I had a large amount of information typed out about how your dogging these devices and asking for them to perform tasks that you might need on the space shuttle, but not on your property there. You need something that will tell you if your tank is full, 3/4 full, 1/2 full, 1/4 full, etc. You don’t need to know how much water was used 9 months ago on a Tuesday, who cares. You have a well, for some reason you aren’t hooking it up straight to the water purifier and then back to the tank so you have unlimited water. Your playing around with garden hoses, having to run them in and out of your garage to possibly fill your tank. Pick one, take the monitor into the house, the sensor up the hill, if you have a connection, great, install it and use it.
Having installed similar systems there are some things to consider. ultra sonic will not read or read correctly if the water is turbulent, water is dumping in from the top creating waves, or something else is causing waves. To correct or compensate for this you can use a vertical pipe to create a smooth surface. Most recommend 4 inch or larger but 3 inch sometimes works. A hole drilled at the top is needed so the water levels inside and outside of the pipe can equalize. The bottom of the pipe is recommended to be 3 to 6 inches above the bottom of the tank. You can also do this for a round tank if you have a flat surface or pipe fitting for mounting. These were recommendations from the MFG for our conditions.
Jessee, you are gonna be a great dad, but you're gonna drive the kid crazy with the way you explain things... there's gonna be a lot of eye rolling and sighing, accompanied by "oh boy, dad is at it again". :D
You are making it way too complicated. Just bury a line into the house, hook it to a pressure tank, and wire it to a pressure switch and relay. I've lived in rural Iowa since 1976 and that's how my system works. Keep the cistern for emergencies.
Drill a hole on the top lids. add a 1/2 "X 1 ft. pvc on the top lid hole. add a rubber seal on top of the pvc. a wood dowel with a foam float inserted in the pvc pipe. Paint lines on the stick.
Why complicate everything? A simple float switch could keep water in your tanks. You set the empty/fill parameters when you install the switch. One and done at less than 25 dollars.
You don't want to be using treated water from the tanks for the garden. It's expensive because you did the softening and anything else to the water. It is not good for the plants with the higher salt content. You should pull direct water of the water line before you treat it for your plants. This might require another storage tank above the garden and a pressure tank or auxiliary pump to feed your bushes. Keep the treated water for in the house and maybe washing the vehicles to reduce water spotting.
I think you said you were sending soft water to your tank (from well to water softener to tank). If that's the case you don't want to use soft water in your garden. First - soft water will kill the plants. Second - it's a waste of soft water. Just water your garden from the well.
If you want it to work, stick to wired units. Like at home with your internet network, use a ethernetcable if you can and only if there are no other option use wireless. I would be happy to put in a days work to have a wired water tank level system and then forget about it and always work and don't have to deal with (wireless) connection problems and changing batteries. I think you already put wires in the trench, so the hard part is already done. Believe me, you do not want to second guess the system and losing trust in it, resulting in not using it.
If you're using 8 smaller containers for rainwater harvest, just connect them together and the water level will always equalize between them so you still only need 1 sensor.
My old school system has wires. A pair of Flygt float switches. Turns on a light when the tank is empty, turns on a light when the tank is full. Originally meant to control the pump, on and off, then be changed to a Milltronics level sensor. So easy for me to flip a switch once in a while that the upgrades never happened. Those products were chosen because they are the primary level sensors in the twenty something water treatment plants I operated. Reliable. Small towns and big cities. Everything was Flygt or Milltronics for level sensing. You have pipes in the tank. A float switch isn't a big deal.
My wife or I just turns the lid a 1/4 turn, comes right off. After taking a quick look. We go through the same boring process, but in reverse. The best part about this video is it made me think of a song I haven't thought of in years. So thanks for that. Oh, the song. Your in luck it's on Utube, it's received over 5 million hits. Give it a listen. (Zager and Evans - In The Year 2525). PS @ 2:30 it says it all. LMAO
Dude, this could have been done so much easier and simpler! You have a pipe from your cistern to your house. Put a pressure gage, with fine marking, on it, fill your tanks and boom. There is full. Mark it with a magic marker. You have the height of your tanks. 3.5 foot tall, 4’ tall, whatever. Take your tank height, in inches, and times by 0.0361. Minus that from your magic marker, and there is your empty.
With commercial sonic level sensors you can see the sound impinge upon the water. Try holding them over a glass of water maybe. The one with the solar panel may be a problem for you, how much shade does your tank area get? As far as putting something in the tank, you and Alyssa were in it, did you shock your boots and tools with chlorine? When we put floats in large municipal tanks they were put in a very strong bleach/water solution for about 30 minutes to shock them before they got to go near the tank. Did the same thing to the boots we wore when working off the ladder in the tank. See if the tank manufacture has a lookup table for your tanks, this will give the gallons in the tank by the level of the water.
I was just wondering if you ever figured out that the table would be acting as the liquid level while you were testing your first monitor so if you told it the depth was 6ft would holding it a foot above the table would measure roughly 5ft left
If you want to be frustrated go with wireless technology. If you want to know how much water is in your cisterns use multiple floats and copper conductors, the way a municipal water system would.
