Tank level sensors compared
There are three common ways to measure the water in a tank. Each has a place.
Float switches
A float on a cable tips a switch at one level. Cheap and reliable, but it only tells you "above" or "below" that point, not how full the tank is. Best used as a backup cut-off for a pump, not for monitoring.
Ultrasonic sensors
Mounted on the lid, they time an echo off the water surface. Nothing touches the water. They struggle with narrow openings, condensation, foam and ladders or pipes in the beam, and in a closed concrete cistern the echo can bounce around.
Submersible pressure probes
A sealed probe hangs on a cable at the bottom of the tank and measures the weight of the water above it, which gives the depth directly. It doesn't care about the tank's shape, the lid or condensation, and works in deep underground cisterns. The cable must be long enough to reach the bottom, and the probe should hang clear of the intake and of sludge.
What we use
Kanari uses pressure probes, with the electronics in a weatherproof box at the top and a battery that lasts for years. A reading every ten minutes is plenty for a tank, and the dashboard turns depth into a percentage of your tank. See the level sensor.
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Sensors in your tanks, pumps that run themselves, alerts when something needs a person.
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