Seelevel 709 monitor install

dougw

Well-known member
As most of you might know I recently did my freshwater tank modification to be able to get all the freshwater out of the tanks. So far so good. I'm able to pull all but ~2.5 gals out of each tank with the pump.

Since then I decided that I would like to keep better track of all the fluids in the trailer so I recently installed a Garnet 709-4. This meter does freshwater, black, and 2 gray tanks. You only need one sensor on the freshwater since the thanks are "Y" together. Here is a link to 3 photos showing the panel install.

http://helibuf.com/pictures/seelevel/
Image 2 is showing freshwater and image 3 is showing voltage. The other stations works the same.

I installed it in this location because it was the least intrusive place I could find to mount it. I took a 50' cat 5 network cable and split it in 2 sections for the wiring. After removing the existing black metal panel with all the meters on it, I drilled a small hole in the bottom of that area below the panel so I could run the new wires down from the panel and then over towards the heating inlet grill. From there I was able to pull it from behind the cover in the storage compartment that covers the water pump and other plumbing that runs in behind the outside connection compartment. I just routed the wiring down under the lower outside blanket and followed the frame. I found it was pretty easy to put a new 12v fuse in the fuse panel and router 12v up to the meter. This will power both the meter as well as the sensor. You will run +12v, ground, and a sensor loop to all the sensors. They just run in parallel on one signal line. Each sensor gets "trimmed" to tell the meter what sensor or water supply you will be monitoring.

I used Garnets "Jr" 6in stick on sensor pads for all the tanks. These give you a better resolution for the smaller depth tanks. The 2 freshwater tanks were easy to get to since I already had the blanket cut as well as having the tanks out. The black and gray tanks were a bit harder to access. With smaller hands I was able to do the black tank ok, but the gray tank was a chore to access. With a little patience it is do-able.

For the wiring all the sensors are connected in parallel. I took 3 pairs of the network wires and doubled them up. This gives a bit better current flow as well as redundancy. This also leaves you spare pairs of wires in case something happens by some chance later to the wiring. It doesn't matter what colors you use of course, just make sure your consistent on what color is +,-, signal.

Before install, I tested each pad on the bench. I used a 1 Gallon water jug and a 12v power supply and made sure every thing was working. Once you get the sensor pads on, they will not be coming off so it is better to make sure they are working. When you do mount them on the tanks, make sure the tanks are as clean as you can be. Since the under cover keeps most of the dirt off the sensors, I just used some strips of "Gorilla tape" to cover the pads up for added protection.

So far the meter is working well. It is graduated in 3% increments so you get a much better resolution then the 4 light meter. This is my 2nd Garnet meter. I had one in my first trailer and had good luck with it as well. If you don't have access to the tanks by tanking the cover off, then you might be able to do the freshwater tank as well as galley tank without cutting or removing the under cover. Since I already cut mine and use Gorilla tape to re piece the cover together as in my other post, this isn't a big deal to do.

Doug
 

porthole

Retired
How did the Gorilla tape hold up since you did the tanks? Seem better then regular duct tape?

That covered panel you got was one of the nice changes you got when you "lost" the sub woofer and amp.


meter1.JPG Cyclone_int_38.jpg 2010 Cyclone 3010_27.jpg
 

dougw

Well-known member
The Gorilla tape seems much stronger and I believe it leaves lease residue when it is removed. Duct tape can get very messy.

Yes the door is nice, however my next "tweek" is to put the main light switch on the side of the cabinet. That way at night when it is dark, it will be much easier to find.<G>
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
I was considering a seelevel but couldn't determine if it had an option for a second gray tank. Don't the Cyclones have 2 gray tanks, 1 for the galley and another for shower and vanity? Are both tanks monitored via the same panel?
 

dougw

Well-known member
The cyclone I have does have 2 gray tanks. I'm not quite sure how they are split though. Garnet has different styles and monitor levels for different trailer configurations.
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
The cyclone I have does have 2 gray tanks. I'm not quite sure how they are split though. Garnet has different styles and monitor levels for different trailer configurations.
I went to their website but couldn't find any info regarding 2 gray hook ups. Did you put your gray tank sensor on the shower/vanity tank? That would make the most sense anyway. I suppose if a separate sensor was purchased for the 2nd tank, there would be a way to wire a switch to check either tank. At this point I'm still only "thinking about it".
 
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