# NMEA 2000 Garmin Fluid Level Sensor Advice



## Primate (Aug 31, 2019)

Hello everyone, I just finished setting up the NMEA 2000 network on my boat and everything seems to have worked out quite well. One of the things I connected to the network is a Garmin GFL-10 to monitor the fuel level and was hoping to get some advice for calibrating this feature if anyone has had any experience with it. After reading the manual I figured I would drain the tank and set the that first point at 0% but how many other calibration points are needed for good accuracy? Is it enough to do 0%, 50%, and 100% or should I do smaller increments? I don't want to go overboard if I don't have to. The tank is 12 gallons with a suggested usable capacity of around 10 gallons I guess due to the EPA regulated internal construction and the boat doesn't have an existing fuel gauge. Anyhow, any suggestions and feedback would be greatly appreciated!


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## Primate (Aug 31, 2019)

Spoke with Garmin this morning. They say 0%, 50% and 100% is what most people do in case anyone was wondering.


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

Primate said:


> NMEA 2000 network


After you use the network for awhile I'd be interested in your thoughts/review about it.
I've been leaning towards getting a Lowrance.


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## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

I have a similar feature on my Lowrance, although it isn't actually a sensor, rather a calculated level indication based on actual fuel burn and tank size. I supposed to calibrate at 100, 50 and 0 to get it to work. I just keep track of my fuel burned each trip and subtract it from tank capacity. I fill up and reset the trip fuel burn and start over. I am interested in hearing feedback on how well the fluid level sensor works.


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

I plan to include my fuel tanks sender in the network, and hope that I can also have all the engines (oil/temp/rpm etc.) displayed when cruising on the split screen.

I'll need to test to see how fast I can travel and still get good images on the fish finder when searching for schools. Considering how the weight of the boat is distributed I plan to put the batteries inside the side consoles and maybe the fuel tank up front under the deck if I have enough room. 
After the basic needs for operation are met I'll put a couple 30 gallon drums in the boat so I can move them around to get a feel for how it will operate with gear and people on board and adjust accordingly.


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## Primate (Aug 31, 2019)

So


mro said:


> I plan to include my fuel tanks sender in the network, and hope that I can also have all the engines (oil/temp/rpm etc.) displayed when cruising on the split screen.
> 
> I'll need to test to see how fast I can travel and still get good images on the fish finder when searching for schools. Considering how the weight of the boat is distributed I plan to put the batteries inside the side consoles and maybe the fuel tank up front under the deck if I have enough room.
> After the basic needs for operation are met I'll put a couple 30 gallon drums in the boat so I can move them around to get a feel for how it will operate with gear and people on board and adjust accordingly.


So far by connecting the engine and the fuel level sensor what's displayed on the Garmin is fuel burn, rpm, fuel amount in gallons, engine temp and engine voltage. I would imagine other telemetry can be added via the other Garmin NMEA 2000 sensors but those things really add up in price. The GFL-10 alone was $199 retail which I find very excessive. I found mine on eBay brand new open box for half that and still feel robbed. That being said I'm much happier knowing how much fuel I'm burning and how much fuel I actually have so I suppose in the grand scheme of things it's a small price to pay if it holds up over time and performs well. I'll give an update when I get a bit more time to take the boat out and see what's what.

Nate


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