30:18 Not a good idea to mix Alkaline and Rechargeable batteries in the same device.... in fact, its best to use the same brand & type of battery in your device. Here, you're using 2 Energizers, and 2 different branded rechargeable batteries... just asking for trouble.... for something like this, I would simply use 4 alkaline batteries, as rechargeable, while more cost effective, probably won't last as long as alkaline batteries between charges/battery changes (and since I used to work for Duracell, I'm biased to their alkaline and rechargeable batteries... shameless plug.... lol.... )
i think a good monitor is just an accurate pressure gage. if you have all the taps off in the house, the pressure will be higher (not by much) if the tank is full. this can be in your house
Given that your basement is dug into the hillside I think you'll be lucky if any of the receivers will pick up a signal from the sensor unit.... I may be wrong.
I can really recommend the pressure sensor system. It will be way more reliable than the ultrasonic ones. I have a lot of experience with measuring water levels in my well. I had a lot of problems with the ultrasonic sensors but the pressure sensor worked right away and was also more reliable and accurate.
Was the tree on the top of the hill bent like that when you moved in if so keep an eye out for large foot prints and big hand prints on the car windows
Glad you're finally getting a handle on the cistern liquid levels. Ultrasonic level transmitters can be quirky. Based upon your tank dimensions, you can make a simple Excel spreadsheet which will give you a table of inches of tank depth vs gallons.
I unscrew the fill cap and put my 10 ft piece of wood trim which I marked every foot. When I’m down to around 15 inches, I call the hauler for water. Pretty simple.....
Jrbpa 57, Your post inspired me and there is already 149 comments. So I didn't want you to miss mine, thanks. My wife or I just turns the lid a 1/4 turn, comes right off. After taking a quick look. We go through the same boring process, but in reverse. The best part about this video is it made me think of a song I haven't thought of in years. So thanks for that. Oh, the song. Your in luck it's on Utube, it's received over 5 million hits. Give it a listen. (Zager and Evans - In The Year 2525). PS @ 2:30 it says it all.
Or they could check how Dorthy Ainsworth did it on her cistern, i think she used a bucket and lid, a round pole with a flag on it and a sleeve in the roof of the cistern. When the flag is low she needs water and she can tell from about 300' away. Saw it in backwoods home magazine several years ago.
If the first sensor is ultrasonic, it is probably measuring more of the volume of (ultra)sound reverberation in a given container. You would have to stick it in the neck of a vase or closed container to test it more accurately. I suspect you wouldn't want any free standing pieces that could vibrate inside the tank and likewise no foam or sponges.
It was reading from the floor not off the table on the 1st unit. that is why it was saying 5 foot. Check the Cheap one off the floor not the table. I think you will find it reads just fine.
It's not specific gravity that last sensor measures, since the density of the fluid isn't the thing that's changing. It's a straight up pressure sensor that's measuring the pressure or weight of water above it.
Wait....are you guys having twins?!?! You said "My kids will be 10 years old by then and they can check the cistern levels." Sorry. Just speculating :D
They stated why multiple times in the previous well videos. The cisterns provide free, gravity based water pressure. If they just use the well, they will have to pump to generate water pressure.
If using ultrasonic, you want to install it into a focus tube. That will stabilize the water level, and provide more reliable readings. It’s also sensing liquid not a solid so distance from a table is not going to be the same as distance to a liquid.
ah yes, the "curved tank" (A cylinder laying on its side). The Empty, Full, and 50% marks will be accurate, but not the points in between. Unfortunately, the tank will appear to empty the fastest when it is first full, or close to empty.
just a thought. Radio signals (wireless is a radio signal) don't always react that close to each other. Put them at least 20 feet from each other and see what happens. That said, I have a electronic weather station that measures everything. After 5 years of use, two of the functions no longer work. Humidity level went out first. The second, temperature is not always accurate. Asian beetles got into it last year and slimed some of the sensors.
Wireless is kinda my expertise. First the antenna on the last two seems to be for the 2.4 GHz band or in that area. That means you can get other antenna systems to extend the range of the system. There are some flat panel antennas that extend the range and have cable attache such that you could mount the antenna on the exterior of your house and put the box onside. As far as line of sight is concerned, trees will play havoc sometimes and sometimes not. If the trees are not evergreens, you'll see stronger signal strength in the winter month, if the snow doesn't cause havoc. You do realize you'll get no signal in the garage. Don't mean to insult your intelligence, just making sure your thought of it. Bottom line, get the best you can afford. The last two have antenna jacks allowing some flexibility.
Put a piece of electrical conduit onto a float, and run it through the lid Low tek, battery free and dependable just look out the window. for night reading mode wrap reflective tape at 1/2 way and 1/4 marks shine torch, count marks. pretty easy also if your a smart guy you could put a float switch in your tank to auto swich your bore pump on, if it goes mote than half way
On any double A batteries, I would buy the rechargeable ones because they don’t leak like normal batteries when they get old, been using mine for over three years. The one with the 6V battery I would go with a few 18650’s with a device to control the voltage going to it.
