The water level alarm circuit is a simple mechanism to detect and indicate the level of water in the overhead tank and also in the other containers. Nowadays, all the householders/owners are storing the water in overhead tanks by using the pumps. When the water is stored in the tank, no one can identify the level of water and also, no one can know when the water tank will fill. Hence there is an overflow of water in the tank, thus there is a wastage of energy and water. To resolve this type of problems by using the water level alarm circuit of a 555 timer it helps and indicated the level of water in the overhead tanks. The cost of the water level alarm circuit low and its use full for the overhead water tanks, swimming pool boilers, etc.. The water level alarm circuits are used in the factories, chemical plants, and electrical substations and also in other liquid storage systems.
What is a Water Level Indicator?
The water level indicator is defined as a system which gets the information about the water level in reservoirs or in tanks which is used in homes. By using the water level indicator we can overcome the overflow of water from the tankers.
Water Level Alarm Circuit Using 555 Timer
The following circuit is the water level alarm circuit by using the 555 timer IC. It produces a clear sound when the water level reaches its level point. The power supply of the circuit is about 3V thus the circuit is quite handy to use. This circuit is based on the astable muiltivibrator which is wired around IC1 and the IC is NE555. The operating frequency of the astable multivibrator depends on the values of components like capacitor C1, resistors R1 and R2 and the resistance across the probes at A and B. If the water is not up to the level of probes than the open circuit.
If the water is not upto the level of probes than the open circuit astable muiltivibrator will not produce any oscillation. Thus, there is no sound produced by the circuit. If the water level reaches the probes then the current flows in the water, hence the sound is produced by the circuit. Therefore, astable multivibrator produces an oscillation which is proportional to the values of C1, R1 & R2 and resistors across the probes. Now the buzzer will produce beep sound to indicate the water level is reached to the level.
If the water is not up to the level of probes than the open circuit astable muiltivibrator will not produce any oscillation. Thus, there is no sound produced by the circuit. If the water level reaches the probes then the current flows in the water, hence the sound is produced by the circuit. Therefore, astable multivibrator produces an oscillation which is proportional to the values of C1, R1 & R2 and resistors across the probes. Now the buzzer will produce beep sound to indicate the water level is reached to the level.
Water Level Indicator & Alarm Circuit Diagram
The principle of this circuit is very easy to understand and it is very practical. The elements which are used in this circuit are CMOS input compatible, 7- channel IC which is a Darlington array. If the water level rises in the tank, then the water comes into contact with probes which are from P1 to P7 and thus the pin 7 through 1 high sequentially. Hence the equivalent output pins 10 to 16 will go low one after another and the LED’s from 1 to 7 will go in the order. If the water level is at the final probe P7 then the sound is produced by the piezo-buzzer and it is connected to the output pin 16 along with the LED7.
Water level Indicator Circuit Diagram
The water level indicator circuit diagram monitors the level of water in the tank and simultaneously switches on the water pump whenever the water level goes low in the water tank. The water level of the tank is indicated by using the 5 LED’s and if the water level in the tanker is full then the water pump is turned off completely. The following diagram shows the water level indicator circuit diagram consist of 4 probes which are placed in the overhead tank and interfaced with the port 2 of the Microcontroller.
The probes are placed at the distance of 1/4th, 1/2th, and 3/4th and at full level and they are located with equal spacing one above the other, one with the bottom positive probe. The positive voltage is placed at the bottom of the overhead water tank and full level probes are in the overhead tank and the other end is connected to the base terminal of the Q4 transistor with the help of the R16 resistor.
When the water level in the tank is increased to maximum thus the current flows through the base terminal and the collector voltage becomes low and it is interfaced with the microcontroller port 2.4. The programming of the Microcontroller is ended and data can be transferred for the Microcontroller and LED. Automatically the motor switches off if the level of water indicates the D1.
When the water level goes below the full-level probe, then the base of the second transistor Q2 opens by switching it off. For the second transistor Q2, the collector voltage is high at P2.4. Hence the overhead tank is not full and the same process is applied to the remaining probes like 1/4th, 1/2th, 3/4th these are connected to the base terminal of the Q1, Q2, Q3 transistor. These are interfaced with the Microcontroller ports like P2.5, P2.6, and P2.7 when the programming is done by the Microcontroller. With the indication of water level in the tank the D3, D4, and D5 LED’s will glow. Hence the transistor will be on and the motor will be on.
The Microcontroller ports P0.0, P0.1, P0.3 and P0.4 are interfaced with the LED’s to indicate the level of water and these are connected to the resistors. The P0.5 port is used for regulating the pump and the Q6 transistor remains on and the relay is also activated. To know the indication of the low level of water in the sump the P0.7 port is connected to the LED D7.
Water Level Alarm Circuit
The electronic water level alarm circuit is connected to the alarm and it is placed at the above electronic water level circuit which is having the capability of alerting the person of a home. When the water level is at high or low or at exceeding the higher limit. The following circuit diagram shows the water level alarm circuit.
The water level alarm circuit is similar to the electronic water level circuit, but in the water level alarm circuit there is an alarm connected to the circuit. For an external level of water in the overhead tank, the sensing probes can show the suitable pins of the microcontroller. When these pins are high the control signal is passed from the Microcontroller to a speaker as well as LED indicator which depends on the Microcontroller program.
The electronic water level alarm gives the information about the level of the water level of the water tank if the water tank is full or the water tank is empty. Hence, any person can identify the level of water. By using the liquid level sensor we can measure the level of water in the water tank.
Water Level Alarm Circuit using Level Sensor
The following circuit shows the water level circuit diagram. In this circuit, This circuit uses a liquid level sensor to measure the level of water in the water tank. The circuit produces the sound when the sensor senses a drop of a water leak. The circuit is very simple to build with the Microcontroller and also using basic electrical and electronic components.
The IC used in this circuit is LM1801, and it is a low power comparator and it can also deliver high output current if needed. When the water reaches the sensor the reference voltage is below the minimum level and the IC drives the ceramic transducer to beep. The water level sensor circuit it is possible to use several sensors. The sensors can be easy to make a small piece of PCB which is etched with the proper pattern. The C3 capacitor is a decoupling capacitor it is a 100uF/16V electrolytic capacitor.
Applications of Water Level Indicator
- The water level indicator is used in Hotels, Home apartments, commercial complex, and in factories.
- The pumps used in the water level indicator are single phase motor, submersible motor, and in three phase motor.
- By using the two motors, two sumps, two overhead tanks we cannot control by a single circuit.
- Automatically the pump will switch ON/OFF when the water level in the tank is empty and full.
- We can also measure the fuel level in motor vehicles
- The liquid level containers are huge in the companies
Advantages of Water Level Indicator
- The water level indicators are low cost in the market
- Any person can identify the water level easily by hearing the beep sound
- By using this we can control the water level safely and easily
The information in the article is about the water level alarm circuit using 555timer. I hope by reading this article you have gained some basic knowledge about the water level indicator and if you have any queries regarding this article or about the engineering projects, please don’t hesitate to comment in the below section. Here is a question for you, what are the functions of the water level alarm circuit.
Photo Credits:
- Water level alarm circuit using level sensor electroschematics