tank configuration, two-thirds of the fresh water volume is in the upper half of the tank array, so the lower sensor will read only the last third of the total volume.
Here is a picture of an installed sensor assembly. This is the one on the toilet holding tank. This photo was taken prior to applying the 3M spray adhesive that acts as a sealant over the installation. The final appearance looks like milk dried over the foil.
( Click to enlarge )
LP Gas
The LP tank is monitored using a sensor provided by Manchester Tank, the supplier of the LP tank. This tank has an internal float with magnet attached. An external device senses the position of the magnet and calculates the fluid level. This is displayed on a gauge mounted on the tank, and output as a variable resistance, which the Snake River panel reads and interprets.
Documentation Links
There is another type of sensor, on the fresh water tank array, that controls the fresh water filling system. Details of that are here.
