Measuring the water level for your fresh water and grey water tanks is useful information to have, both to know how much water you have left, when you need to empty your grey tank and knowing when to stop when filling your fresh water tank back up.
This is especially true when your water tank is in a hard to reach place, or even more so when you have it underslung - no one wants to put crawling under their van each time to check how much water they have left.
This is why water level sensors are popular in campervan builds, and at Bobil Vans, we understand this is a common need, so we've integrated water level sensors right into our core products.
What are level sensors, and how do they work?
There are different types of level sensors you can buy, but at Bobil Vans, we have chosen to supply resistive level sensors.
These sensors are the most common types you will find, and they get inserted into your water tank from the top, and have a float which moves up and down with the water level. This then transmits the level to a gauge or other device to output the exact level you have in your tank.
We also supply float sensors, which are much more basic - these just output a signal when water rises above the sensors position on the tank. This output can go to a light or buzzer to signify when the tank is full and needs emptying, for example.
What size level sensors do I need?
For the resistive level sensors, which we use for fresh water tanks, you will need to measure the internal height of your fresh water tank. We sell a variety of fresh water level sensors sizes:
150mm
175mm
200mm
250mm
300mm
400mm
500mm
600mm
Let's say your tank measured 330mm, you would need the largest sensor that would fit inside, which in this case would be the 300mm level sensor. The sensors cannot be cut to size so you need to choose the correct size for your fresh water tank.
The float sensors don't require any measuring, as these simply get drilled into the side of your waste tank. These sensors can be purchased here.
Level sensor gauge types
With our level sensors, there are 3 ways in which to connect them up to something which can display the water level inside you tank.
Gauge 1 - Analogue Gauge
This gauge is a simple gauge which is wired to the level sensor, and outputs the sensor on an analogue gauge. We sell them in black or white, and they are great for a simple, cheap option to output your water level. They also include a backlight.
Gauge 2 - Bobil Smart Controller
The second option is our Bobil Smart Controller. These controls come included with our main Hybrid hot water kits, and they also have a connection on their circuit board to connect the fresh water level sensor, and the grey water float sensor, along with outputting their water levels digitally on the main screen.
This is handy, as you can check the heating status of your hot water, and your cold water level at the same time from 1 place.
If you don't have a smart controller already, you can purchase it separately here, and can read all about its other features on our dedicated blog about it.
Gauge 3 - Victron Cerbo GX (or similar)
The third way you can connect these type of level sensors are to a Victron Cerbo GX unit or similar device, which had resistive level sensor inputs. The sensors we sell are 0-190 Ohm sensors, so you can set them up in the settings page of your unit to calibrate them.
It should be noted that you can only have level sensors connected to 1 gauge; that means you have to choose which unit you'd want them connected to. Unless of course you purchase more than 1 sensor to go in the same tank.
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