Not that you read comments, but why in the world are you insisting on using those tanks when you have a well? A pressure tank would be cheaper all the way around....
because the cisterns generate free, gravity based water pressure. Using the well would require a pump to go off every time they turned on the water for anything.
Your test methodology is sketchy. A better test would be to fix the sender unit, in a fixed position, and move the "bottom" closer or farther away. There could be algorithms that ignore movement of the sensor unit itself. Ultrasound works through measuring the time difference of the original and the reflected pulse. The difference is then calculated into depth measurement which can be used to calculate volume and other parameters. Do you have a water meter going into the house? Lots of off grid folks like to know their consumption rates.
HEY JESSE AND ALYSSA, NOW THAT WAS INTERESTING. I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT ABOUT HALF WAY THROUGH I DID FALL ASLEEP BUT IT WAS 23:00 AT NIGHT. WHEN I WOKE UP I DID GO BACK AND LISTEN TO THE PART THAT I MISSED. JESSE, I THINK YOU SHOULD DO COMMERCIALS FOR A LIVING. YOU ARE VERY GOOD AT EXPLAINING THINGS AND THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE THIS AND OTHER ITEMS THAT YOU COULD USE IN SITUATIONS LIKE YOURS SHOULD HAVE YOU AT LEAST DO TRIAL VIDEOS FOR THEIR PRODUCTS. INFACT, BOTH YOU AND ALYSSA ARE BOTH VERY GOOD AT EXPLAINING THINGS. YOU GUYS ARE BOTH VERY COMFORTABLE IN FRONT OF A CAMERA AND THAT MAKES IT A PLEASURE TO WATCH YOUR VIDEOS. LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THE RESULTS OF THE WATER SENSORS OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
Makes me wonder that if you use the others that are done contactless if the signals sent to be sensed for level reading will confuse the other units. Cause otherwise you would have to really spread out the units to avoid cross confusion.
one DIY tip: you can convert any battery powered system to wall-powered by buying an inexpensive transformer and soldering the output wires to the battery contact pads. It is just a matter of buying a transformer of the correct voltage and sufficient amperage.
i would opt for a float switch ...as you use water it will fill tanks up,if your that concerned then any of those products will tell you how empty or full your tank/s are ,as for litres or gallons it doesn't matter ,its how much water you have ,you already know your tanks are 200/0 gals or more...i've personally have yet to see any that give actual fluids capacity ...and tbf i dont think theres any out there....remember don't complicate the simple....lift lid see how much water or use a stick with lines of measurement... or send a small boy up and check it for you ...
I'd do this the CHEAP way. Buy some clear plastic tubing at Home Depot. 1/4' diameter would be adequate.Get enough to go from a cold water line in your basement/garage to the center of the rear wall of the house then straight up to the peak. Staple it to the wood frame of the house but don't crush it closed. Leave the top end open. You have just created a water level. With a little calibration you will mark the level when the tanks are full and also empty. Provide markings for say 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 full. With this simple method you can check how accurate your 'spensive wifi thingys work. If you want to have something that will turn your pump on and off, have your well guy install a pressure tank with pressure switch in the utility room. You'll have to run a power line from the pressure switch out to the pump wiring. This is the more traditional pump hook-up.
I guess I'm more of the DIY crowd in that I'd buy a Raspberry Pi and build something with sensors to do wireless to the house and then potentially over the internet.
I’ve followed your channel since near the very beginning of your arrival. I have years of experience with the aquatel system and would NOT recommend it to anyone for any reason. The sensors are significantly prone to moisture problems. That’s an odd failure for water sensor. I had 3 sensors fail due to moisture getting into the electronics. I sent 2 units back to New Zealand at my own expense. Their assessment was that the batteries were responsible for the water. With 40+ years experience in electronics I can smell BS about electronics and housings. Hope that one of the other units works for you.
The high level of Physics and Mathematics determines volume in your tanks with the barrel with ribs and funny shapes. It isn't a can shape or a ball shape. Having a remote calculate that is over expectations sorry to say. It is much like you calculating the square inches of land you have with and without trees... Shoot the sensor off the wall - easier to get 10 feet or less. Gives more dynamic change for urgent alerts. Some of this might bluetooth and the long range is segbe or another comm link. Antenna length is bandwidth
well, best I could come up with, is could use this equipment to determine water levels which is good, do they determine how clean the water is? no so more dollars for a different system to check the quality of water? How much for a system that can do both, check water levels, and cleanliness of water? I think advancements will come over time as water becomes more of a priority. Good video though, thanks.
Just a thought on the external antennas... the antennas can be moved away from the units and an extension cable can be used between the 2 units. Other styles of antennas may be available to extend the range between the tank and house units.
Didnt realise there was soo much involved in being a homesteader!!! On TV the other day "The Homestead Rescue", team the Raineys, were in "North IDAHO" where a trucker & his wife decided to buy land Surrounded by trees and had they were afraid the trees would catch fire & burn down theyre house, Soo NORTH Idaho has Fire & Flood worries, but where you are in Idaho you dont!, you are lucky.
