Question to all electronics experts.

[cha_indian]

I want to make a water tank meter like a petrol tank meter in a car/bike. I want to use this meter to monitor water level in our overhead tank that has a capacity of 10,000 Liters. Is there a way to adapt a existing fuel tank guage for my purpose?

 

[sachu888]

I want to make a water tank meter like a petrol tank meter in a car/bike. I want to use this meter to monitor water level in our overhead tank that has a capacity of 10,000 Liters. Is there a way to adapt a existing fuel tank guage for my purpose?

PM Omishra,he has made a similar thing.He might have a PCB available for this.

Regards,
Sachin

 

[ontherocks]

I want to make a water tank meter like a petrol tank meter in a car/bike. I want to use this meter to monitor water level in our overhead tank that has a capacity of 10,000 Liters. Is there a way to adapt a existing fuel tank guage for my purpose?

If all you want is, to stop the water inflow when a certain level has reached, then a ball float and a small push-to-off switch is all you need.

 

[murali_n]

I want to make a water tank meter like a petrol tank meter in a car/bike. I want to use this meter to monitor water level in our overhead tank that has a capacity of 10,000 Liters. Is there a way to adapt a existing fuel tank guage for my purpose?

Hi,

Pl go thro this may be what you are looking for:

Shopping.kitsnspares.com

N.Murali

 

[cha_indian]

If all you want is, to stop the water inflow when a certain level has reached, then a ball float and a small push-to-off switch is all you need.

No.. i don't want a device to stop water overflow; I already have a sound alarm for that. I just want to see how much water is there in the tank instead of going upstairs and visually looking into the tank.

 

[omishra]

No.. i don't want a device to stop water overflow; I already have a sound alarm for that. I just want to see how much water is there in the tank instead of going upstairs and visually looking into the tank.

Actually I designed flow controller for overhead water tank for my society buildings which starts motor with low threshold hit and stops motor with certain overflow is reached. This is done with 2 magnetic rid switches encapsulated in UPVC pipe so that water does not touch to any wires/sensors. This indicates only 2 positions low and high for overhead tank.

Last year in situation like yours, I thought over this.
One idea was to use weight of water column over the sensor to convert level of water with min and Max level calibrated.
Another was to use ultrasound distance finder to calibrate into min Max levels. Here time taken to come back from some floating object to top receiver was converted to level.
I did nothing in that direction as simple solution was required for 24x7 working. That could be multiple probes into different level of water and getting row of LED driven out of that. Which shows absolute level.


Need to look at notes kept in home computer for R&D I have done that time

 

[cha_indian]

i think the ultrasound thing might be too expensive and difficult to maintain. Water weight idea might be more robust.

There must a way to use car's fuel meter for water tank purpose....I am going to the second hand car spares market in hyd to find out if it can be done

 

[anuragn]

Last year in situation like yours, I thought over this.
One idea was to use weight of water column over the sensor to convert level of water with min and Max level calibrated.

I had also thought of something similar long ago and then abandoned the idea in favour of simple high level pump cutoff.
The water level could be converted into rotation of a pot, using appropriate ratio of gears. And the voltage could be measured as a value instead of bar graph led display.
Or a capacitive type gauge could be designed, maybe by using two rods dipped into the tank where the capacitance varies with water level.
These are just ideas as result of brainstorming that might be helpful in providing directions.

 

[theredcommando]

Measure the pressure of incoming tap water(water your plants and see how far jet goes ) or connect an empty cylinder of equal height and measure weight of water in it. I think the second alternative is comparatively easy (and would give you approx linear change).
For all practical purposes digital hyeah: (discrete hi-med-low level indicators) should be sufficient.

 

[sound1]

i think the ultrasound thing might be too expensive and difficult to maintain. Water weight idea might be more robust.

There must a way to use car's fuel meter for water tank purpose....I am going to the second hand car spares market in hyd to find out if it can be done

car's fuel gauges are less accurate than the ball floats (actually they both work on similar principle), please google it. I would personally go for a piece of thermocol inside an old tube light(after cleaning the mercury coating) attached to the tank's outlet

of course, it is a non electronics way but I'm okay as long as it works...

if you really want to go electronic route, you can always fix an IR LED on top of thermocol with many IR receivers along the tube light length and a few LEDs to actually display the water level. Good luck!

 

[Viki]

The correct, but maybe expensive, way to do this is to use a Pressure Transmitter fitted to the bottom of the tank. A good one costs about 4k and a display about 1k, but it's a permanent, accurate & bulletproof solution.

 

[gobble]

I have an automated water pump control system where I currently reside. There is a wire hanging down in each sintex tank with some kind of led sized sensor at 3 diifferent heights for low - med -high. The control panel at the ground floor shows 3 leds for each level on a diagram of a water tank with the one glowing for its level.

HTH
--G

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I have one controlled by a float which, I guess contains something like a mercury switch. It also features a dry-run detector (just a couple of contacts) on the input pipe, so the pump is switched off if it is not pumping water.

It worked flawlessly for several years, but now the control mechanism has failed, although the lights on the unit show that the level sensing is working. I replaced the relay, but that is as far as my electronic ability goes, so we need to replace the unit.