It is a familiar situation for every motorhomer: it’s cold, it’s raining, or you just parked comfortably, and suddenly the heating turns off. You immediately wonder: “Is the tank empty?” Normally, you have to go outside to check. But did you know that nowadays you can easily read your gas bottle level without leaving your motorhome?
Whether you have a fixed LPG tank, an Alugas bottle, a Campko bottle, an RV bottle, or a plastic composite bottle: there is always a smart solution. In this article, we explain exactly how reading the gas bottle level works for each type of installation and what you need.
Situation 1: Reading the gas bottle level of a 4-hole bottle or LPG tank
The classic red vapor gas tanks and the 4-hole bottles from GZWM have a specific meter plate. There are two options to read the level remotely for these:
Option A: Wired (With LED display)
This is a robust solution where you mount a sender on the tank and run a cable to an LED display on your dashboard or in the living area.
What do you need?
- The Sender: You mount this on the tank/bottle (0-90 Ohm).
- The Cable: To route the signal inside.
- The LED Display: Choose a model with or without a switch:
Option B: Wireless (Via Smartphone)
Don’t want to run cables? Then you can replace the meter on the tank with a Bluetooth sender.
Situation 2: Measuring the level of an Alugas or Gaslow bottle
Please note: Do you have an aluminum bottle from Alugas or a Gaslow system? Then you need different parts. The dial (the multivalve) on these tanks has a different size.
Option A: Wired (With LED display)
There is a special sender set for these bottles.
- The Sender: This set contains the sender that fits Alugas/Gaslow, and the wiring is already included.
- The LED Display: You will still need a display for the inside. For this, you use the same displays as in Situation 1 (see the links to the 5 or 9 LEDs above).
Option B: Wireless (Via Smartphone)
A Bluetooth solution is also possible here, but you need the specific model that fits the Alugas/Gaslow multivalve.
Situation 3: Reading the gas bottle level of Campko, RV, or steel bottles
With these bottles, it is not possible to mount an internal sender.
- The RV bottle: This metal bottle often has a dial on the bottle for direct reading, but it is unfortunately technically impossible to mount a sender on it for reading inside the motorhome.
- The Campko bottle: This sometimes has a small meter, but this is only an indication for the 80% fill stop. As soon as you consume gas, this meter drops almost immediately to ’empty’, which makes it unreliable.
- The standard steel exchange bottle: This usually has no meter at all.
However, you can still perfectly read the gas bottle level of these steel and aluminum bottles using external tools:
Option A: Ultrasonic measurement (Mopeka)
This is a sensor that you magnetically place at the bottom of the bottle. Using sound waves, it measures exactly where the liquid level is in the steel bottle. You can easily read this via an app on your phone.
Option B: Digital Scales
You place the bottle on a special scale. The scale communicates the weight wirelessly to your phone.
- GOK Senso4s Plus (Smartphone)
- Senso4s Basic (Smartphone)
- iGasView Smart Gas Scale (Smartphone + Separate screen)
Situation 4: Reading a composite gas bottle level (Plastic)
With lightweight plastic bottles, ultrasonic measurement (Mopeka) does not work through the material. If you want to digitally read the gas bottle level here, there is only one reliable method: Weighing.
The Solution: Digital Scales
Just like with the steel bottles, you place the composite bottle on a digital scale.
Samenvatting
There is a solution for every situation. Are you looking for other parts? Check out our full range of LPG parts and accessories..
Are you still unsure about exactly which bottle or tank you have? Feel free to contact us, and we will help you put together the right set!