Great video, *head spins*. I'll be watching for the updates! I dont know if any exist but maybe poximity switch type mounted on a pole inside the tanks?
Sorry bud...….The real problem you will be facings is heat and cold. None of the units using batteries will survive a freeze or direct heat from the sun. Both extremes will cause the batteries to rupture and leak inside and end it's life. Will need a powered unit, ice and sun shade, a possible ac heat panel in a sealed box and at that point a wired system for data as well.....
Jessie that most expensive unit, A device that has a removeable antenna , should not be powered up unless you have the antenna connected, check the instructions to see what it says.
Wow! I think I caught that, did you mea to say that? :) Maybe you could do a rainwater catch for the garden? You do have a water tank. You have a very large metal roof? Any thoughts?
Preliminary conclusion: Device # 3 is the winner but only because it’s much better then #2 at just 20 bucks more. But even # 2 is overpriced. In this day and age of $300 iPads, any company trying to sell you their own display is just making money for an inferior product. You have two options - simple measurement of fill level, do the math yourself and put a cheat sheet next to the monitor - go for a sophisticated model but only the ones using an app on your smart device. Keeping actively (your own spreadsheet) track of consumption (water/power/fuel) will give you a much different sense of your habits. Ideally you want to do a fall and spring inspection and top off of your tank anyway. I don’t think you need a monitor for that.
tekelek made air conditioners here in adelaide at one point and had merged with tytronics about 15 years ago but i don't know what they have done since as i got out of electronics back then
The Smart Water system allows for mounting the transmitter module in a location that gets a better signal to the lower part of your property. This keeps critters away from the unit.
The TS FT002 is cheap and does a pretty good job. Our Sender unit shit itself after I went to change the batteries which failed post 12 months.The plastic became brittle and the holder for the batteries just fell apart, lucky for me it's cheap so I purchased another. Set it up and now I can have two monitors (The old one I kept) with the new single sender unit. The only issue with this unit is the destructions....they are bloody woeful! Only to be used as toilet paper because they don't do anything else! PS negative with the curved tank...mine is round and it measures fine I have mine off set to one side about 600mm fro the edge, measures fine.
Hey guys just make sure your good lady wife dose not over do things, I know she is the type you would have to tie down to stop her. But she needs to be doing less physical work now , while it is good to have regular exercise just don't over do it . God bless all the best
Besides cleaning, you need to define what do you want. An automatic subterranean pump starter to keep cisterns full most of the time? or a manual control with some kind of alarm? Same question to fill upper tanks ( if you have those, at ceiling level). If you want, i can send you some schematics about automation systems and elements to drive pumps.
Just as with sound, the sonic signal travels at a different speed in air opposed to traveling in water/liquid. Your test is not valid unless you are able to provide the appropriate constant to the CPU. The devices that use the SMA connectors are adaptable to much higher gain antennas. I.E. - Log Periodic, Yagi-Uda, Parabolic, etc. Also, atmospheric weather conditions can cause degraded performance (rain, snow, lightning).
Can not believe you spent all that money on these electronic units. You do not read your emails, I suggested a simple mercury manometer along time back, not expensive ,no maintenance, and always accurate. Only need to calibrate it once for your tank levels full and empty. Yes a very sensitive pressure gauge would do the job but would be very large and expensive.
I love you guys but i couldn't fathom sitting thru this one guys
I'm going blind and my hearing is improving, at 15:38 You slipped and said you're having twins, Congratulations
I had a large amount of information typed out about how your dogging these devices and asking for them to perform tasks that you might need on the space shuttle, but not on your property there. You need something that will tell you if your tank is full, 3/4 full, 1/2 full, 1/4 full, etc. You don’t need to know how much water was used 9 months ago on a Tuesday, who cares. You have a well, for some reason you aren’t hooking it up straight to the water purifier and then back to the tank so you have unlimited water. Your playing around with garden hoses, having to run them in and out of your garage to possibly fill your tank. Pick one, take the monitor into the house, the sensor up the hill, if you have a connection, great, install it and use it.
Having installed similar systems there are some things to consider. ultra sonic will not read or read correctly if the water is turbulent, water is dumping in from the top creating waves, or something else is causing waves. To correct or compensate for this you can use a vertical pipe to create a smooth surface. Most recommend 4 inch or larger but 3 inch sometimes works. A hole drilled at the top is needed so the water levels inside and outside of the pipe can equalize. The bottom of the pipe is recommended to be 3 to 6 inches above the bottom of the tank. You can also do this for a round tank if you have a flat surface or pipe fitting for mounting. These were recommendations from the MFG for our conditions.
Sorry... 2:59 "heating oil" IS a flammable liquid, placard 1993...
When Are you going to start on the Inside Upstairs Framing? That's what I want to see, ya finish the interior...
Jessee, you are gonna be a great dad, but you're gonna drive the kid crazy with the way you explain things... there's gonna be a lot of eye rolling and sighing, accompanied by "oh boy, dad is at it again". :D
You are making it way too complicated. Just bury a line into the house, hook it to a
pressure tank, and wire it to a pressure switch and relay. I've lived in rural Iowa since
1976 and that's how my system works. Keep the cistern for emergencies.
