Choosing the right tank gauge

Many fleet operators will know the importance of investing in a good quality storage tank. However, a key component that is often overlooked when purchasing a tank, is the tank gauge.

Some of the more common questions that a fleet operator requires their storage system to answer include: How much fuel do I currently have? When will I need to refill and how much should I order? What if I accidentally over-fill the tank? Are the pumps accurate? What if there is a leak or someone is stealing fuel?

Before hastily buying a new or replacement low-cost gauge, you need to understand what the right gauge for your system is. Many tanks are often only equipped with the most basic of gauges, which may be inaccurate or perform badly, and sometimes only just meet the regulations and standards, never mind provide answers to any of your questions.

A true tank management system, such as the Merridale MX-T series, will provide answers to all of these questions from a single integrated package. As standard, a Merridale tank management system features a highly accurate gauge with precision pressure probes and overfill sensors, as well as having the functionality to interface with a Merridale fuel management system for remote access and detailed reconciliation.

By transferring the data to the Merridale FuelWorks web-based service, via the fuel management integration, you can benefit further from fuel stock prediction, automatic delivery detection, low-level warnings, and order prompts, all accessible on any web-enabled device.

A detailed reconciliation report is generated in FuelWorks by comparing the daily stock movements within the tank, considering any deliveries that have been automatically detected and comparing this against the authorised issues from the fuel pumps. This information can be used to pinpoint areas of concern such as hidden tank or pipework leaks or simply if the fuel pump meters need recalibration.

Merridale’s tank management systems now also include stock depletion detection, to alert you immediately, via SMS, of an unexpected drop in fuel level. This means that you will be alerted to any severe leak or theft from the tank that occurs, irrespective of where you are at the time.

Fridlington Farms, which supplies potatoes to the likes of Walkers, McCain’s & Mercian have been using Merridale’s systems since 2019. Their assistant manager, Callum Stark, told us about the difference it has made already.

"The week after installing the system, we had a break-in at the farm. They managed to get away with tools and equipment, but they could not get to the diesel. If they would have been a week earlier, we'd have had no way of stopping them from emptying the tank.”

“I even found that the tank management system had sent an alert to my phone warning me of irregularities as the attempted theft was happening, but I, unfortunately, didn’t have it with me so I couldn’t take action at the time."

To find out how a Merridale fuel and tank management system could benefit your company, contact Merridale on 01902 350 700 or visit www.merridale.co.uk.