You find out the caustic is low when the clean fails
Chemical tank level monitoring replaces the clipboard walk-round in the chemical room. CIP sets draw caustic and acid as fast as production runs, and most plants learn a tank is low by dipping it.
Safe Food Queensland's CIP note says a chemical that's too weak won't clean or sanitise. So a low tank holds up the next run.
- A sight glass or dip stick only tells you the level while someone's looking.
- Nothing is recorded, so you can't see use per shift.
Chemical tank level monitoring, tank by tank
- 1
A sensor on every tank
Radar goes on an existing roof nozzle of each bulk tank. A battery sensor screws into the 2 inch lid thread of each IBC.
- 2
Radio to the wall
Each sensor sends by LoRaWAN radio to a gateway high on the chemical room wall.
- 3
Out by 4G or Starlink
The gateway sends litres and days of stock to the dashboard. Alerts go to the people you nominate.
- 4
Silent sensor is an alert
If a sensor stops reporting for 2 to 3 expected readings, maintenance gets an email. Silence never looks like a steady level.
-
9:40 am
Caustic T1 fell 6% in 30 min outside a clean. Check valves.
-
Thu 2:15 pm
Caustic T1 up to 4,100 L after delivery. Back above reorder level.
What lands on your phone when a tank runs low
-
7:02 am
Caustic T1 at 1,500 L, 5 days of stock. Reorder level reached. Supplier notified.
-
9:40 am
Caustic T1 fell 6% in 30 min outside a clean. Check valves.
-
Thu 2:15 pm
Caustic T1 up to 4,100 L after delivery. Back above reorder level.
Caustic T1 level, 5,000 L tank
Dashboard view
- Caustic T1
- 1,500 L
- Days of stock
- 5
- Acid T2
- 3,200 L
What we fit in the chemical room
-
Radar sensor for bulk tanks
Reads from the roof nozzle, clear of the inlet, agitator and ladder.
Reads every 5 to 15 min
-
IBC lid sensor
Screws into the 2 inch lid thread and reports litres left in the IBC.
Reads every 15 to 60 min
-
4-20 mA converter
Sends an existing level transmitter's reading by radio. Your PLC keeps its own loop.
Uses your instrument
-
Bund leak sensor
Sits at the lowest point of a bund or tray and flags liquid.
Alert on change
-
Gateway on the wall
Picks up every sensor and sends out by Starlink or 4G.
Placed after a signal test
The same week, with and without a level alert
Without monitoring
- MondayProduction lifts. Caustic use climbs. Nobody's dipping the tank.
- ThursdayThe tank runs near empty. The supplier's round is Monday.
- Friday 5 amThe clean comes up weak. Production is held.
With monitoring
- MondayLevel and days of stock show on the dashboard.
- Tuesday 7 amReorder alert texts the buyer. The supplier sees it too.
- ThursdayThe truck arrives with room in the tank. No hold-up.
Today versus with chemical tank level monitoring
| Topic | Today | With monitoring |
|---|---|---|
| Knowing the level | A dip or a sight glass when someone looks | Litres and days of stock on your phone |
| Reordering | A fixed round or a phone call | An alert at your reorder level, supplier included |
| A leak or open valve | Found on the next walk-round | A fast fall outside a clean texts maintenance |
In a food plant chemical room
Steel frames and concrete block radio. We test the signal at every sensor position before anything's fixed.
Your locked truck fill point, hard-wired high-level switches and bunds stay as they are.
Bulk gas too? See bulk LPG tank monitoring. Dry ingredients? See flour silo monitoring. For the drain, see trade waste pH monitoring.
Remote reagents? See reagent tank monitoring for mines and CSG.
What it costs
We fix the price after a short scoping call or a site visit. It depends on how many tanks and IBCs, how far they are from the gateway, and how the gateway gets out. After handover, ongoing support is available as a plan.
Get a quote for chemical tank alertsThe fixed price covers
- Radar and IBC sensors for each tank you want watched
- Gateway, plus Starlink or 4G backhaul
- Installation and electrical work under QLD Electrical Contractor Licence 1513082
- Alert set-up, reorder rules and a check against a known volume
- A trial run of the alerts through one supplier delivery, and training
- Ongoing support plan: we keep it running, replace batteries and sensors, and tune alerts
What this won't do
- It's not overfill protection. Readings come every few minutes, so your hard-wired high-level switches, interlocks and delivery procedure stay in place.
- It measures how much chemical is in the tank, not its strength. Strength control stays with your CIP system and checks.
- Foam, crystallised caustic and condensation can give false echoes. Sensors are indicative, not billing grade.