Looking for a continues fluid level sensor 3

[CanosSSCS]

Hello all,

I'm looking for a continues level sensor for a water tank, about 10 inches deep. The tank is made out of stainless steel. I found a GEMS sensor, xt-300, that would meet the requirements but they cost over $600 each! One of the caveats for the sensors is the mounting, as there is minimal clearance above the tank, less than 2". Gems offered a panel mounting sensor which would be ideal. Also, a digital output is preferred, 0-10 VDC. Any advice on where I could have better luck finding a sensor for this sort of application? Tank reservoir would be at atm pressure, with temp range between 10 and 70 deg C. Thank you for your assistance.

 

[Jboggs]

Have you considered a pressure sensor at the bottom of the tank? Deeper water = higher pressure at the bottom. I've used them successfully. I've even used toilet bowl flush valves that work on the same principle.

Two very important questions: (1)What are the results of failure? and (2) Is some fail-safe device required?

(One company I worked for accidentally flooded all the offices of a major customer when a level sensor on a water tank failed late on a Friday night.)

 

[TugboatEng]

There are submersible sensors that you can drop to the bottom of the tank.

Do you have compressed air available? You could measure the pressure required to blow bubbles through a straw to the bottom of the tank. This works for dirty fluids.

 

[CanosSSCS]

Jboggs - The tank holds about 4 Liters and is ~9" inches tall, with changing surface area. Would a pressure sensor work here? If we overflow we run the potential of damaging the rest of the equipment but no real significant exposure there.

TugboatEng - we do have compressed air, but the tank is a for a portable unit to be used for physical therapy.

 

[EdStainless]

It wouldn't take much electronics to turn the pressure signal into a volume reading.
Any sensor you use will be measuring the depth, so if you want actual volume it will take some calculation.
Do you need a continuous signal or just a high and low setting?
We had systems with two pressure switches, one set for high and low, the other set for high-high and low-low as backup.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
P.E. Metallurgy, consulting work welcomed

 

[Rputvin]

ifm Efector PN2298 is a -5 to 100.4 in W.C. pressure sensor with two outputs that can be either setpoint switching or analog. It's about a $200 sensor.

We us this sensor commonly for tower water tanks of varying sizes, installed off the tank drain so we have a purge valve handy to allow any sediment to be blown out.

Barksdale, Balluff, a few other brands make a comparable product.

 

[CanosSSCS]

EdStainless - preferably a continues signal, but point to point can be considered.

Rputvin - thank you for your input. I looked up some of the sensors and they seem to work at much higher Pressures deltas than what we would be in our application, only a 4L water tank.

 

[rb1957]

don't toilet tanks have a continuous level sensor ?

another day in paradise, or is paradise one day closer ?

 

[LittleInch]

What are you using this signal for?

There are lots of devices that can control water level without providing a water level signal per se.



Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[3DDave]

There are tiny air pumps such as are used in aquariums that could be used with a bubbler tube and an air pressure sensor. Mouser lists a large number of rather precise 10inch of H2O sensors pressure sensors -

https://www.mouser.com/c/sensors/pr...ors/?operating pressure=0 in H2O to 10 in H2O

They are mostly under $100, some under $50. You may need an amplifier if the 10V is a requirement or it's to directly drive some power component.