HI CAN YOU HELP ME HERE. I have a big problem with a reservoir for animal feed. It periodically gets filled from a silo which is very high up and so the water comes down from such a high pressure so it causes waves in my water tank. Any float switch I tried has flicked on and off rapidly. I have had two solenoids burn out and I've tried timer switches already, any ideas????
Sorry dear you've been having problems with your tank. We have in fact been filming a video about things like this. Your problem is quite common. I will send you some links. ruclips.net/video/355QKx36WCU/видео.htmlfeature=shared IACS FLOAT KIT X-Series Kit 2 - Intelligent Pump and Solenoid Protection and Control System: Ripple Correction Code amzn.eu/d/hrCHjFg If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to get in touch!
@@yahya55955 hello yes you will definitely need a board if you are planning to use any ordinary float switch with a pump. Pumps in particular take a big surge of power when they turn on and off, this will be too much for the vast majority of float switches which use a magnetic Reed switch. The float switch itself can only turn on and off a small amount of power. To control a greater load and to protect the circuitry, people often use a generic relay board... But we developed this one shown in the video do work specifically with a float switch of this type. Meaning it is far easier to install and more reliable to use. Please let us know if you have any other questions
Solenoid wiring is the same as pump wiring. We will be doing a video about solenoids in the near future. If you have any specific questions about your solenoid valve and project, please feel free to comment and we will make sure your questions are answered in more detail. 😊 Please note that solenoids can often cause a power surge, so you may need to fit a capacitor. Please let us know your solenoid details if you require further assistance.
Hello, good to hear from you. We can certainly help with your requirements for a hydroponics system, we can produce a float switch kit with integrated adjustable timer to water once every for example 8 hours for 10 minutes each time but to make it easier to adjust, it may be best if you used another 'off the shelf' timer for the watering cycle and routed it through our baords and float switches to control and monitor the tank levels and operate the pumps / valves you may need - if you would like to contact us direct you can on services@iacselectronics.com and we can send you some further information & options.
Hello we are very sorry for the very late reply, we have been inundated with work and we have made many improvements to our services and products. At this precise moment, the best place to find our products is on Amazon. We will update the links in the description shortly. You can view data sheets on iacs electronics.com
Sorry for our slow reply, we have been working through backorders. The board shown in this video can be found at iacselectronics.com, updated links in description. Thanks!
Hello, in theory all you have to do is complete the circuit for the float switch. When the circuit is closed, the relay will activate. We have other versions of this kit including twin float switch arrangements, ripple / wave correction and more, as well as timed and contactless versions. We have other boards designed to work with NPN sensors, if you would like me to look at a specific model of sensor please feel free to send me a link to an item or datasheet and I can advise.
How do i connect this to the water pump? I mean, I want to install this inside of the water tank, and every time if the water will fall below the right water level, the sensor will turn on the water pump which is inside of the well
Yes this is achievable. Depending on the size of your pump and whether a single point of monitoring is sufficient, this kit is suitable. However you may want to consider our new fkx which offers many more protection features as well as a superior switching capacity and many other improvements. Please let us know if you have any further questions or more specific details about your installation.
If you would like to use are float switch to operate a motor, you will need to determine the starting and stopping position of the motor. You can get linear actuators, which is a bit like a robotic piston. They can be used to move things up and down. We have had kids like this used to open and close windows by combining them with a linear actuator. However you may need a secondary timer or switch to make sure the motor doesn't move it too far. Please feel free to follow up with additional information about your project. We would be happy to advise.
@@jeheildelfin355 Hello, in theory yes it could. We don't supply / build GSM or SMS capable boards at the present time but you could probably link a switch to an arduino and create a custom sketch with a SIM / GSM add-on board (shield).
Can you not directly wire it on 12v? So the main live to one side of the switch, then on to the lamp on the other side, and the earth directly to the battery?