Put in a clear tube at the house that matches the height of the tank and just look at the tube! (JK!)
Drill a hole on the top lids. add a 1/2 "X 1 ft. pvc on the top lid hole. add a rubber seal on top of the pvc. a wood dowel with a foam float inserted in the pvc pipe. Paint lines on the stick.
Why complicate everything? A simple float switch could keep water in your tanks. You set the empty/fill parameters when you install the switch. One and done at less than 25 dollars.
You don't want to be using treated water from the tanks for the garden. It's expensive because you did the softening and anything else to the water. It is not good for the plants with the higher salt content. You should pull direct water of the water line before you treat it for your plants. This might require another storage tank above the garden and a pressure tank or auxiliary pump to feed your bushes. Keep the treated water for in the house and maybe washing the vehicles to reduce water spotting.
I think you said you were sending soft water to your tank (from well to water softener to tank). If that's the case you don't want to use soft water in your garden. First - soft water will kill the plants. Second - it's a waste of soft water. Just water your garden from the well.
"can be used for any non flammable liquid, fuel oil for example" ... must be a cold house heating with non flammable fuel oil.
You geeked out too much for me on this one.
If you want it to work, stick to wired units. Like at home with your internet network, use a ethernetcable if you can and only if there are no other option use wireless. I would be happy to put in a days work to have a wired water tank level system and then forget about it and always work and don't have to deal with (wireless) connection problems and changing batteries. I think you already put wires in the trench, so the hard part is already done. Believe me, you do not want to second guess the system and losing trust in it, resulting in not using it.
First a Wranglerstar video and then this, Awsome!
If you're using 8 smaller containers for rainwater harvest, just connect them together and the water level will always equalize between them so you still only need 1 sensor.
My old school system has wires. A pair of Flygt float switches. Turns on a light when the tank is empty, turns on a light when the tank is full. Originally meant to control the pump, on and off, then be changed to a Milltronics level sensor. So easy for me to flip a switch once in a while that the upgrades never happened. Those products were chosen because they are the primary level sensors in the twenty something water treatment plants I operated. Reliable. Small towns and big cities. Everything was Flygt or Milltronics for level sensing.
You have pipes in the tank. A float switch isn't a big deal.
My wife or I just turns the lid a 1/4 turn, comes right off. After taking a quick look. We go through the same boring process, but in reverse. The best part about this video is it made me think of a song I haven't thought of in years. So thanks for that. Oh, the song. Your in luck it's on Utube, it's received over 5 million hits. Give it a listen. (Zager and Evans - In The Year 2525). PS @ 2:30 it says it all. LMAO
"...let's listen for the ultrasonic..."
Missing you working on the house ! And the cat in the videos is a must . All though I enjoy every video ...
Did you pay for all of them?
Very interesting how this turns out... Thanks Jesse! 👍😁
Dude, this could have been done so much easier and simpler!
You have a pipe from your cistern to your house. Put a pressure gage, with fine marking, on it, fill your tanks and boom. There is full. Mark it with a magic marker.
You have the height of your tanks. 3.5 foot tall, 4’ tall, whatever. Take your tank height, in inches, and times by 0.0361. Minus that from your magic marker, and there is your empty.
Thank you for the frequent usage of metric for your international viewers :D
@5:45, if you had (8) 55 gallon barrels, surely they are all connected to each other such that the level in one is the level in them all right? right?
You found every type of measurement system you could "fathom" - was that pun intentional?
With commercial sonic level sensors you can see the sound impinge upon the water. Try holding them over a glass of water maybe.
The one with the solar panel may be a problem for you, how much shade does your tank area get?
As far as putting something in the tank, you and Alyssa were in it, did you shock your boots and tools with chlorine? When we put floats in large municipal tanks they were put in a very strong bleach/water solution for about 30 minutes to shock them before they got to go near the tank. Did the same thing to the boots we wore when working off the ladder in the tank.
See if the tank manufacture has a lookup table for your tanks, this will give the gallons in the tank by the level of the water.
I was just wondering if you ever figured out that the table would be acting as the liquid level while you were testing your first monitor so if you told it the depth was 6ft would holding it a foot above the table would measure roughly 5ft left
If you want to be frustrated go with wireless technology. If you want to know how much water is in your cisterns use multiple floats and copper conductors, the way a municipal water system would.
heating oil is flammable
30:18 Not a good idea to mix Alkaline and Rechargeable batteries in the same device.... in fact, its best to use the same brand & type of battery in your device. Here, you're using 2 Energizers, and 2 different branded rechargeable batteries... just asking for trouble.... for something like this, I would simply use 4 alkaline batteries, as rechargeable, while more cost effective, probably won't last as long as alkaline batteries between charges/battery changes (and since I used to work for Duracell, I'm biased to their alkaline and rechargeable batteries... shameless plug.... lol.... )
i think a good monitor is just an accurate pressure gage. if you have all the taps off in the house, the pressure will be higher (not by much) if the tank is full. this can be in your house
Sending prayers and love ❤️ you all four are amazing and thank you so much for being you!
