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FL420 · 12-01-2018, 01:24 PM

While stuck here in Denver with the weather getting colder and colder and since my rear furnace just went Tango Uniform I am concerned about the temperature of the liquids in my tanks. It dawned on me that I could monitor the temperature of my coolant on my ScanGaugeD. It works like a charm as long as I turn the ignition switch to RUN momentarily to wake up the ECM to update the readings.
The temperature of the coolant in my cold engine should be very close to the temperature of the liquids in my unheated tanks. I keep a 75 watt heat lamp in my wet bay which does a good job protecting the exterior plumbing.
While following the threads about diesel fuel gelling and freezing it dawned on me that the temperature of the fuel in my unheated fuel tank should also be close to the temperature of my coolant. I am going to treat my fuel with Power Service Diesel Fuel Supplement before it gets to 32°.
As soon as I get my IR laser thermometer back from the son who borrowed it I will compare the temps from the 2 sources to test my theories.
What do y'all think?

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Ray,IN · 12-01-2018, 02:36 PM

Thinking outside the box, gotta love it!

timjet · 12-02-2018, 04:19 AM

Good thinking!

Now think of moving to someplace warmer.

Dav L · 12-02-2018, 08:06 AM

I must be missing something...doesn't your coach have an external temp sensor?
the fuel tank should be at external temp. so should the engine since they are both completely exposed to ambient.

FL420 · 12-02-2018, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dav L

I must be missing something...doesn't your coach have an external temp sensor?.

Do you mean an OAT sensor?
No. This is a 2005 middle of the lineup Monaco Knight. Not much in the way of bells and whistles. I have a $10 remote sensor in the water bay monitoring the effectiveness of the 300 watt 12VDC heater and the 120VAC heat lamp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dav L

the fuel tank should be at external temp. so should the engine since they are both completely exposed to ambient.

That's what I was thinking. Hence, the use of the coolant temperature readout to approximate the temperatures in the fuel tank and in the fresh, grey and black tanks.

FL420 · 12-02-2018, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timjet

Good thinking!

Now think of moving to someplace warmer.

We were on our way out of town on our way to Lake Powell via a stop in southern Montana when the careless young woman redesigned our front end. That was 2 months ago. Her insurance company has been dragging their feet so we have been stuck here.
We finally found a used front cap and the face transplant is supposed to start on Tuesday. The estimate is 3 weeks to complete. We're heading back to the hotel on Monday. We're hoping to meet up with our camping buddies in Quartzite.
I'm going to winterize it for the first time tomorrow. It will be interesting as the owner's manual is woefully inaccurate and inadequate. Also, the PO made numerous undocumented Rube Goldberg modifications to the water system in the water bay.

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Dav L · 12-03-2018, 07:32 AM

Any Weather app will give you a real good indication of the ambient temp...certainly close enough to know if you need to put fuel conditioner in.
The good thing about Weather apps is they also show a forecast of what should be coming...so you get a head start on doing XY and Z to get ready.

What's OAT acronym stand for? Outside Air Temp?

Bob_C · 12-03-2018, 08:19 AM

Check out weather stations.......mine monitors inside, outside, humidity {inside and out), wind speed and direction, rain amount, bar. preesuse, time, date and so forth.....nice lighted monitor also, and it's wireless...

FL420 · 12-03-2018, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dav L

Any Weather app will give you a real good indication of the ambient temp...certainly close enough to know if you need to put fuel conditioner in.
The good thing about Weather apps is they also show a forecast of what should be coming...so you get a head start on doing XY and Z to get ready.

What's OAT acronym stand for? Outside Air Temp?

I use the Weather Channel app and some others all the time. I check them frequently throughout the day and evening especially in Colorado. The weather forecasts here are notoriously inaccurate with cold fronts anchored to low pressure areas and cold air masses driven south by bends in the jet stream colliding with warm moist air masses coming north from the Gulf of Mexico causing atmospheric instability. High winds blowing out from high pressure areas and into adjacent low pressure areas are affected by the orographic lifting of the mountains and the venturi effect of mountain passes. All these factors cause some pretty severe weather often on short notice.
When it comes to weather I try to use all the affordable tools available to me. When I lived in Boulder right up against the Flatirons I had an anemometer on my roof. One day it was blowing up to 75 mph at my house. At the NCAR/UCAR labs up on the mesa about a mile from my house they recorded peak wind speeds above 130 mph.
Yes, OAT is Outside Air Temperature.

JaminSamin · 12-03-2018, 10:56 AM

Using the ScanGauge D is how I know my engine block heater warms the coolant at a rate of approximately 20 deg. per hour until it reaches 130 deg. and then holds that temp until turned off.

FL420 · 12-03-2018, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaminSamin

Using the ScanGauge D is how I know my engine block heater warms the coolant at a rate of approximately 20 deg. per hour until it reaches 130 deg. and then holds that temp until turned off.

Alright, Alright, Alright.[emoji106]
I was hoping someone would come up with some more ScanGaugeD hacks. That's a great one. How else would you be able to determine your block heater was doing its job without going to a lot of trouble or overheating your starter or running your battery down?

ThePowells · 12-03-2018, 11:45 PM

https://www.walmart.com/ip/AcuRite-W...IaAn7iEALw_wcB

$10.00 at wallyworld.

FL420 · 12-04-2018, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThePowells

https://www.walmart.com/ip/AcuRite-W...IaAn7iEALw_wcB

$10.00 at wallyworld.

Got 2 of them. Too bad they only use one frequency.

ScoobyDoo · 12-04-2018, 04:43 AM

Quote:

While following the threads about diesel fuel gelling and freezing it dawned on me that the temperature of the fuel in my unheated fuel tank should also be close to the temperature of my coolant. I am going to treat my fuel with Power Service Diesel Fuel Supplement before it gets to 32°.

Do you need to barrow a anvil, or do you have one to drop on your foot? If your plan is to run out and dump treatment in the tank at 33, why bother? If the fuel in the line to engine is not treated, and it gets cold enough for it to gel then what is in the tank will not matter.
The best idea is if you don't want to "waste" treatment is just decide not to start the engine while it is cold. Better idea is if you think it will be cold before you use the fuel in a tank, and enough treatment for the volume of tank, then fill it up. (If you have 2 tanks, shut one off. Run on 1 until it gets warm enough for return to warm the fuel) Run it at least long enough to get treated fuel thru return lines.