@@jonathanrodriguez8219 hello thank you for your comment... If you are using something such as a solenoid running from a DC power source, you probably need to put some sort of circuit protection in to make sure that the fluctuation doesn't affect the board. We recommend the addition of a capacitor to the circuit if using a solenoid powered from the same DC circuit. The x series board has got built-in fluctuation protection but it is only limited. If you are using mains power or anything other than 12 volts DC for your switch side you definitely need to isolate it from the supply side of the board. Supply side range is 9 volts to 14.5 volts DC only. You can run a 12-volt DC pump from the same power source as the bored easily because the board is quite resilient and will protect its own circuitry. But you may need to account for drops in voltage if the pump takes a surge when it turns on.
Hi IACS Electronics , Scenario: Considering I have a 10ft tank and I want to install 2 such switches; 1 at top and 1 at bottom. If I don't want to drill holes in my tanks body to fit these, I had a alternative idea of using a non-corrosive material strip of 10ft having the 2 switches fitted to it at required heights(top and bottom). Now coming to my question, if I put this setup of the strip into my tank my bottom switch would be completely submerged into the water and probably my top switch also. So is it okay if they are completely inside the water??? Any possible failure or issue it might cause???
Hello, good question. In theory yes you could mount them on a strip and then submerged them completely but there may be a tidier and more reliable way of achieving your goal. If you do wish to Mount them in such a way I recommend coating the back in HA6 RTV silicone sealant but you may overall be better off either using a long shaft stainless steel barrel switch (or pair of) alternatively a contactless float switch sensor which would be stuck to the side of the tank with foam or adhesive. Another thing to consider is if you are planning to use two float switches to either co-ordinate filling or draining of a tank, you may be better off using one of our twin float switch control kits rather than two singles. If you would be happy to share more about what you're trying to achieve using the switches and what the tank is for, I would be happy to advise further.
@@IACSElectronics The main goal is to setup these switches inside my domestic water tank. I have one underground tank(main tank) from which water is pulled into another tanks situated on terrace(drinking water). Since its for drinking I am trying to avoid adhesive's or any sticky solutions to be used inside the tank. More over I am looking for a low/no maintenance electronic sensor which should not be affected by water conditions(salts, PH values, etc. )as it would be under water for years. The output of this sensor would be given to the controller which will then automatically turn ON/OFF the ground pump. If possible, can you share product reference links so that I can check the functioning and see if its usable in my case.
Hello, if that is a 100 amp as in amp hour (Ah) battery such as a lead acid leisure battery then the answer is yes you can, however if the battery puts out or spikes over 14.9 volts (e.g. if you have other things connected to the battery such as motors, compressors or chargers) it would be a good idea to connect a 12V regulator between the board and the battery, we can supply a suitable one (that can be adjusted / tuned to a good consistent voltage) with the board if needed for an additional 10 GBP.
@@peshrawahmadebrahem991 You're welcome. The float switch its self can be used in an HHO tank provided the tempurature doesn't exceed 80 C / degrees centigrade. but it shouldn't be used to switch the load from a lead acid battery without the relay board because even under a low load, the power from a battery such as that will most likely weld the contacts inside the float switch / reed switch together causing it to stick in the ON position or burn out.
I need a video and board for two float switches. One low level turns on pump till it reaches second float switch that turns off pump. Pump in question will be a 12 vdc type. Any help would be appreciated.
You could use a timer relay, set it to 10 minutes or whatever and use a second floatswitch(FS2) to disconnect power to that timer relay and reset the relay until FS1 The lower switch (FS1) will activate the time relay and start the pump for X minutes. The higher switch (FS2) will return power to the relay as soon as the water level drops again, when it's low enough for FS1 then the relay starts the pump again. If FS2 fails for whatever reason then the pump will automatically stop after X minutes, minimizing overflow. It might be an idea to measure the time it needs to fill the reservoir and set time relay accordingly but differences in waterpressure might make this hard. Using a pressure vat results in consistent pressure for timer relay and less wear on the pump itself increases lifetime because it doesn't have to switch on/off each time the reservoir is filled.
@@MegaKbyrne We have released a version of this board which has 2 float switches and an intelligent control system to manage drainage or filling actions in various water tanks and scenarios.
