Oil Tank level sensor

BopNiblets

Hi guys, we have a plastic oil tank out the back, but checking the level of the oil you have to climb on top and open the lid, then drop a stick inside and see where the oil level comes to on it, does anyone know of a good sensor we can put inside the tank instead that will show us the level easily?

This seems to be the thing I'm after, but are there cheaper ones?
http://www.electricirelandstore.ie/Product/Sensor-Systems-Watchman-Sonic-Oil-Level-Monitor/1244/300
We don't necessarily need to have it transmit the level to us inside the house, a simple gauge on the outside of the tank would be handy.

Edit: Maybe one of these kinds?
http://www.tanks.ie/products_id/280/clock-gauges.htm

Thanks.

shane0007

BopNiblets wrote: »

Hi guys, we have a plastic oil tank out the back, but checking the level of the oil you have to climb on top and open the lid, then drop a stick inside and see where the oil level comes to on it, does anyone know of a good sensor we can put inside the tank instead that will show us the level easily?

This seems to be the thing I'm after, but are there cheaper ones?
http://www.electricirelandstore.ie/Product/Sensor-Systems-Watchman-Sonic-Oil-Level-Monitor/1244/300
We don't necessarily need to have it transmit the level to us inside the house, a simple gauge on the outside of the tank would be handy.

Edit: Maybe one of these kinds?
http://www.tanks.ie/products_id/280/clock-gauges.htm

Thanks.

I usually install the sonic one. It's made by Kingspan & very good. Emo Oil sell them for €79 but sometimes have offers for €64.
You could all singing & dancing with the Apollo Smart. It tells you your exact litres in the tank & how much you use on a daily basis & cost per day, etc.

Irish Steve

Anything fitted on the tank that reports the level visibly will break your heart, it will either stick, or the Ultra violet light will make the plastic go opaque so you can't see the pointer or the level in the tube.

The radio senders vary. Some of them are not that precise, and give the level to the nearest 25% mark, so 0,25, 50, 75, or 100% full, which can be an issue, especially on a circular tank, as when it suddenly hits 0%, there's not much left at the bottom of the tank due to the shape, which can be embarrasing in cold weather. Others have 10 level indications, The Apollo smart has a more sensitive reporting capability

Just been looking at some of the data on the Apollo smart unit, and I have to admit that looks very good, yes, it's expensive compared to a string gauge, but also provides a lot more information to the user, which is the requirement.

It will come down to how important the information is, and how much it's worth to you to have the information available, and where you want it.

Wearb

If you can see the top of your tank from the ground, then the one in this image is probably best. The trouble with the electronic ones is that you have to change the batteries in them every now and then. The one in the photo is best fitted when thank is almost empty, but can be done with a half tank if needed, but you have to be very careful in that case. Make sure your tank has a suitable gauge port before buying.

BopNiblets

I don't think any of the fancy electronic ones would be needed, I'm not sure the round lid on ours is standard or how well any of these would fit on it, a cross section of it would look like this:

The tank itself is about 6 foot high but it's raised on a small concrete platform.

Now that I think of it, would another method be to pout something on the output pipe at the bottom of the tank that goes to the condenser? Something that measures the level from the pressure of oil on it?

shane0007

BopNiblets wrote: »

I don't think any of the fancy electronic ones would be needed, I'm not sure the round lid on ours is standard or how well any of these would fit on it, a cross section of it would look like this:

The tank itself is about 6 foot high but it's raised on a small concrete platform.

Now that I think of it, would another method be to pout something on the output pipe at the bottom of the tank that goes to the condenser? Something that measures the level from the pressure of oil on it?

They don't go on the lid. They are installed in a purpose made connection point if your tank has one or a hole drilled in the top of the tank & the kit comes with a sealing gasket.
The sight tube type that goes on the outlet pipe can only be of push button type so you must push the button to see the level. I'm not a lover of these type as the perish with time.
I never had an issue with the sonic type & I have the Apollo Smart in my own home.

Wearb

BopNiblets wrote: »

I don't think any of the fancy electronic ones would be needed, I'm not sure the round lid on ours is standard or how well any of these would fit on it, a cross section of it would look like this:

The tank itself is about 6 foot high but it's raised on a small concrete platform.

Now that I think of it, would another method be to pout something on the output pipe at the bottom of the tank that goes to the condenser? Something that measures the level from the pressure of oil on it?

That is the narrowest tank I have ever seen, unless for some bespoke steel ones.
Those ones that measure pressure are rare and expensive and also expensive to install. Like Shane, I would not recommend the ones that fit on the tank outlet either. They are prone to all sorts of problems, like turning opaque, bush button sticking and even earwigs getting in where they are vented at the top.

Anyway time to go and give a little bit of support to our malting barley growers.

Wearb

BopNiblets wrote: »

I don't think any of the fancy electronic ones would be needed, I'm not sure the round lid on ours is standard or how well any of these would fit on it, a cross section of it would look like this:

The tank itself is about 6 foot high but it's raised on a small concrete platform.

Now that I think of it, would another method be to pout something on the output pipe at the bottom of the tank that goes to the condenser? Something that measures the level from the pressure of oil on it?

That is the narrowest tank I have ever seen, unless for some bespoke steel ones. Those ones that measure pressure are rare and expensive and also expensive to install. Like Shane, I would not recommend the ones that fit on the tank outlet either. They are prone to all sorts of problems, like turning opaque, bush button sticking and even earwigs getting in where they are vented at the top.

Anyway time to go and give a little bit of support to our malting barley growers.

BopNiblets

That's not the tank measurements, it's the lid!

Our tank doesn't appear have any special outlet for the gauge, hmm, would it be enough to cut a hole in the lid then and pop the gauge on that?

Wearb

I wouldn't cut the hole in the lid. It -the gauge- would always be in the way when removing the lid. Use a hole saw to cut a hole near the centre of the tank (top of course). Make sure you use the correct size. If you can manage it remove the lid and hold a container (put a string on it in case you drop it) underneath the place where the hole is being drilled to catch debris. The gauge that I posted a photo of come in different sizes, depending on the depth of your tank. They also usually have two different size threaded parts, so drill for the smaller size. You can always enlarge the hole, but not easily reduce it.