Simple Water Level Detection System Using Transistors

How do we know the level of water in our water tanks? An answer to this question is as simple as hitting the sides of the tank with your hands and judging the level with the sound the tank gives back. What if your tank is stationed at a high inaccessible ground level? This method would be useless in such a case. This project has a solution to this problem. In the project, we are going to see how to monitor the level of water in a tank using transistors in a simple DIY circuitry. We are also going to see what we need to design a PCB for this project.

Components Used

The project is made up of reliable relatively cheap materials to come by. It is composed of a buzzer, transistors, and resistors as the main building blocks of the project. Below is a listing of the components used to make this project.

Circuit Diagram and How it Works

Image: Circuit diagram

The system is built from a BC547 transistor, 100Ω and 1K resistors, LED indicators, and a buzzer. The system works in a way that the lighting of LED acts as an indicator of the water level in the tank. The system works with a 9V power supply.

Consider the water level connection image below;

A, B, C, D and Positive Volt connection of the power supply is to be connected at different levels in the tank to a conductor metal plate.

The positive volts plate is connected at the bottommost part of the water tank where it is in contact with water constantly even at low levels.

A B, C, and D plates are connected at an interval of 25% of the total tank’s height. When these plates are in contact with water in the tank, the resultant LED corresponding to the plate lights up thereby allowing for a simple visual indication of the water level. When water is full, the plate at point A activates the buzzer which can then prompt one to turn off the pump or close the inlet gate valve.

Image: Water Level Connection.

Advantages of this system

1.    Easy and reliable to construct as the parts can be easily acquired.

2.    Relatively cheap components as compared to conventional water level indicators.

3.    Saves on the wastage of overflow water in the tank.

PCB layout

Image: PCB layout

The design of the PCB for this project was done using KiCAD EDA due to the high precision and accuracy of the system. This brings out a PCB that meets production and market demands.

3D render

Below is a 3D render of the PCB.

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