What I don't understand here is the sw connections that the water level sensor is connected to are negative or positive? If the sw connections are negative, can't both wires of the water level sensor be combined and plugged into one connection? Or if the sw connections are positive can't both wires of the water level sensor be combined and plugged into one connection? (I don't know if the sw connections are positive or negative, so I'm thinking of assumptions) If this assumption is correct, two separate water level sensors can be connected to two separate sw connections. Why are both wires of the water level sensor plugged into the sw connection separately? I will be glad if you answer this question. My aim is to use 3 water level sensors. What to do to connect multiple water level sensors?
Hello, they are in and out signal lines which puts out a positive voltage of approximately 3 to 5 volts. The second wire carries the signal back from the float switch. It is hypothetically possible to wire two switches either in series or parallel through that connector. However it would only work if you are going to be having the one relay switch operate when both are up or down. Some people use it as a backup incase a switch should ever fail.
@@IACSElectronics Light adapter everything is 12 volts... If we determined 3 levels and connected 3 sensors to measure the water level, what should the connections be? The way it works is as follows: The first light will turn on when the water rises to the 1st sensor level at the bottom, and the second light will turn on when the water level rises to the second sensor in the middle. The 3rd light will turn on when the water rises to the top sensor when the can is full.
HI CAN YOU HELP ME HERE. I have a big problem with a reservoir for animal feed. It periodically gets filled from a silo which is very high up and so the water comes down from such a high pressure so it causes waves in my water tank. Any float switch I tried has flicked on and off rapidly. I have had two solenoids burn out and I've tried timer switches already, any ideas????
Hey mate. I've got the same problem. We stuck the float switch in the tube in the end but it is far from reliable.
Sorry dear you've been having problems with your tank. We have in fact been filming a video about things like this. Your problem is quite common. I will send you some links. ruclips.net/video/355QKx36WCU/видео.htmlfeature=shared
IACS FLOAT KIT X-Series Kit 2 - Intelligent Pump and Solenoid Protection and Control System: Ripple Correction Code amzn.eu/d/hrCHjFg
If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to get in touch!
shared. great explanation and great product. fits our requirement perfectly. THX
Many thanks for your feedback. We are very glad to hear about your experiences.
Hello. Do I really need a board for the float switch to turn on a 12v water pump ? Or can be without a board?
@@yahya55955 hello yes you will definitely need a board if you are planning to use any ordinary float switch with a pump. Pumps in particular take a big surge of power when they turn on and off, this will be too much for the vast majority of float switches which use a magnetic Reed switch. The float switch itself can only turn on and off a small amount of power. To control a greater load and to protect the circuitry, people often use a generic relay board... But we developed this one shown in the video do work specifically with a float switch of this type. Meaning it is far easier to install and more reliable to use. Please let us know if you have any other questions
Very Nice
Thank you!
i need this to turn a solonoid water valve on and off and have the water sensor on to but the vid dose not show that ?
Solenoid wiring is the same as pump wiring. We will be doing a video about solenoids in the near future. If you have any specific questions about your solenoid valve and project, please feel free to comment and we will make sure your questions are answered in more detail. 😊 Please note that solenoids can often cause a power surge, so you may need to fit a capacitor. Please let us know your solenoid details if you require further assistance.
Hello. I am the one who inquired via eBay about a timer float switch here in the usa
Hello, good to hear from you. We can certainly help with your requirements for a hydroponics system, we can produce a float switch kit with integrated adjustable timer to water once every for example 8 hours for 10 minutes each time but to make it easier to adjust, it may be best if you used another 'off the shelf' timer for the watering cycle and routed it through our baords and float switches to control and monitor the tank levels and operate the pumps / valves you may need - if you would like to contact us direct you can on services@iacselectronics.com and we can send you some further information & options.
Price and availability
Hello we are very sorry for the very late reply, we have been inundated with work and we have made many improvements to our services and products. At this precise moment, the best place to find our products is on Amazon. We will update the links in the description shortly. You can view data sheets on iacs electronics.com
Do you have updated links?
Sorry for our slow reply, we have been working through backorders. The board shown in this video can be found at iacselectronics.com, updated links in description. Thanks!