Can't wait for install video :)
Given that your basement is dug into the hillside I think you'll be lucky if any of the receivers will pick up a signal from the sensor unit.... I may be wrong.
WOW, that was great, thanks for the info, I think you are with looking every month👍👍👍👍👍
I can really recommend the pressure sensor system. It will be way more reliable than the ultrasonic ones. I have a lot of experience with measuring water levels in my well. I had a lot of problems with the ultrasonic sensors but the pressure sensor worked right away and was also more reliable and accurate.
have you considered using a toilet tank float valve to keep it full?
"non flammable liquid like heating oil" LOLOLOL
Was the tree on the top of the hill bent like that when you moved in if so keep an eye out for large foot prints and big hand prints on the car windows
Glad you're finally getting a handle on the cistern liquid levels. Ultrasonic level transmitters can be quirky. Based upon your tank dimensions, you can make a simple Excel spreadsheet which will give you a table of inches of tank depth vs gallons.
I unscrew the fill cap and put my 10 ft piece of wood trim which I marked every foot. When I’m down to around 15 inches, I call the hauler for water. Pretty simple.....
that might be tough in the middle of a multi day Idaho bilzzard
Jrbpa 57, Your post inspired me and there is already 149 comments. So I didn't want you to miss mine, thanks.
My wife or I just turns the lid a 1/4 turn, comes right off. After taking a quick look. We go through the same boring process, but in reverse. The best part about this video is it made me think of a song I haven't thought of in years. So thanks for that. Oh, the song. Your in luck it's on Utube, it's received over 5 million hits. Give it a listen. (Zager and Evans - In The Year 2525). PS @ 2:30 it says it all.
Or they could check how Dorthy Ainsworth did it on her cistern, i think she used a bucket and lid, a round pole with a flag on it and a sleeve in the roof of the cistern. When the flag is low she needs water and she can tell from about 300' away. Saw it in backwoods home magazine several years ago.
If the first sensor is ultrasonic, it is probably measuring more of the volume of (ultra)sound reverberation in a given container. You would have to stick it in the neck of a vase or closed container to test it more accurately. I suspect you wouldn't want any free standing pieces that could vibrate inside the tank and likewise no foam or sponges.
Basic but awesome stuff. I like your un-boxing reviews. As an Engineer, I look forward to your tests and review.
You can get extension cables for those wifi antennas. Easier to get them in line of sight.
Buy an Arduino and build your own thing
It was reading from the floor not off the table on the 1st unit. that is why it was saying 5 foot. Check the Cheap one off the floor not the table. I think you will find it reads just fine.
It's not specific gravity that last sensor measures, since the density of the fluid isn't the thing that's changing. It's a straight up pressure sensor that's measuring the pressure or weight of water above it.
Thank God somebody picked up on that. Unless Idaho has some kind of unique water that has variable specific gravity based on depth!
Wait....are you guys having twins?!?! You said "My kids will be 10 years old by then and they can check the cistern levels."
Sorry. Just speculating :D
you now have a well . With ground water why are you still using your cistern
They stated why multiple times in the previous well videos. The cisterns provide free, gravity based water pressure. If they just use the well, they will have to pump to generate water pressure.
All I can do is give a thumb up....watched all of the video but didn't understand much...still a good video. 😀
If using ultrasonic, you want to install it into a focus tube. That will stabilize the water level, and provide more reliable readings. It’s also sensing liquid not a solid so distance from a table is not going to be the same as distance to a liquid.
ah yes, the "curved tank" (A cylinder laying on its side). The Empty, Full, and 50% marks will be accurate, but not the points in between. Unfortunately, the tank will appear to empty the fastest when it is first full, or close to empty.
just a thought. Radio signals (wireless is a radio signal) don't always react that close to each other. Put them at least 20 feet from each other and see what happens. That said, I have a electronic weather station that measures everything. After 5 years of use, two of the functions no longer work. Humidity level went out first. The second, temperature is not always accurate. Asian beetles got into it last year and slimed some of the sensors.
Wireless is kinda my expertise. First the antenna on the last two seems to be for the 2.4 GHz band or in that area. That means you can get other antenna systems to extend the range of the system. There are some flat panel antennas that extend the range and have cable attache such that you could mount the antenna on the exterior of your house and put the box onside.
As far as line of sight is concerned, trees will play havoc sometimes and sometimes not. If the trees are not evergreens, you'll see stronger signal strength in the winter month, if the snow doesn't cause havoc. You do realize you'll get no signal in the garage. Don't mean to insult your intelligence, just making sure your thought of it.
Bottom line, get the best you can afford. The last two have antenna jacks allowing some flexibility.
Put a piece of electrical conduit onto a float, and run it through the lid Low tek, battery free and dependable just look out the window. for night reading mode wrap reflective tape at 1/2 way and 1/4 marks shine torch, count marks. pretty easy also if your a smart guy you could put a float switch in your tank to auto swich your bore pump on, if it goes mote than half way
On any double A batteries, I would buy the rechargeable ones because they don’t leak like normal batteries when they get old, been using mine for over three years. The one with the 6V battery I would go with a few 18650’s with a device to control the voltage going to it.
