2024 T@G 5wide Boondock: How do you tell water level with new 23gallon under the floor tank?

ragtag2

Greetings from a T@G newbie! We just did our first shake-down trip with our brand new rig and were wondering how others have solved the mystery of telling how much water is in the tank. I'm afraid the whole thing is out of sight/out of mind. Anyone figured out a work around? 

ragtag2

I asked the NuCamp customer service email this question (and some others about the new T@G 5wides having a tiny 1 burner stove/sink combo vs the 2 burners of previous models) and received: 

"I have also noticed that you have submitted another email in regards a question about the level of the fresh water tank. There is no tank monitor inside the TAG, the only way to really know that it is completely full is the water will come out the overflow on to the ground." 

Knowing when one is running low on water is my primary concern. There must be someone out there with experience in the boating or aviation realms that have some ideas/work arounds...

ras

 Don't have this problem in my 2016 but I used to run a gas station.   Assuming you have a fill connection and a hose pipe connection, how about a clean dowel pushed down the fill pipe when it's full.  When you pull the stick out, make a mark at the top of the wet and about half way thru the wet portion of the dowel.  You should be able to visually interpolate how much is still in the tank when you do it again later.

ragtag2

@ras, I appreciate your problem solving mindset and thinking low-tech. So, I looked at what my plumbing looks like and it is
not pretty for using the dip-stick method...

DCN082162

You can use a flexible thing, like a wire or hose and push it down the inlet when it is full then mark the full spot. As you use the tank,  keep measuring every so often, when it starts to suck air in the inlet, mark that spot on the hose, thats empty, practically. Mark both points with something indelible and your all set.

ragtag2

@DCN082162 we’ll give the flexible dip tube/probe method a try next time (and be sure to share the results.) Thanks so much for offering your insight. 

ragtag2

Boilers have a "sight guage/sight glass" to show the water level inside. I'm exploring how to use the tank drain (with some clear plastic tubing added) to act as a sight guage. I really did not want to be sticking things down the fill pipe (dip stick concept) and possibly introducing contaminates in my water system. Hopefully this will be a low-tech way to get some insight regarding the water level inside the T@G's tank (which is located just above the wheels, below the galley/cabin "floor.") Of course the rig will need to be as level as I can make it and I will also have a range of only the 3+" between full and empty... that's the theory here.


Above: That's 1/2" clear tubing, which is a little big for the Pex valve barbs. Need to work on that.


Need to get that water tank full, level the trailer and start making some marks on the tubing (maybe do a little TLC washing of T@G also...)

Sharon_is_SAM

Great idea!

ragtag2

Project update!  We recently completed a 3.5 month tour from Seattle to the Adirondacks and back again.  Somehow the bellypan/skidplate fell off in Kentucky (honestly no rock crawling happened with our TV being a Volvo...). A silver lining to this is the big reveal of the 23gallon tank and it's drain plumbing. 


The tank is slung under the floor with large metal straps holding it in place. Unfortunately the material is so thick/opaque that seeing the water level is not an option. Also the height/depth of the tank is essentially the same as the frame rails, putting a lot of water in a shallow layer (which is hard to get/keep level and measure accurately.) 




Nothing like a challenge!