Help on a Project!

[alchad]

Hi,

I'm a "newbie" with almost zero electronics knowledge, but I can use a soldering iron and have a few grey cells left, so am looking for some advice.

By way of background, I live in a rural part of the country and water for my house is supplied from a "borehole". Water is pumped from the borehole to a concrete tank reservoir about 1000 metres away up a hill. The pump is controlled by a timeswitch which operates for a variable period, usually between 1 and 3 hours which is usually sufficient to fill the reservoir. The time varies because the reservoir also supplies animal drinking troughs on a neighbouring farm and the animals drink more in the summer. The reservoir supplies water to the house and drinking troughs by gravity feed.

I try and adjust the time switch so that it just fills the reservoir, otherwise it overfills it which is wasteful on water and power, but sometimes I get it wrong and we suddenly find the water is turning brown as we are draining the dregs from the reservoir and I have to readjust the time switch.

What I would like to do is build some sort of remote wireless on-off arrangement based on the level in the reservoir. The idea being that when the level falls to a predetermined level the borehole pump will be switched on by a wireless signal and then after filling up to say 90% level another wireless signal will switch the pump off. There is no power at the reservoir so I envisage a small solar panel to provide power for the wireless part. MY DIY skills are such that I am sure I can devise some form of float switches to make/break a circuit, but what I am looking for is some advice on the type of kit I need to incorporate to perform the on/off wireless switching at the reservoir and the on/off borehole pump switching at the borehole. The pump is big beast (about .5KW) so I would presumably need some relay in the circuit at this end. I have a friend who is a qualified electrician and can do all the 240Volt mods at borehole pump, ""all" I need is what sort of kit to incorporate into the pump starter circuit!!

I appreciate this is pretty much a shot in the dark, and I'm not even sure I asking the right people - or should I say the right branch of electronics - so please don't be too harsh in your replies!!

Thanks

Alchad

[Biffo]

The cheepest and quickest way is, to
regulate the water into the tank with a toilet ball cock?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_cock

IE as soon as the water level drops, the float opens the valve and the water fills again and this (coupled to a pump that goes on when the pressure drop)s is surely the easiest way of controlling this?

However if you want to do something exciting then howabout a tank reader you can control from your PC on mobile phone frequency?


http://www.tankgauges.co.uk/c2/uploads/ ... _03_08.pdf

This is obviously for a road tanker but this company can adapt to what ever spec/fluid you need (Iam assuming you live in the UK)
check out all their products and ask them.
http://www.tankgauges.co.uk/Products.html

Then to keep it powered how about a small wind turbine (assuming its high up) coupled to a lead acid battery/ charger
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?cri ... ce=15&SD=Y


what do you think?

[Biffo]

Alcad obviously a reply too much effort for you?

this is why nobody gets any further help .