Monitoring water depth in a well?

[tshep]

If I may offer...I doubt you really want an air pressure, or vacuum operated system - that's an additional device to install, run, and maintain. If you have a pump, you already have electicity - that's probably all the utilities you need.

Think if you really need a constant monitor of variable level, or just to know if the level is blow a certain point. Mostly, sensing of a point is much cheaper than determining a range. Based on what you wrote, may be 170 would be good control point - at that point you control the people (usage) until you're back above (and at that time you would know level was on the low side and it would be time to physically check more often.)

HVAC systems often have a low voltage moisture sensor for upstairs units - to detect before the condenser is overflowing to the ceiling - cheap and safe.

For just convenience sensing, I believe I would try a weighted float first - on a string, to a pivot arm that would raise a flag against a light spring - a remote-view version of the dip stick methods. Easy to design and test on the bench, and then just add a longer string.


I missed that IP part - that would be a long string, wouldn't it?
Something you could do is just supply or remove power to something that has an adjustable address - a switch signal (however developed) makes or breaks an old router or modem that has an unusual address - say 192.168.11.11 - if you can ping it on the network you know the water is high or low, etc....

 

[dmccarty]

I too have wanted to be able to measure the static water depth in the well but never really looked that hard.

I was a bit concerned about the static water depth a few years ago when we where in the middle of a multi year drought. I googled and found a website that had well water depths over time for wells around my state. Even during a very bad drought period the well depths had dropped about 10%. Our well has 223 feet of water in it so to loose 10% or even 20% is a who cares. There was a shallow 36 inch diameter well in Chapel Hill that had not lost much water which surprised me.

Search the Internet for well water monitoring in your state and see what shows up. I think some of the wells were based on Federal data but I can't be sure.

I still wish I had a little gauge showing the water depth.

Later,
Dan

 

[Iplayfarmer]

It sounds like the biggest challenge is getting something that can be monitored remotely. The easiest and cheapest methods (bubbler, chalk stick, and string with flag) don't lend themselves well to remote monitoring.

I guess worst case scenario you could put a remote camera looking at a gauge.

 

[Redneck in training]

There is a device called displacer. The beauty of it is relative simplicity and that the sensor is above ground and easily accessible. The displacer is an object (in example sealed 1/2" cooper or plastic pipe) hanging on a spring in the well. Because the volume of the displacer and specific gravity of water are also known it is easy to calculate the force extorted on the spring depending on how much water it displaced. The change in length of the spring is the measure of the water level change. Since the device can generate relatively large force it could be connected to large arrow visible from distance or operate switches etc. If you find a device that would convert the mechanical analog signal (spring length) to digital signal you could send it by X10 or similar system via power line feeding the pump to the house.

 

[dex3361]

It sounds like the biggest challenge is getting something that can be monitored remotely. The easiest and cheapest methods (bubbler, chalk stick, and string with flag) don't lend themselves well to remote monitoring.

I guess worst case scenario you could put a remote camera looking at a gauge.

It can be done if you want to spend the money. Any 4-20 milliamp(from any pressure transmitter) signal can be the input to an RTU (remote Telemetry Unit) and can be sent fiber optic, Radio signal or hard wired. The question will then be do you want to spend the money to monitor the well depth. The cheapest Guage mount will be a bubbler type or a submersed pressure transmitter

 

[Egon]

There is a device called displacer. The beauty of it is relative simplicity and that the sensor is above ground and easily accessible. The displacer is an object (in example sealed 1/2" cooper or plastic pipe) hanging on a spring in the well. Because the volume of the displacer and specific gravity of water are also known it is easy to calculate the force extorted on the spring depending on how much water it displaced. The change in length of the spring is the measure of the water level change. Since the device can generate relatively large force it could be connected to large arrow visible from distance or operate switches etc. If you find a device that would convert the mechanical analog signal (spring length) to digital signal you could send it by X10 or similar system via power line feeding the pump to the house.

Why not use a strain gauge?

 

[The Dougster]

I'm still questioning the necessity of monitoring the static water level constantly... certainly it can be done but why? Unless your well is drilled into a karst aquifer, you will see very little change in the static level... <sigh>

 

[hr3]

Might be a stupid question but why would you set a pump not even half way down the hole,,,another 150' would almost double the standby water.. and still have 50' of clearance from the bottom???

 

[dcyrilc]

Might be a stupid question but why would you set a pump not even half way down the hole,,,another 150' would almost double the standby water.. and still have 50' of clearance from the bottom???

It was where the well contractor recommended putting it. I have never had a problem with it, but since it was drilled and the origional draw down test done, I have known several people whos wells have dried up during exceptionaly dry summers. Their water came back after we had some rain, but it got me to thinking... I have no way of knowing what my well has done during these periods other than that I have not run out of water. I could have easily been down to one or two feet of water above the pump and never known. Plus, since I don't live at the ranch and everything is automated, I figure it would not hurt to be able to remotely check the water level in the shaft during extremely dry conditions.

There are weather stations which allow remote monitoring and can graph hourly reading of rain fall for up to a year. My thought is that something similar for the well would be nice if a way can be found to do it.

I have thought about a low level alarm, but I realistically am only at the well house maybe 2 or 3 times a year and the well house is around 1000 feet from the main ranch where I spend my time. It could go off for two months without me ever knowing. Remote monitoring would allow me to check from home when I think about it and if I see a trend which could become questionable, I could do closer monitoring or even shut down the well for a period if need be before the 3HP pump ran dry.

 

[Egon]

May be the easiest solution for you is to get into contact with an Instrument/Electrical technician and get them to design a system for you.

The chances are an add hock system may not produce the results you wish.