need water tank telemetry

[Sasquatch Jones]

/00813-0100-4738.pdf

I have used all brands of control equip and always steer clear of Emerson because everything is proprietary.

[Ralph Mowery]

Where I worked we used Rosemont transmitters for the most part. We could program them up for a wide range. Best thing was if you only knew a rough idea of how much pressure it would take, we could empty the tank or set it to the low level limit and press a button, then fill it to where we wanted to call a full level and press another button and it was then calibrated to those limits.

[makolber]

run a hose into the tank and use an air pressure sensing switch located above the level of the water like in a washing machine.

The hose has air in it, not water.

Mark

[gfretwell]

That works a lot better in a washing machine than it would in a tank of water if the water never drops below the end of the hose (like it does a few times a cycle in a washer) Eventually the trapped air in the hose is absorbed in the water and the water level rises in the hose, giving you a low reading. It would work if the hose was sealed and you had something like an ear syringe for a bladder in the bottom of the tank. It is better just to use a water proof pressure sensor at the bottom,

[Todd]

Thank you!

Be sure to tell the grandkids what life was like before running water, microwaves, flush toilets ... Make sure you "embellish" a bit. It is no fun otherwise. "Why, if we wanted a drink of water, we'd have to stand out in the rain and open out mouths!" Probably won't buy it, but fun anyway. But, will give them an excuse to stand out in the rain.

[Todd]

Thank you!

[Todd]

Thank you!

[makolber]

Good point. thanks for the polite comment Mark

[Jeff Liebermann]

The local water district uses several methods. All tanks have a float and a rope pully, so that anyone can walk up to the tank and see the water level. They are also part of a SCADA (supervisory control and data aquisition) system that monitors the entire water system and displays operating data on a cool looking flow chart display. For a given tank, it's not just the water level that is monitored. As I vaguely recall from memory, there's the flow rates (both in and out), water acidity (for chlorination), current (for cathodic protection) and pump monitoring. Control signals also go the other direction, for turning things on and off. The data is sent back to the district offices via a mix of packet radio, land lines, and cellular data. I suspect the OP doesn't need or want this level of complexity.

Start with an ultrasonic level meter: Plenty to choose from and fairly cheap. They usually have an RS-232 or RS-485 output which can be sent to a packet radio transmitter. I can't offer specific radio or data collection system suggestions without knowing something about the location and available resources.

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