This kit would work with an optical sensor too right? It is just checking to see if the connection is open or closed.
Hello, in theory all you have to do is complete the circuit for the float switch. When the circuit is closed, the relay will activate. We have other versions of this kit including twin float switch arrangements, ripple / wave correction and more, as well as timed and contactless versions. We have other boards designed to work with NPN sensors, if you would like me to look at a specific model of sensor please feel free to send me a link to an item or datasheet and I can advise.
Can you supply a link to a twin float switch kit?
Hello, sorry for our slow reply. We have designed a twin switch kit which we will be listing shortly.
How do i connect this to the water pump? I mean, I want to install this inside of the water tank, and every time if the water will fall below the right water level, the sensor will turn on the water pump which is inside of the well
Yes this is achievable. Depending on the size of your pump and whether a single point of monitoring is sufficient, this kit is suitable. However you may want to consider our new fkx which offers many more protection features as well as a superior switching capacity and many other improvements. Please let us know if you have any further questions or more specific details about your installation.
Can we use of this device in pit which is motor up and down ??
If you would like to use are float switch to operate a motor, you will need to determine the starting and stopping position of the motor. You can get linear actuators, which is a bit like a robotic piston. They can be used to move things up and down. We have had kids like this used to open and close windows by combining them with a linear actuator. However you may need a secondary timer or switch to make sure the motor doesn't move it too far. Please feel free to follow up with additional information about your project. We would be happy to advise.
If you have any requests, ideas or suggestions to improve our products or videos - please let us know.
Can I run the board on a 100 amp and 12 volt battery?
can the switch trigger an sms message using an arduino and a gsm module?
@@jeheildelfin355 Hello, in theory yes it could. We don't supply / build GSM or SMS capable boards at the present time but you could probably link a switch to an arduino and create a custom sketch with a SIM / GSM add-on board (shield).
Hi how can I get these sensors?
Hello, these are built to order. You can order them on our website iacselectronics.com
what are the little boards called?
The blue circuit boards are 'float kit board' or FK0. We sometimes sell these individually.
Can you not directly wire it on 12v?
So the main live to one side of the switch, then on to the lamp on the other side, and the earth directly to the battery?
You can share the supply with the switching side provided it matches the supplies input voltage 12V DC.
@@IACSElectronics didn't we need to isolate the switch from the load? Is is safe to have the same supply?
@@jonathanrodriguez8219 hello thank you for your comment... If you are using something such as a solenoid running from a DC power source, you probably need to put some sort of circuit protection in to make sure that the fluctuation doesn't affect the board. We recommend the addition of a capacitor to the circuit if using a solenoid powered from the same DC circuit. The x series board has got built-in fluctuation protection but it is only limited. If you are using mains power or anything other than 12 volts DC for your switch side you definitely need to isolate it from the supply side of the board. Supply side range is 9 volts to 14.5 volts DC only. You can run a 12-volt DC pump from the same power source as the bored easily because the board is quite resilient and will protect its own circuitry. But you may need to account for drops in voltage if the pump takes a surge when it turns on.
Hi IACS Electronics
,
Scenario:
Considering I have a 10ft tank and I want to install 2 such switches; 1 at top and 1 at bottom. If I don't want to drill holes in my tanks body to fit these, I had a alternative idea of using a non-corrosive material strip of 10ft having the 2 switches fitted to it at required heights(top and bottom).
Now coming to my question, if I put this setup of the strip into my tank my bottom switch would be completely submerged into the water and probably my top switch also. So is it okay if they are completely inside the water??? Any possible failure or issue it might cause???
Hello, good question. In theory yes you could mount them on a strip and then submerged them completely but there may be a tidier and more reliable way of achieving your goal. If you do wish to Mount them in such a way I recommend coating the back in HA6 RTV silicone sealant but you may overall be better off either using a long shaft stainless steel barrel switch (or pair of) alternatively a contactless float switch sensor which would be stuck to the side of the tank with foam or adhesive. Another thing to consider is if you are planning to use two float switches to either co-ordinate filling or draining of a tank, you may be better off using one of our twin float switch control kits rather than two singles. If you would be happy to share more about what you're trying to achieve using the switches and what the tank is for, I would be happy to advise further.
