DIY Drinking Water level indicator

[AntarcticPilot]

Capricious is a Moody 31 with a built-in GRP water tank. No problem with the tank; everything works fine (the calorifier is another matter!). However, running out of water tends to cause problems with the water system,so it is desirable not to run out of water!

I've looked at commercial tank indicators which seem to have lots of bells and whistles and cost silly amounts of money for what they do.

Does anyone know of an inexpensive way of getting a simple "nearly empty" indicator? All I really need is a red light saying "Fill the water tank"! There is NO access to the interior of the tank without taking the entire top off, and the filler is not a vertical drop. I've seen a system with strips of metal foil on the outside of the tank; in terms of ease of fitting, that would be excellent.

I can probably manage to assemble a Maplin's electronics kit, but not anything more complex.

Any ideas?

 

[lenseman]

. . . . Any ideas?

Yes. Use a plastic ½-inch white overflow pipe and fix a number of Reed Relays to the outside. Buy a fishing float which fits and will move up and down inside the pipe and attach one of the reed magnets to the float.

Each reed relay can then operate through a 1.2kΩ to turn on a red LED. These LED's are your level indicator.

I am sure you can run with this idea and work out the finer details?

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Sorry - wrong forum. I'll repost on PBO Reader to Reader.

Paul

 

[lenseman]

Whoops! I thought it a Classic question and that you got a classic answer.

 

[SpottyDog5]

Whoops! I thought it a Classic question and that you got a classic answer.

Classic !

 

[lenseman]

Classic !

I feel a bit of a drip really.