Oceanic SYSTEMS 3281 Fresh Water Level Sender Instruction Manual
- June 4, 2024
- Oceanic SYSTEMS
Table of Contents
Oceanic SYSTEMS 3281 Fresh Water Level Sender
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
The Oceanis Systems’ 3281 NMEA2000® Fresh Water Level Sender measures the tank level or tank volume of the vessels fresh water tanks. It is very important that it is installed and set up correctly according to this manual. Please read and follow the installation and setup instructions carefully to achieve the best results. (applicable for all variants) The 3281 NMEA2000® Fresh Water Sender has the following features:
- Water level sensing from 250mm to 2 metres
- User settable for tank Level or tank Volume output
- User settable tank instance from 0 to 15
- Heartbeat blue LED to indicate normal activity
- Red Warning LED to indicate damaged rods.
- 1.25” BSP single threaded mount
- NMEA2000® Interface
INSTALLATION
Take great care when unpacking the sender that the coated rod is not damaged in any way. If the coating is scraped or punctured the sender will not work. We test every sender before it is packed so the coated rod is protected against transit damage. Do not remove the protective packaging until you are ready to install the sender.
You should find the following items in the 3281 shipping tube:
- 1 x 3281 NMEA2000® Fresh Water Level Sender
- 1 x Water Sender Probe End Cap (May already be attached)
- 1 x 3281 User Manual (This document)
- 1x 30g tube of silicone, if unit is not already cut to length
MOUNTING LOCATION AND REQUIREMENTS
The sender is designed to be mounted on a flat area on the top of the water
tank over the tank’s deepest part. Examine the tank internal structure and
choose a location that ensures the sender probes will not chafe on any of the
tank’s internal structure or baffles. The sender requires a 1.25 inch standard
BSP threaded mounting hole with a small 45° machine chamfer at the top to seal
against the sender mounting O ring. If the tank has an existing SAE 5 bolt
hole then the optional 3261 Mounting ring can be attached to the SAE 5 bolt
holes to provide a 1.25” BSP threaded hole mount for the Water
Sender.
MEASURING SENDER LENGTH
The sender may be supplied already cut to length with the probe end cap already installed and be ready to install into the tank if you have supplied the required cut length at the point of ordering. In this case there is no extra work to do in this part. If the sender was supplied in a standard length to be cut down then the finished length should be determined by measuring as shown in the diagram.
CUTTING TO LENGTH
Cut the coated and uncoated rod to length using a sharp hacksaw After cutting the rods to length remove any sharp edges with a file.
The cut end now needs to be insulated by means of the clear plastic end cap included with the unit. Enter the insulated rod in the enclosed part of the end cap and the plain rod in the other end as shown in this image. Fill the clear plastic end cap with silicone sealant before pushing insulated rod onto the cap. Push the insulated rod firmly into the enclosed end until it is fully home as shown the following image. This will be quite stiff and care must be taken not to damage the coated rod in this operation.
INSERTING SENDER INTO THE TANK
Carefully insert the Water Sender probe into the threaded hole in the top of the tank. Ensure that the probe coating does NOT scrape against the edge of the tank. Tighten sender sufficiently to prevent leaks.
CONNECTING THE NMEA2000® INTERFACE
The unit must be connected with POWER OFF to prevent damage. The NMEA2000®
interface cable on the unit should be connected to a nearby NMEA2000® Tee
connector (part number 3802). The male end of the cable should be inserted
into the female Tee connection noting the position of the keyway in the plug
and the socket. This cable can be extended up to a maximum length of 6 metres
to the Tee connector. Ensure that the locking ring is securely tightened so
that the connection is waterproof and secure.
CONFIGURATION
TANK CONFIGURATION
To configure the sender to measure the fluid in the tank, make curtain that
the ‘Tank Type’ rotary dial is set to position 1. Please note that the
contents of waste and black water tanks can coat the probes and cause
misreadings. If this occurs then carefully wipe down the probes with a soft
cloth and fresh water. We do not recommend this sender for waste or black
water tanks. Please contact [email protected] for the
recommended solution.
