Heating oil and fuel tanks
A tank that runs dry before the delivery stops the heating. Theft shows as a rapid loss, the night it happens.
Tank level monitoring tag
The ZARC tank level tag reports how full a tank is, in real time, and alerts on low and high levels, on a sudden drop and on a slow loss that points to a leak. The sensor is chosen to the tank: an ultrasonic sensor reading down from the top or a pressure sensor at the base for open or vented tanks, and a differential pressure sensor for closed or pressurised tanks, which allows for the pressure above the liquid.
01
What it reports
A dipstick or sight glass tells only the person who reads it. The tag reads the level around the clock and shows it as a height, a percentage or a volume, worked out from the tank's shape.
Four alerts cover the ways a tank goes wrong: a low limit before it runs dry, a high limit before it overfills, a rapid loss that points to theft or a failure, and a slow loss that points to a leak.
The method follows the tank. In an open or vented tank, a pressure sensor at the base reads the head of liquid above it directly, or an ultrasonic sensor reads down from the top without touching the liquid. In a closed or pressurised tank, a differential pressure sensor measures the base against the space above the liquid, so tank pressure does not distort the reading.
02
Applications
Wherever a tank runs dry, overflows or loses what it holds unnoticed, the tag has a job. These are the tanks we are asked about most, and the list is not exhaustive.
Generator day tanks and bulk fuel
Standby fuel that must be there when the generator starts.
Water storage and cold water tanks
How long the building has once the incoming main has gone.
Rainwater and grey water
Harvesting tanks, and when to switch to a mains top-up.
Effluent and septic tanks
A high level alerts before an overflow, so the tanker is booked on time rather than after a spill.
Chemical and dosing tanks
IBCs and dosing tanks refilled before they run out and the process stops.
Private and rural water supplies
Storage tanks on supplies with no mains to fall back on.
Bunded tanks
Water collecting in the bund is watched alongside the level in the tank.
03
Where it can go
The sensor goes where the tank allows, and the tag goes where it is safe and easy to reach, joined by a cable. Typical positions:
On top of the tank
An ultrasonic sensor reading down through a spare opening.
At the base
A pressure sensor on a bottom tapping, or lowered into an open tank.
Across a closed tank
A differential pressure sensor between the base and the top.
On IBCs and small tanks
The sensor in the lid or a spare port.
Outdoors
Yards, farms and compounds, in an enclosure specified for the location.
Across an estate
Every tank on every site on one dashboard.
04
In the dashboard
Every tank shows its live level as a height, percentage or volume, with a trend from a day to a year. The dashboard works out usage per day, days until empty at the current rate, every refill with the amount delivered, and any loss that does not match normal use. History exports for deliveries, audits and insurers, and is held on a UK-hosted dashboard or on servers on your own site.
Alerts are pushed in real time on low and high levels, on a rapid loss and on a slow loss. They go by email or SMS, and through an app where required, to the people you name, with escalation to further contacts.
- Live level as height, percentage or volume
- Trend graphs from one day to one year
- Usage per day
- Days until empty at the current rate
- Refills logged with the amount delivered
- Rapid-loss and slow-loss warnings
- Site-by-site comparison across an estate
- Full history, exportable
- A tag that misses its reporting interval is flagged
05
Industries
Every sector that stores fuel, water or chemicals in tanks, including:
Energy and utilities
Fuel, water and treatment tanks on unmanned sites.
Buildings and estates
Heating oil, cold water storage and rainwater tanks across a portfolio.
Data centres and critical infrastructure
Generator fuel that must be there when it is called on.
Industrial and manufacturing
Chemical, dosing and process tanks.
Logistics and warehousing
Bulk fuel on depots and yards.
Construction and temporary works
Site fuel and welfare tanks.
