Level sensor for rainwater harvesting:
why it is useful
Don't let your rainwater tank surprise you anymore. Thanks to a connected sensor, monitor your reserve in real time, detect leaks and optimize your water consumption.
Installing a rainwater collection tank is an excellent investment to reduce your water bill and adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. But many owners discover it too late: without precise level monitoring, it is difficult to know what is left in the tank.
You're watering the garden and the pump stops in the middle. You think you have enough water for the toilet, and you find yourself using mains water. A connected level sensor solves all these problems by giving you real-time visibility into your rainwater stock.
Table of contents
water_drop 1. Why measure the level of your rainwater tank?
A rainwater tank fills at the pace of rainfall, so you do not control its supply. Without a reliable gauge, you use the reserve without knowing whether it will last for the next few days.
The advantages of continuous monitoring are numerous. You know exactly how many liters are left, you can plan your uses according to the weather forecast, and you avoid unpleasant surprises. A connected sensor transforms your cistern into a smart device who speaks to you in real time.
With a connected sensor, you no longer ask “is there any water left?” » but “will I have enough water for the next 15 days?” ".
speed 2. Know your reserve before each use
The first concrete benefit of a level sensor is the visibility. Instead of lifting the inspection cover, using a dipstick or opening the lid (sometimes dangerous operations), you open the application and see the filling percentage.
You can therefore make an informed decision: “There is 40% left and the weather forecast is for a dry week — I reserve the water for the toilets and I use mains water for the garden. » Or on the contrary: “The tank is 85% full and rain is forecast — I can water without fear. » This proactive management is impossible without continuous measurement.
Anticipate dry periods
In summer, weeks without rain quickly empty the cisterns. Thanks to the history of your sensor, you know your average daily consumption and you can estimate how many days your water supply will last. You adjust your uses accordingly, without stress.
plumbing 3. Early detection of leaks
A rainwater tank can lose hundreds of liters per week due to an invisible leak: crack in the tank, defective seal on the pump, dripping tap, leaking overflow. Without level monitoring, it takes you weeks to realize it.
A connected sensor detects an abnormal drop in level, especially at night when no one is using the water. If the level drops while no tap is open, the app alerts you immediately. A leak of 5 liters per hour represents 120 liters per day and nearly 4,000 liters per month, the equivalent of a family's monthly consumption.
Signs of a leak in your tank:
- Drop in level without consumption (connected sensor essential to detect it).
- Wet area around the tank or manhole.
- Pump that turns on abnormally often.
- Water bill that increases for no reason (if the overflow is constantly leaking).
balance 4. Optimize your rainwater consumption
Rainwater is a free, but limited, resource. To get the most out of it, you need to ration intelligently according to usage. A level sensor helps you prioritize based on the weather and your needs.
For example, with a 5,000-litre tank, you know that 20% of the volume is enough to flush the toilets for one month (around 1,000 litres). During periods of drought, you can switch non-essential uses such as car washing and garden watering to mains water and reserve rainwater for priority uses. You can also consult our guide to rainwater pump systems to optimise your installation.
Avoid unnecessary tank refills
If your installation is connected to the mains water supply with an automatic backup system, the sensor can trigger the water supply only when the reserve falls below a critical threshold. Without a sensor, some systems switch as soon as the tank is empty, which can lead to unnecessary drinking water consumption when you could have waited for the next rain.
compare 5. Specific challenges of rainwater measurement
Measuring rainwater levels presents specific challenges that require suitable technology.
Tankio uses a hydrostatic-pressure probe placed at the bottom of the tank. Floating debris has little effect on this direct measurement, unlike some optical or mechanical methods.
Furthermore, rainwater tanks are often buried, which complicates access and signal transmission. LoRa technologies are particularly suitable because they pass through earth and concrete without difficulty. To learn more about the differences between measurement technologies, see our guide to connected sensors.
The key to reliable rainwater measurement: technology insensitive to debris and a transmission capable of passing through the walls of the buried cistern.
check_circle 6. The tankio solution for rainwater
tankio offers a connected sensor specially designed for rainwater tanks. Compatible with all types of tanks (underground, above-ground, concrete, plastic, metal), it can be installed in a few minutes without modifying your existing installation.
The technical characteristics of the tankio solution for rainwater include a measurement by hydrostatic pressure (insensitive to debris and foam), a LoRa transmission with a range of several kilometers, a battery life of several years, and an intuitive mobile application that displays the level in real time with evolution graphs.
In addition, the tankio application allows you to configure personalized alerts : low level, leak detection, forecast of when your supply will run out. You are warned before the problem occurs, not after.