# \[ANNOUNCE\] node-red-contrib-tank-volume: beta
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/announce-node-red-contrib-tank-volume-beta/47101
**Category:** Share Your Nodes
**Created:** [13 June 2021 12:58 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/announce-node-red-contrib-tank-volume-beta/47101 "2021-06-13T12:58:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Christian-Me](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Christian-Me)
#### Post date: [19 June 2021 08:50 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/announce-node-red-contrib-tank-volume-beta/47101/42 "2021-06-19T08:50:01Z")
A little bit of topic ...
I have of these TL-136 (0-1m) pressure sensors for my pond on my desk (they are available in different ranges). They are a bit pricy, but should work fine.
I tried to use the water proof ultra sonic sensors too but they have a minimum sensing distance around 0,4-0,5m - which is a game stopper for me. A non waterproof ultrasonic sensor died quickly cause by the harsh outside conditions. Also I have all the parts (ping pong ball, pipe, transparent case for a DIY ToF range sensor [VL53L0X - Time-of-Flight ranging sensor - STMicroelectronics](https://www.st.com/en/imaging-and-photonics-solutions/vl53l0x.html) ... but no time 😉
If you have access to the outside of the tank a pressure sensor like these
should work. I use them to supervise my pumps. They should work not only with water (Tip: Be carefull with electrodepotentials - one of these corroded away in weeks connected to the metal pipes of the pump where others isolated by plasic pipes look as new 50cm downstream after 3 years.
I only need a range of 0-10cm to make sure that the skimmers work as intended and the balanced system with 3 connected ponds is not blocked to avoid that the circulation pump drain some ponds downstream while overfilling the ponds before.
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### Author:  [@BartButenaers](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/BartButenaers)
#### Post date: [19 June 2021 09:07 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/announce-node-red-contrib-tank-volume-beta/47101/43 "2021-06-19T09:07:09Z")
> [@BartButenaers](#):
>
> It would be nice if some folks could do some tests with this node. There are a lot of online tank calculators available, so you can easily compare the results... Thanks!!!!
BTW you don't need to have sensors installed to be able to test my node. You can easily inject test messages (with fictive measured heights), like in the example flow on my readme page.
Would really like to have some folks that could test it before I publish it on NPM, because it would be a pity if something goes wrong with somebody's tank due to some stupid bug in my code...
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### Author:  [@impvan](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/impvan)
#### Post date: [21 June 2021 09:55 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/announce-node-red-contrib-tank-volume-beta/47101/44 "2021-06-21T09:55:21Z")
If you're using ultrasonic to measure level in a tank, the sender really ought to be in the middle of the top not off to one side; and the tank shouldn't have internal baffles or horizontal ribs. This rules out most heating oil tanks!
One way to mitigate is to mount the ultrasonic unit in a short pipe, then fit the pipe to the tank. I suppose the tube acts as a 'waveguide' and seems to avoid the spurious signals from side reflections. I found it'll even work around bends, so you can mount the sender horizontally with an elbow fitting onto the downtube. My particular oil tank has a 2" top connection, so the sender is fitted at the top of a 300mm piece of 50mm waste pipe with a threaded boss on the bottom which screws into the filling neck.
It seems to be more repeatable than my Mk1 version - which was a pressure sensor on top of the sight tube. This arrangement worked, but was very temperature sensitive due to the trapped air column in the sight tube.
An unexpected advantage seems to be that this bit of tube with wires, an aerial, and a clear lidded box with a Wemos in, seems to have deterred the local oil thieves - neighbours have had their oil stolen, mine has been left alone....
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### Author:  [@BartButenaers](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/BartButenaers)
#### Post date: [21 June 2021 10:10 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/announce-node-red-contrib-tank-volume-beta/47101/45 "2021-06-21T10:10:02Z")
> [@impvan](#):
>
> I found it'll even work around bends
@impvan,
Thanks for this usefull info!
So I assume you could also use a bended pipe to estimate the length of an underground tank, if you are not sure about the dimensions...