06
Technical specification
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Measurement | Liquid level, read continuously and reported in real time |
| Open or vented tanks | Ultrasonic from the top, or pressure at the base |
| Closed or pressurised tanks | Differential pressure, base against the space above the liquid |
| Output | Height, percentage or volume from the tank's shape |
| Liquids | Water, heating oil, diesel, effluent and chemicals; sensor and materials chosen to the liquid |
| Range and accuracy | Specified to the tank |
| Limit alerts | Low and high, set per tank |
| Loss alerts | Rapid loss and slow loss, at rates you set |
| Refills | Detected and logged with the amount delivered |
| Reporting interval | Configurable, down to every minute |
| Alert delivery | Dashboard, email or SMS; app where required |
| Recipients | Named people and groups, with escalation to further contacts |
| Missed reports | A silent tag is flagged in the dashboard |
| Gateway power loss | Raises its own platform alert |
| Data | Full history, exportable; UK-hosted or on servers on your own site |
| Power | Internal battery, up to five years depending on reporting interval |
| Radio | 433 MHz, one-way (transmit only) |
| Range | Site-dependent; confirmed by site survey |
| Environment | Indoor or outdoor, enclosure specified to the location |
| Charges | No per-alert, per-user or licence charges |
| Manufacture | Made to order in the UK |
| Certification | CE marked |
07
From requirement to live alerts
Requirement
You tell us the tanks, what they hold, whether each is open or closed, and who orders refills or responds.
Configuration
We choose the sensor for each tank, enter its dimensions, and set the limits and loss rates.
Fitting
The sensor goes on top of the tank, at the base or across it, cabled to a tag mounted nearby.
Commissioning
We compare the first readings with a dip or gauge and send a test alert to every recipient before handover.
Ready to get started? Every deployment begins with a site survey.
Book a site survey08
How it reports
Each reading goes over 433 MHz radio to a ZARC gateway and on to the dashboard, where levels, rates and refills are worked out and alerts are sent. The tag has a transmitter and no receiver, so nothing can change its settings or reach it over the air.
Related tags
Pressure
The same pressure sensing, on lines and vessels.
Leak & water
Water collecting in the bund around the tank.
Temperature
For tanks whose contents must stay in a band.
Power failure
The pump that fills or empties the tank.
Questions we answer most.
What tanks can it monitor?
Open and closed tanks, above or below ground, from IBCs and heating oil tanks to bulk fuel, water storage and effluent tanks.
How is an open tank measured differently from a closed one?
In an open or vented tank, a pressure sensor at the base or an ultrasonic sensor at the top reads the level directly. In a closed or pressurised tank, a differential pressure sensor measures the base against the space above the liquid, so tank pressure does not distort the reading.
Does the sensor touch the liquid?
An ultrasonic sensor does not; it reads from above. A pressure sensor sits at the base, in contact with the liquid, with materials chosen to suit it.
Which liquids does it work with?
Water, heating oil, diesel, effluent and chemicals. The sensor and its materials are chosen to the liquid.
Can it show litres rather than a percentage?
Yes. Enter the tank's dimensions and the level is shown as a volume, a percentage or a height.
Can it spot theft or a leak?
Yes. A rapid-loss alert catches a sudden drop, and a slow-loss alert catches a steady fall that does not match normal use.
Does it log refills?
Yes. Every refill is logged with the amount delivered.
How often does it report?
At an interval you set, down to every minute. A shorter interval uses more battery.
Does it need mains power or wiring?
No. It runs on an internal battery for up to five years, depending on the reporting interval.
Can one dashboard cover many sites?
Yes. Every tank on every site reports to the same dashboard.
Do alerts or extra users cost more?
No. There are no per-alert, per-user or licence charges.
Looking for something else?
We work with any sensor for any application.
Most sensing needs are met by a tag we already build, configured for your equipment. If yours needs a sensor or interface we don't list, we have the engineering to build it. Tell us what you need to measure, and we will tell you how we would do it.
Discuss your requirementDiscuss a monitoring
or alerting solution
Tell us what is happening on site, what you need to see, and the event you need to hear about. We will come back with the system that answers it.
Direct contact
Location
Venator House, Unit 9, 15-17 St Stephen's Road, Bournemouth
Dorset, BH2 6LA · VAT GB 409644484
Products contact
Contact the engineering team
Direct to the team that designs and builds the range. Tell us the equipment and the event that matters.