Water Tank Level

I am wanting to get a 55 gal drum to store water for my chickens. I would love to automate this with a level indicator or dry (need to fill water). Through my research I found a few different ways to do this.

  1. Take the off the shelf water sensor (homeseer) and run the cable they give you into the drum and when its dry send an alarm.
  2. Get a float switch and connect it to a contact sensor. This would require me to take off the internal reed switch and put the wires from the float in that place.
  3. This is where I'm completely lost, do something with HubDuino. If anyone wants to elaborate on this, that would be awesome.

Any other suggestions are welcome too.

Attached are links to what i was referring to.

1.https://www.amazon.com/HomeSeer-HS-LS100-Z-Wave-Sensor-SmartThings/dp/B0786L1DCN/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2OLZ4S0FL2DJV&dchild=1&keywords=homeseer+water+sensor&qid=1611589107&sprefix=homeseer+water%2Caps%2C435&sr=8-2

2.Amazon.com

Float switch and a zigbee/zwave contact sensor is probably the simplest and cheapest to build and implement. So long as it is only for alerting and not for actual water control. I'd worry about automating the flow of water this way in case of failure.

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If you want to detect only the levels, you can hook XKC-Y25-V

1000208655.jpg (1000×1000)

to hubduino and you can run automation . If you want to measure, you can hook an ultrasonic sensor like SR04-T , but in my experience thats not accurately measuring and leaving a 15+/- % deviation. But the former contactless sensor is way more accurate to detect the raising level and control a motor.
I hope this helps.

Pugazhendhi M

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Yeah I don't think I would need it for a pump right now. Just something to alert me to fill their water. Thank you.

[RELEASE] Ecowitt GW1000 Wi-Fi Gateway - Apps and Drivers / Community Drivers - Hubitat

I did something similar... while I also have a few automations for my chickens, this wasn't one of them. :grinning:

I had some of the GoControl Z-Wave contact sensors with the external contact terminal strips inside. All I had to do was land the two wires from this thing on to it...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P6NM74W/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_JoWdGb2GV6AZ6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

It is through wall, so that may be an issue if you don't want to damage your container, but it was simple enough and the switch's float just has to be roatated 180 degrees and it can be used for high or low level indication.

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Was this the contact sensor you are referring to? Z-Wave Wireless Door-Window Sensor - WADWAZ-1. So with this model, you didn't have to remove the reed inside? This sounds like a great cost effective way.

If you do (1) (the water sensor), I believe that you will have the problem of having to wait for the sensor to dry out inside a humid drum. It may take a while, hope the chickens aren’t too thirsty.

If you do (2) (the float, which, I believe, is the best solution), you will have the problem that the contact sensor’s radio will be inside a Faraday cage (the drum), so you will have to run the float switch wires outside the drum so you can mount the contact sensor & its radio outside the Faraday cage (drum) so that the radio signals can get to your hub.

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Yes - like that. Can't confirm exact model right now since they are all in use wired to things like that switch, my doorbell, some existing ADT alarm switches. But, the reed stays intact and could also be used to trigger, but with the two wires hooked up to the internal terminal block it allows for external triggering. Just had to drill tiny holes in the end for the wire to pass through,

Sweet, yeah I think I'm going to go this route. Might even make the cow troughs smart! We have big 8' concrete ones, so not sure how i could get a float in there. For now its on to alarms when the chickens dont have water. BTW what other automation things do you have setup?

An alternate contact sensor you could use, which I have also used for external wires, is the Aeotec Door/Window Sensor 7 (and the newer, more expensive, Pro version). You don’t need the Pro version, which adds a gyroscope tilt sensor. Both of these are Z-Wave 700, with increased range. And, you could include them with S2 security so that no one would know how much water your cows and chickens are consuming. Or, you could include them without security, as I did.

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Thanks Micolino, I think I have an extra shelly or sonoff I could use to. Didn't even think about those! Yeah the coop is behind the shop. I added a mesh network a few months back. I already have power on the coop so this could also work.

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Sounds like you have more of a serious farm than me, but I do have a few things going for my coop that has just a handful of hens and a rooster in it...

The coop has thermostat controlled waterer, as well as a small thermostat controlled heater that just keeps the coop air above freezing to avoid frostbite... These run on 120V, and I only run that line in the winter. The rest of the coop is solar powered year round, with their own panel, controller, and storage battery. I have motion sensing lighting for when I go out there in the dark, but perhaps more importantly it seems to do well to deter predators. And most important... The chicken sized door I made out of a surplus boat deck hatch I found is opened/closed by a Zigbee valve actuator connected to PVC pipe hinges I made that runs on a schedule. Originally had it in SmartThings, with a weaker Z-Wave valve actuator when I took this video... https://photos.app.goo.gl/BycjaUYqFi35wbS8A :grin:

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unfort. the shelly do not work good for me outdoors. i am not sure why i have a 2.4 ghz router with 20db external antenna and i can get wifi on my phone a block away. but 20 yds outside at my gate the shelly will not work.. maybe it is the 12v battery?

both zwave and zigbee work at the gate.. but the relay was unreliable.. that is why i was trying the shelly. for now i hacked together a quibino dry relay with the wires soldiered to a duplicate gate remote. It is inside a pastic box and this way i can leave it inside the hosue.. It is even acting as a repeater for some devices.

so the shelly sits on the shelf. i wish the shelly had a option just to plug in a little wire antenna to improve things.. I think getting a 12v to 110 converted would be overkill.

Greetings.
I have similar problem and I need your help to come up to some smart home solution. I have a underground water reserve tank about 3000 Gallon. I wanted to make it smart
Objective
To have three Water tank levels (Full filled, Partially filled and empty)
When the water level reacher empty, it some how initiate SMS or push notification on my mobile and also When ask via AMAZON ALEX it give the current status of the water level.

To fill the water tank , I need to make a phone call to water company who then send water tanker to my place for top up.

Currently i have to go and check the level manually after time to time and then call the water provider to send the water bowzer.

Later my plan is to put this automation on Hubitata dashboard to which tell me current level of water on tablet which i will mount on wall.

Please advise What short of sensor do I need to make this happen and how ?

I have a 2500gal tank to supply my house. Using an ultrasonic sensor on the lid.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V6HSN8B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That sensor wired into an ESP32 micro controller coded with Arduino and using Hubduino library.
On the Hubitat side using a DH that can report the tank level as a percentage and how many gallons is left.

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