Not that you read comments, but why in the world are you insisting on using those tanks when you have a well? A pressure tank would be cheaper all the way around....
because the cisterns generate free, gravity based water pressure. Using the well would require a pump to go off every time they turned on the water for anything.
Since you are a DIY couple look at Arunino systems they are WiFi and the sensors are cheap. You can program anything you want to monitor.
Your test methodology is sketchy. A better test would be to fix the sender unit, in a fixed position, and move the "bottom" closer or farther away.
There could be algorithms that ignore movement of the sensor unit itself.
Ultrasound works through measuring the time difference of the original and the reflected pulse. The difference is then calculated into depth measurement which can be used to calculate volume and other parameters.
Do you have a water meter going into the house? Lots of off grid folks like to know their consumption rates.
HEY JESSE AND ALYSSA, NOW THAT WAS INTERESTING. I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT ABOUT HALF WAY THROUGH I DID FALL ASLEEP BUT IT WAS 23:00 AT NIGHT. WHEN I WOKE UP I DID GO BACK AND LISTEN TO THE PART THAT I MISSED.
JESSE, I THINK YOU SHOULD DO COMMERCIALS FOR A LIVING. YOU ARE VERY GOOD AT EXPLAINING THINGS AND THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE THIS AND OTHER ITEMS THAT YOU COULD USE IN SITUATIONS LIKE YOURS SHOULD HAVE YOU AT LEAST DO TRIAL VIDEOS FOR THEIR PRODUCTS. INFACT, BOTH YOU AND ALYSSA ARE BOTH VERY GOOD AT EXPLAINING THINGS. YOU GUYS ARE BOTH VERY COMFORTABLE IN FRONT OF A CAMERA AND THAT MAKES IT A PLEASURE TO WATCH YOUR VIDEOS.
LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THE RESULTS OF THE WATER SENSORS OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
"She JUST had the baby and is already working!" was my first thought before I realized it was old footage. Nice one.
Yes, but what about Bugaboo? What does she think 🤔?
Makes me wonder that if you use the others that are done contactless if the signals sent to be sensed for level reading will confuse the other units. Cause otherwise you would have to really spread out the units to avoid cross confusion.
You coulda gone lo-tech with a float, a pole in a hole, and a flag on top.
one DIY tip: you can convert any battery powered system to wall-powered by buying an inexpensive transformer and soldering the output wires to the battery contact pads. It is just a matter of buying a transformer of the correct voltage and sufficient amperage.
I'm thinking that the systems with the coax connected antenna, that you could run a coax cable up a tree to achieve line of sight for the antenna.
i would opt for a float switch ...as you use water it will fill tanks up,if your that concerned then any of those products will tell you how empty or full your tank/s are ,as for litres or gallons it doesn't matter ,its how much water you have ,you already know your tanks are 200/0 gals or more...i've personally have yet to see any that give actual fluids capacity ...and tbf i dont think theres any out there....remember don't complicate the simple....lift lid see how much water or use a stick with lines of measurement... or send a small boy up and check it for you ...
I'd do this the CHEAP way. Buy some clear plastic tubing at Home Depot. 1/4' diameter would be adequate.Get enough to go from a cold water line in your basement/garage to the center of the rear wall of the house then straight up to the peak. Staple it to the wood frame of the house but don't crush it closed. Leave the top end open. You have just created a water level. With a little calibration you will mark the level when the tanks are full and also empty. Provide markings for say 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 full. With this simple method you can check how accurate your 'spensive wifi thingys work.
If you want to have something that will turn your pump on and off, have your well guy install a pressure tank with pressure switch in the utility room. You'll have to run a power line from the pressure switch out to the pump wiring. This is the more traditional pump hook-up.
I guess I'm more of the DIY crowd in that I'd buy a Raspberry Pi and build something with sensors to do wireless to the house and then potentially over the internet.
Aww the "kids" can change the batteries. ❤
I would go with the $60 one and just put the display in view of my security camera so I could view it on my phone.
I’ve followed your channel since near the very beginning of your arrival. I have years of experience with the aquatel system and would NOT recommend it to anyone for any reason. The sensors are significantly prone to moisture problems. That’s an odd failure for water sensor. I had 3 sensors fail due to moisture getting into the electronics. I sent 2 units back to New Zealand at my own expense. Their assessment was that the batteries were responsible for the water. With 40+ years experience in electronics I can smell BS about electronics and housings. Hope that one of the other units works for you.
The high level of Physics and Mathematics determines volume in your tanks with the barrel with ribs and funny shapes. It isn't a can shape or a ball shape. Having a remote calculate that is over expectations sorry to say. It is much like you calculating the square inches of land you have with and without trees... Shoot the sensor off the wall - easier to get 10 feet or less. Gives more dynamic change for urgent alerts. Some of this might bluetooth and the long range is segbe or another comm link. Antenna length is bandwidth
well, best I could come up with, is could use this equipment to determine water levels which is good, do they determine how clean the water is? no so more dollars for a different system to check the quality of water? How much for a system that can do both, check water levels, and cleanliness of water? I think advancements will come over time as water becomes more of a priority. Good video though, thanks.