TANK DEVICE INSTANCE
NMEA2000® requires a unique Device Instance to be set for each 3281 NMEA2000®
Fresh Water Sender on a single network. This is settable from device instance
0 to Device Instance 15 using the right hand small rotary switch on the top of
the sender labeled “Tank No.” This means that each Fresh Water tank should
have a device instance starting from 0. The Instance can be set at any time
regardless if power is on or off. The switch counts from 0 – 9 then A – F
being equivalent to Device Instance 0 – 15. The NMEA2000® Device Instance is
set by using the small rotary switch on the front panel labeled “Tank No.” as
per the following table:
SETTING THE OUTPUT MODE
The 3281 Fresh Water Sender has two output modes to choose from. Level Mode or Volume Mode. LEVEL MODE is when the sender outputs from 0 – 100%. It indicates the exact LEVEL of the fluid in the tank. The user can tell when the unit is in Level Mode because the blue LED flashes ONCE every 2.5 seconds when a level message has been sent.
VOLUME MODE is when the sender outputs from 0-100% but reflects the actual fluid volume within the tank taking allowance for the tanks internal shape. The user can tell when the unit is in Volume Mode because the blue LED flashes twice rapidly every 2.5 seconds when a volume message has been sent. The Volume Mode PGN message is exactly the same as the Level Mode PGN message which means that the volume can easily be shown on any NMEA2000® display that accepts Fluid Level PGNs from tank senders. The Volume Mode Tank data can be entered from any Oceanic Systems Display that is equipped to set up this data. Please contact us for more information on these displays. It can also be set up at manufacture if the information is made available at the time of ordering.
SETTING LEVEL MODE
Level Mode can be set by setting the “Tank No.” switch to “C” and then placing
a small magnet on the “Magnet Calibration” position on the label. The blue LED
will flash for 2 seconds to indicate that the unit saw the magnet. Then return
the “Tank No.” switch to it’s original position and the sender will transmit
Level messages as indicated by the blue LED flashing ONCE briefly every 2.5
seconds.
SETTING VOLUME MODE
Volume Mode can be set by setting the “Tank No.” switch to “D”, then placing
the magnet on the “Magnet Calibration” position on the label. The blue LED
will flash for 2 seconds to indicate that the unit saw the magnet. When the
switch is returned to it’s original positions the sender will transmit Volume
messages as indicated by the blue LED flashing rapidly TWICE every 2.5
seconds. If the senders Volume Mode Tank Data has NOT been set up, and the
unit is accidentally set to Volume Mode, the data transmitted will actually be
the Level Data. This means the unit will remain fully functional.
SETTING TANK EMPTY TANK FULL CALIBRATION
When the unit is first installed it needs to be calibrated to the tank. This is easily done as follows:
TANK EMPTY CALIBRATION
When the unit is first installed in an EMPTY tank and powered on the Tank
Empty Calibration is done by setting the “Tank No.” switch to “E” then placing
a small magnet on the “Magnet Calibration” position on the label. The blue LED
will light for 2 seconds to indicate that the unit saw the magnet and that the
empty calibration is complete.
TANK FULL CALIBRATION
The Tank Full Calibration is easily done in a FULL tank and powered on by
setting the “Tank No.” switch to “F”. Then place a small magnet on the “Magnet
Calibration” position on the label to set the Full Calibration position. The
blue LED will light for 2 seconds to indicate that the sender saw the magnet
and that the full calibration point has been set.
TROUBLESHOOTING
MAINTENANCE
Ensure that the sender is mounted securely in the top of the tank and that there are no liquid leaks. Reset and tighten if necessary. Check the security of the NMEA2000® cable to the NMEA2000® Tee Connector and tighten if necessary. Clean the unit with a soft cloth. Do not use chemical cleaners as they may remove label markings. The probes should be cleaned with plenty of water and a soft rag. Be very careful not to damage the coated rod whilst cleaning
Copyright © 2020 Oceanic Systems
Copyright © 2020 Oceanic Systems (UK) Ltd. All rights reserved. Our policy is one of continuous product improvement so product specifications are subject to change without notice. Oceanic Systems products are designed to be accurate and reliable. However, they should be used only as aids to vessel monitoring, and not as a replacement for traditional navigation and vessel monitoring techniques. NMEA2000® is a registered trademark of the National Marine Electronics Association
Oceanic Systems (UK) Ltd
- Unit 10 -11 Milton Business Centre, Wick Drive,
- New Milton, Hampshire, BH25 6RH, United Kingdom
- Tel (UK): +44(0)1425 610022
- Fax: +44(0)1425 614794
- Web: www.osukl.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Tel (USA): (844)898 6462