Can a pressure measurement device be used to measure the volume in a rainwater harvesting tank?
The volume of liquid in a tank can be determined using a pressure measurement device, however it cannot measure the volume directly and the pressure reading has to be converted into a volume using a conversion factor or formula.
For a tank that has a straight vertical shape (e.g. an upright cylinder), the volume calculation is very simple. A pressure sensor mounted in the bottom of the tank is used to measure the hydrostatic pressure of the water pushing down on the bottom. The hydrostatic pressure is directly proportional to the water level.
e.g. 100mbar ~ 1 metre of water
Since the cross sectional area of the cylindrical tank is constant all the way up, you only have to multiply the water level by the area in square metres to calculate the total volume of water in a vertical cylindrical tank.
e.g. 1 metre diameter tank with a hydrostatic pressure of 50mbar would contain approx. 0.39 cubic metres or 390 Litres
Featured hydrostatic pressure measurement products
Underground rain water storage tank level sensor and readout for 2 metre depth - Water level indicator for a 2 metre deep rain water storage tank located underground. 
18.605 G Low Cost Submersible Diesel Fuel and Water Tank Level Sensor - Low cost OEM diesel fuel or water level sensor for installing inside or outside a storage tank.
So when programming the display indicator, the signal output from the sensor that corresponds to the maximum hydrostatic pressure should be converted to read the maximum capacity of the water tank and all points between Empty and Full are assumed to be linear.
If the tank does not have a straight vertical shape in all directions (e.g. a horizontal cylinder), a variable factor will need to be applied dependent on the water level. This is a little more complicated, but many types of instrumentation will allow the use of non-linear functions to convert the hydrostatic pressure into a volume.
Normally the tank shape conversion formula is applied to the sensor output signal inside an intelligent display indicator. Typically the electronics of a typical hydrostatic pressure sensor will not include the maths functionality to configure a complex non-linear output signal.
Featured tank level measurement products
BMS water tank 6mH2Og range 0-10V out submersible level sensor for commercial buildings - This submersible level sensor provides accurate and reliable water level measurement in BMS applications in commercial office buildings, with a 0 to 6 mH2O gauge pressure range and a 0 to 10V output signal.
3m range 4-20mA output submersible hot water tank level sensor - This submersible level sensor is suitable for use in hot water tanks. It features a 4-20mA output, 0-3m measurement range, and high-temperature resistance up to 125°C (257°F).
Related Help Guides
- Measuring liquid level in a sealed tank with a hydrostatic pressure sensor
- How do you measure the volume of a liquid using pressure
- Measuring liquid level in a tank using a dp sensor
- Calculating required pressure range for fuel tank level measurement
- Determining the hydrostatic pressure range for a tank level sensor
- How to determine milk tank level and volume from pressure
Related Technical Terms
Related Online Tools
- Liquid Level to Hydrostatic Pressure Calculator
- Fluid Depth, Density, Gravity, and Pressure Calculator
- Tank Height – Tank Level Depth to Tank Level Height Calculator
- Vertical Cylindrical Shaped Tank Contents Calculator
- Horizontal Cylindrical Shaped Tank Contents Calculator
- Rectangular Shaped Tank Contents Calculator
- Pressure to Liquid Level Calculator