Just a thought on the external antennas... the antennas can be moved away from the units and an extension cable can be used between the 2 units. Other styles of antennas may be available to extend the range between the tank and house units.
Toilet tank float on the end of the well feed. A cattle water tank float valve would do it too.
Love your guys videos! Alyssa, love your taste in music!
Didnt realise there was soo much involved in being a homesteader!!! On TV the other day "The Homestead Rescue", team the Raineys, were in "North IDAHO" where a trucker & his wife decided to buy land Surrounded by trees and had they were afraid the trees would catch fire & burn down theyre house, Soo NORTH Idaho has Fire & Flood worries, but where you are in Idaho you dont!, you are lucky.
Bait and switch? Where's the rain water harvesting? Not even a mention!
Great video, *head spins*. I'll be watching for the updates! I dont know if any exist but maybe poximity switch type mounted on a pole inside the tanks?
Wow! Hope u got it figured out!👍😎🇨🇱
Sorry bud...….The real problem you will be facings is heat and cold. None of the units using batteries will survive
a freeze or direct heat from the sun. Both extremes will cause the batteries to rupture and leak inside and end it's life. Will need a powered unit, ice and sun shade, a possible ac heat panel in a sealed box and at that point a wired system for data as well.....
Jessie that most expensive unit, A device that has a removeable antenna , should not be powered up unless you have the antenna connected, check the instructions to see what it says.
Hook house up to well...
Put rain collection on cisterns....
Water garden with cisterns....
No monitoring required...
Maintenance free life!!!!!
Wow! I think I caught that, did you mea to say that? :)
Maybe you could do a rainwater catch for the garden? You do have a water tank. You have a very large metal roof?
Any thoughts?
Yes, put the tank on the hill behind the house so that it has some head to flow to the garden.
First device: replace batteries annually - or with other words you might just as well inspect the tank/fill level yourself.
Device 2: bare bones, wall display not ideal
Device3 : set up seems simple enough. Plenty of useful features. Like the USB adapter
Device4 : it’s the basic sensor and display with the intention of expanding it. As in, got another tank, purchase this expansion pack
Device5 : great accuracy, good display and versatility. Overpriced
Preliminary conclusion:
Device # 3 is the winner but only because it’s much better then #2 at just 20 bucks more. But even # 2 is overpriced.
In this day and age of $300 iPads, any company trying to sell you their own display is just making money for an inferior product.
You have two options
- simple measurement of fill level, do the math yourself and put a cheat sheet next to the monitor
- go for a sophisticated model but only the ones using an app on your smart device.
Keeping actively (your own spreadsheet) track of consumption (water/power/fuel) will give you a much different sense of your habits.
Ideally you want to do a fall and spring inspection and top off of your tank anyway. I don’t think you need a monitor for that.
tekelek made air conditioners here in adelaide at one point and had merged with tytronics about 15 years ago but i don't know what they have done since as i got out of electronics back then
Is it not seeing the wood table and going to the floor of your basement?
Use all of them
The Smart Water system allows for mounting the transmitter module in a location that gets a better signal to the lower part of your property. This keeps critters away from the unit.
Thanks but I wonder why they all must have a dedicated display? Why not simply just a transmit sensor that uses your phone as a display?
The TS FT002 is cheap and does a pretty good job. Our Sender unit shit itself after I went to change the batteries which failed post 12 months.The plastic became brittle and the holder for the batteries just fell apart, lucky for me it's cheap so I purchased another. Set it up and now I can have two monitors (The old one I kept) with the new single sender unit. The only issue with this unit is the destructions....they are bloody woeful! Only to be used as toilet paper because they don't do anything else! PS negative with the curved tank...mine is round and it measures fine I have mine off set to one side about 600mm fro the edge, measures fine.
Hey guys just make sure your good lady wife dose not over do things, I know she is the type you would have to tie down to stop her. But she needs to be doing less physical work now , while it is good to have regular exercise just don't over do it . God bless all the best
Besides cleaning, you need to define what do you want. An automatic subterranean pump starter to keep cisterns full most of the time? or a manual control with some kind of alarm? Same question to fill upper tanks ( if you have those, at ceiling level). If you want, i can send you some schematics about automation systems and elements to drive pumps.
Why not just use cameras?
Ultra sonic means you can't hear it lol and you probably should have used a bucket of water for you tests.
Just as with sound, the sonic signal travels at a different speed in air opposed to traveling in water/liquid. Your test is not valid unless you are able to provide the appropriate constant to the CPU. The devices that use the SMA connectors are adaptable to much higher gain antennas. I.E. - Log Periodic, Yagi-Uda, Parabolic, etc. Also, atmospheric weather conditions can cause degraded performance (rain, snow, lightning).
Can not believe you spent all that money on these electronic units. You do not read your emails, I suggested a simple mercury manometer along time back, not expensive ,no maintenance, and always accurate. Only need to calibrate it once for your tank levels full and empty.
Yes a very sensitive pressure gauge would do the job but would be very large and expensive.