Water level sensor – Goanna Ag, GoTank
GoTank provides real-time information on total height, volume and usage of your tank water.
Benefits
Goanna Ag's technology reduces how often tanks, troughs and pumps need to be checked. This saves costs of labour, as well as driving and vehicle wear and tear.
Stock without water often go undetected for days which can cause fatalities, while water leaks can go undetected for weeks or longer. Through the GoTank platform, pump health and water leaks are identified early to reduce these risks.
How it works
GoTank is ideal to monitor the water levels on header and storage tanks.
You can set your own limits and alarms are sent via SMS or email when the water height or volume drops below a critical level.
Data and reports can be accessed through the Goanna Ag application GoApp.
Online dashboard information showing water volume dropping
Installation and power
The GoTank sensor can be self-installed or fitted by a Goanna Ag field technician. The box is mounted onto the top of the tank, and the probe is lowered into the tank.
Phone support is offered through a dedicated helpdesk.
Power is supplied by a battery.
Connectivity requirements
GoTank connects through satellite, LoRaWAN and Cat M1.
Pricing model
There is an upfront cost with ongoing subscription costs.
Producer case study
Producer case study
John Polden operates a mixed farming enterprise of over 3,000 hectares near Booleroo Centre, SA. He has 800 to 1,000 self-replacing merinos and 20 breeding cows spread across 4 blocks, which are 40km to 60km apart.
Three of his blocks are serviced by underground water with a mixture of submersible pumps and windmills. John uses the GoTank monitors which provide the data he needs at a reasonable price.
With undulating terrain around his property and low phone reception, John connects his tank monitors via satellite. He’s been using them since 2019 without any issues.
Because of the water monitors, John doesn’t have to check tanks and toughs as often, especially during summer. This saves him time and money travelling from his home on the southern block to where the sheep are most of the year on the northern block.
He can now detect water leaks and see if the windmill is working by analysing the graphs form the tank monitors. John finds it helpful that the data can be accessed by all his staff on their phones, so when he is away, the trainee can efficiently check the water.
This technology provides John with:
- more accurate water monitoring and fewer trips to physically check water
- peace of mind that livestock have water
- the ability to diagnose problems before travelling to the site to fix them.
John feels the monitors are good value for money and easy to setup. He is pleased that the units have been reliable, despite the varying quality of water on his property, which ranges from salty to fresh. He is 'really happy with Goanna Ag's quality control, and after sales service is great'.
John’s advice to others looking at installing water monitoring is to make sure it fits your system. It can be a valuable, helpful tool.
Return on investment (ROI) estimate
Return on investment (ROI) estimate
The below table demonstrates costs of using the GoTank technology over 3 years, compared to no water monitoring.
Estimated ROI is based on manually checking tanks and troughs at our Kybybolite property, which is not as regularly patrolled as the Struan farm. Considering the 37km distance between the farms, water runs are reduced by 50% using the GoTank sensors.
If your property relies on reticulated water, these costs will be considerably higher.
| Costs | Manual water checks | 1st year using GoTank | 2nd year using GoTank | 3rd year using GoTank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Purchase price + ongoing data costs | - | $1,150 hardware (including 1st year data subscription) | $109.00 | $109.00 |
| Labour cost1 | $4,387.50 | $2,193.75 | $2,193.75 | $2,193.75 |
| Motor vehicle cost2 | $3,090.24 | $1,545.12 | $1,545.12 | $1,545.12 |
| Total costs | $7,477.74 | $4,997.87 | $3,847.87 | $3,847.87 |
| Savings3 | - | $3,738.87 | $7,477.74 | $11,216.61 |
| Return on investment4 | - |
197% of costs recovered |
447% of costs recovered |
659% of costs recovered |
- Estimated labour cost of $50 per hour to check waters.
- Motor vehicle costs estimated at $0.72 per km.
- Savings calculations estimated from a 50% reduction in labour and vehicle costs each year from reduced water checks.
- ROI calculations assume no water issues have been detected in 3 years.
Monitoring devices do not eliminate the need to inspect tanks and troughs, but they can be checked less frequently. The investment costs will therefore be recovered in the first year of installation, even if no water issues are detected.
If a significant water loss event went undetected for a few days, livestock weight loss and death would cause production losses.
See it in action
To view the GoTank sensor, contact the AgTech Extension Officer at Struan and Kybybolite demonstration farm.
Struan AgTech field day demonstration
Contact vendor
David Ward – Goanna Ag
Email: dward@goannaag.com.au
Phone: 0429 813 254