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### Author:  [@molesworth](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/molesworth)
#### Post date: [21 June 2021 16:50 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/announce-node-red-contrib-tank-volume-beta/47101/46 "2021-06-21T16:50:27Z")
> [@molesworth](#):
>
> Once the sensors arrive I'll set up some tests and try your node out. It looks like it will do exactly what's needed, and I can add oil level to my dashboard 🙂
I've had the sensors for a couple of days, but been busy with stuff for a charity I volunteer with. A quick test with the JSN SR04T ultrasonic sensor shows a slight difference between the actual and measured distance in the setup I'm using, but I'll see if I can figure out what's causing it. It does seem to be pretty reliable though.
The other one I've bought is the [VL53L0X TOF Laser Ranging Sensor](https://hobbycomponents.com/sensors/961-vl53l0x-tof-laser-ranging-sensor-module), which I haven't tested yet.
More info in a couple of days once I've tried them both in a few different environments...
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### Author:  [@Chaos](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Chaos)
#### Post date: [24 June 2021 21:41 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/announce-node-red-contrib-tank-volume-beta/47101/47 "2021-06-24T21:41:13Z")
Dont fill that oil tank with buckets of water. LOL
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### Author:  [@BartButenaers](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/BartButenaers)
#### Post date: [19 August 2021 21:15 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/announce-node-red-contrib-tank-volume-beta/47101/48 "2021-08-19T21:15:50Z")
Version _ **1.0.0** _ has been published on npm:
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### Author:  [@molesworth](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/molesworth)
#### Post date: [19 August 2021 22:11 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/announce-node-red-contrib-tank-volume-beta/47101/49 "2021-08-19T22:11:51Z")
That reminds me - I never did finish testing the laser and ultrasonic sensors. Something to do this weekend...
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### Author:  [@BartButenaers](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/BartButenaers)
#### Post date: [17 February 2022 21:37 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/announce-node-red-contrib-tank-volume-beta/47101/50 "2022-02-17T21:37:32Z")
> [@impvan](#):
>
> the sender is fitted at the top of a 300mm piece of 50mm waste pipe with a threaded boss on the bottom which screws into the filling neck
Hi @impvan,
Could you please share a quick scetch of how this looks like, because I have a hard time to imagine it.
I only found [this](https://forum.mysensors.org/topic/10551/trouble-with-the-jsn-sr04t/2) discussion, where bgunnarb has been so kind to show pictures of his own solution:
But he explicit says that the sensor needs to be mounted **at the bottom end** of a (30 mm outer diameter) plastic tube. While you say it needs at the _ **top** _ of the tube. It makes indeed more sense to me to install it at the top of the small tube, since the tube itself is used as a _'waveguide'_. Here my quick scetch:
On the other hand, don't you get reflections inside the small tube when you install it at the top of the tube? Will need to find some time to experiment with it...
I assume you use a short (30 mm) tube because for a longer tube, the (good water) reflections won't find their way back into the tube?
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### Author:  [@StrongTown](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/StrongTown)
#### Post date: [20 February 2022 15:58 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/announce-node-red-contrib-tank-volume-beta/47101/51 "2022-02-20T15:58:52Z")
`BartButenaers` That's truly awesome and amazing, I wish I knew how to create nodes like that.
But ahead of that, how do you create those animations for the forum board here? There are times I'd like to do that.
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### Author:  [@BartButenaers](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/BartButenaers)
#### Post date: [20 February 2022 16:36 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/announce-node-red-contrib-tank-volume-beta/47101/52 "2022-02-20T16:36:22Z")
Hey @StrongTown,
Have a look [here](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/node-config-screen-show-details-of-a-table-row/11958/14), and read the comments from others.
Bart
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### Author:  [@StrongTown](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/StrongTown)
#### Post date: [20 February 2022 17:20 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/announce-node-red-contrib-tank-volume-beta/47101/53 "2022-02-20T17:20:28Z")
Thank you.
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### Author:  [@WBr](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/WBr)
#### Post date: [23 May 2022 12:59 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/announce-node-red-contrib-tank-volume-beta/47101/54 "2022-05-23T12:59:20Z")
How do you read this data with a Raspberry pi?
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### Author:  [@xx\_Nexus\_xx](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/xx_Nexus_xx)
#### Post date: [24 May 2022 01:29 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/announce-node-red-contrib-tank-volume-beta/47101/55 "2022-05-24T01:29:18Z")
I'm using a [distance sensor with tasmota](https://tasmota.github.io/docs/HC-SR04/) to measure ... retrieving the info via MQTT ... works great
see [here](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/water-level-meter-sr04m-2/56580/19)
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