Oil Tank Level Monitor

Clareman wrote: »

When I say toying I mean looking into alternatives when/if my boiler needs replacing, I've a single zone nearly 20 year old boiler that'll need changing soon, gas isn't an option for me

And here i am thinking of buying a second tank to stock pile due to the low cost right now

I've changed my setup from ESP Wifi based to Arduino LoRa based sensor nodes as range and reliabilty are much better for Garden sensors (and beyond by potentially a few KM)

This StemEdu node is arduino based with on board LoRa and a battery holder, has a number of headers for digital and analog I/O can be used to quickly build any sensor nodes without any need for soldering.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07SMZPNR7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

IMG_20200811_132954 by Farmer Ed's Shed, on Flickr

I'm using the Mysensors.org Gateway connected to my Home Assistant.

#define MY_RADIO_RFM95
#define MY_RFM95_FREQUENCY (RFM95_868MHZ)
//#define MY_RFM95_MAX_POWER_LEVEL_DBM (100) //1mW = 0dBm 10mW = 10dBm 25mW = 14dBm 100mW = 20dBm
#define MY_TRANSPORT_STATE_TIMEOUT_MS  (3*1000ul)
#define RFM95_RETRY_TIMEOUT_MS  (3000ul) 
#define MY_RFM95_MODEM_CONFIGRUATION  RFM95_BW125CR48SF4096

#define MY_NODE_ID 44

#include <SPI.h>
#include <MySensors.h>  
#include <NewPing.h>

#define SENSOR_NAME "Distance Sensor"
#define SENSOR_VERSION "1.1"

#define CHILD_ID 1  // Each radio node can report data for up to 254 different child sensors. You are free to choose the child id yourself. 
                    // You should avoid using child-id 255 because it is used for things like sending in battery level and other (protocol internal) node specific information.
#define TRIGGER_PIN  3  // Arduino pin tied to trigger pin on the ultrasonic sensor.
#define ECHO_PIN     4  // Arduino pin tied to echo pin on the ultrasonic sensor.
#define MAX_DISTANCE 300 // Maximum distance we want to ping for (in centimeters). Maximum sensor distance is rated at 400-500cm.
unsigned long SLEEP_TIME = 360000; // Sleep time between reads (in milliseconds)


NewPing sonar(TRIGGER_PIN, ECHO_PIN, MAX_DISTANCE); // NewPing setup of pins and maximum distance.
MyMessage msg(CHILD_ID, V_DISTANCE);
int lastDist;
bool metric = true;

void setup()  
{ 
  metric = getControllerConfig().isMetric;
}

void presentation() {
  // Send the sketch version information to the gateway and Controller
  sendSketchInfo(SENSOR_NAME, SENSOR_VERSION);

  // Register all sensors to gw (they will be created as child devices) by their ID and S_TYPE
  present(CHILD_ID, S_DISTANCE);
}

void loop()      
{ 
  // use the build-in digital filter to discard out of range pings
  int echoTime = sonar.ping_median(10);
  int dist = metric?sonar.convert_cm(echoTime):sonar.convert_in(echoTime);
  Serial.print("Ping: ");
  Serial.print(dist);
  Serial.println(metric?" cm":" in");

  if (dist != lastDist) {
      send(msg.set(dist));
      lastDist = dist;
  }

  sleep(SLEEP_TIME);
}

The range of these devices is pretty amazing.
For those of you who want a DIY solution but are concerened about range this is the way to go.
I'm in the process of building several sensors spread over several acres of farmland so these will easily cover anybodys garden.
My configs here are set for max range so look at "#define MY_RFM95_MODEM_CONFIGRUATION RFM95_BW125CR48SF4096" and you can also "#define MY_RFM95_MAX_POWER_LEVEL_DBM" also if you want to reduce the range of yours. (reducing max radio power will extend battery life)

oscarBravo wrote: »

... I'll run some outdoor Cat5 cable to the ESP32 which will be mounted on the back of a wee solar panel, along with a solar charge controller/battery module...

Any chance you can inject some power onto that cable?
Could save a lot of complexity.

oscarBravo wrote: »

I'm only talking a couple of feet of cable to connect the sensor breakout to the ESP32, not a cable from the house. The ESP will connect to my WiFi network.

Complexity is part of the fun!

How far is the WiFi?
I had setup an ESP32 using ESPHome originally, but found the WiFi was too unreliable as the tank was just too far from the house. Which is why I switched to the StemEdu LoRa board and MySensors.

https://www.magnusmonitors.com/solutions/overview
This Magnus monitor seems to do all that is required.
A couple of oil suppliers in Galway and doing a deal on them with your next fill.
Has anyone got one and do they work?

emaherx wrote: »

Any idea of cost? Is there a subscription? Not much info on the site which seems to marketed at distributors rather than individuals.

Not much mention of technology, I'm guessing it could be sigfox which would have a subscription.

I think i heard it advertised earlier at 9 quid per quarter with free install.

mickdw wrote: »

I think i heard it advertised earlier at 9 quid per quarter with free install.

Think I'll stick with my DIY solution, I've more than one tank to monitor and at €36 euro per device per year that would be too much. Even using the Sigfox network I could make something for €6 per year per device.

davo2001 wrote: »

Sounds too cheap, i'd gladly pay that for a quick working solution.

Not sure how it sounds too cheap. Connection to Sigfox costs them €6 a year or less for volume discount so at 4 euro a month there is plenty of scope for profit for them. So if you are happy with the price fire away as you won't find a quicker easier working solution. As there is no need to connect to your router and they install it.

I assume thats the basic Apollo monitor. I think they have a smart one also

Did you contact them?

Still working for me, I just reconnected mine today, had been disconnected (cable problems to the modem).

Yes, oddly enough the device had been failing to connect to the network for months and I tried fixing the cable (re terminated it a few times) and it never worked.

Only today happened to connect a different nearby cable to it and it connected, and the old cable I connected to a different device and that connected also.

Did you have any other luck with it, mine is definitely still working, and I also just got it working with home assistant.