Our Product
How it Works
The Alaska Tank Sensor measures the water or fuel level in your tank and displays this information on a digital display inside your home
- A submersible pressure transducer for water or a level sensor for fuel is installed in the tank
- This sensor is wired to a control box mounted outside the tank, often on a tank vent pipe or a nearby post
- The control box communicates wirelessly with the interior digital display, which can go almost anywhere inside your home
- The display shows fluid level in inches (measured) and the tank used/available volumes (calculated)
FAQs
Q: How does the sensor work?
A: Our sensors are vented pressure transducers that measure fluid pressure relative to atmospheric pressure. For water, we use a submersible pressure transducer that lays at the bottom of the water tank with signal wires and a vent tube extending to the surface. For fuel, the transducer is located in an enclosure above the fuel tank, with a stainless-steel capillary tube extending to an air-filled collection chamber at the bottom of the tank. As the fluid level changes, the air pressure in this collection chamber changes and that pressure is transmitted to the above ground transducer.
Q: Can I check my tank levels remotely?
A: Not yet. One of the primary reasons we’re connecting to your Wi-Fi is to collect fluid level data to use in a future website or app for viewing your water or fuel levels on your phone or computer. We don’t have these features available yet, but they are under development.
Q: Does this product report tank temperature?
A: Our sensors do report interior and exterior air temperature but do not report tank temperature. Several customers have requested this feature, so we may incorporate this functionality in the future.
Q: Can I use The Alaska Tank Sensor to control equipment, for example turning off my water pump?
A: The Alaska Tank Sensor does not have this functionality; however, we enjoy talking with you about your unique situation. We may be able to offer ideas and will work with certain customers on custom solutions.
Q: Does the Alaska Tank Sensor work if my tank ices up?
A: Yes. Tank icing is a major reason why other commercially available water level monitoring solutions, like those marketed for rainwater cisterns, don’t work well in Fairbanks. Because our submersible pressure transducer sits at the bottom of your tank – which is the last location to freeze – it continues to work even as your tank forms a layer of ice on the surface and accumulates frost in the vent and fill pipes. If the entire tank freezes, the pressure transducer will be damaged. Alaska Tank Sensor parts are interchangeable, so in this instance only the pressure transducer will need to be replaced.