@@IACSElectronics The main goal is to setup these switches inside my domestic water tank. I have one underground tank(main tank) from which water is pulled into another tanks situated on terrace(drinking water).
Since its for drinking I am trying to avoid adhesive's or any sticky solutions to be used inside the tank. More over I am looking for a low/no maintenance electronic sensor which should not be affected by water conditions(salts, PH values, etc. )as it would be under water for years.
The output of this sensor would be given to the controller which will then automatically turn ON/OFF the ground pump. If possible, can you share product reference links so that I can check the functioning and see if its usable in my case.
Can I run the board on a 100 amp and 12 volt battery?
Hello, if that is a 100 amp as in amp hour (Ah) battery such as a lead acid leisure battery then the answer is yes you can, however if the battery puts out or spikes over 14.9 volts (e.g. if you have other things connected to the battery such as motors, compressors or chargers) it would be a good idea to connect a 12V regulator between the board and the battery, we can supply a suitable one (that can be adjusted / tuned to a good consistent voltage) with the board if needed for an additional 10 GBP.
@@IACSElectronics Thanks for the reply Can I use Water Level Float Switch for the tank hho when empty without the board
@@peshrawahmadebrahem991 You're welcome. The float switch its self can be used in an HHO tank provided the tempurature doesn't exceed 80 C / degrees centigrade. but it shouldn't be used to switch the load from a lead acid battery without the relay board because even under a low load, the power from a battery such as that will most likely weld the contacts inside the float switch / reed switch together causing it to stick in the ON position or burn out.
I need a video and board for two float switches. One low level turns on pump till it reaches second float switch that turns off pump. Pump in question will be a 12 vdc type. Any help would be appreciated.
You could use a timer relay, set it to 10 minutes or whatever and use a second floatswitch(FS2) to disconnect power to that timer relay and reset the relay until FS1
The lower switch (FS1) will activate the time relay and start the pump for X minutes.
The higher switch (FS2) will return power to the relay as soon as the water level drops again, when it's low enough for FS1 then the relay starts the pump again.
If FS2 fails for whatever reason then the pump will automatically stop after X minutes, minimizing overflow.
It might be an idea to measure the time it needs to fill the reservoir and set time relay accordingly but differences in waterpressure might make this hard.
Using a pressure vat results in consistent pressure for timer relay and less wear on the pump itself increases lifetime because it doesn't have to switch on/off each time the reservoir is filled.
@@fancyfakename8967 Thank you for the info.
@@MegaKbyrne We have released a version of this board which has 2 float switches and an intelligent control system to manage drainage or filling actions in various water tanks and scenarios.
What I don't understand here is the sw connections that the water level sensor is connected to are negative or positive? If the sw connections are negative, can't both wires of the water level sensor be combined and plugged into one connection? Or if the sw connections are positive can't both wires of the water level sensor be combined and plugged into one connection? (I don't know if the sw connections are positive or negative, so I'm thinking of assumptions) If this assumption is correct, two separate water level sensors can be connected to two separate sw connections. Why are both wires of the water level sensor plugged into the sw connection separately? I will be glad if you answer this question. My aim is to use 3 water level sensors. What to do to connect multiple water level sensors?
Hello, they are in and out signal lines which puts out a positive voltage of approximately 3 to 5 volts. The second wire carries the signal back from the float switch. It is hypothetically possible to wire two switches either in series or parallel through that connector. However it would only work if you are going to be having the one relay switch operate when both are up or down. Some people use it as a backup incase a switch should ever fail.
@@IACSElectronics Light adapter everything is 12 volts... If we determined 3 levels and connected 3 sensors to measure the water level, what should the connections be? The way it works is as follows: The first light will turn on when the water rises to the 1st sensor level at the bottom, and the second light will turn on when the water level rises to the second sensor in the middle. The 3rd light will turn on when the water rises to the top sensor when the can is full.