Water level sensor – Farmo, Water Rat
Farmo’s water rat remotely monitors the water level in an individual trough or tank.
Benefits
The water rat is light and easily transported. It can be kept in a tank, or travel with the mob when they move into a new paddock to monitor the water trough.
The device sends an alert to notify that water levels are below normal. This reduces the loss from water leaks, and risks of stock going without water, which can otherwise go undetected for days.
Monitoring devices do not eliminate the need to check water levels, but they reduce the frequency. This makes inspections more efficient, especially in the summer, with reduced travel time and staff labour.
How it works
The water rat floats in the trough or tank and uses accelerometer tilt sensors to detect movement. When it reaches low levels, the device tilts over and triggers an alert to be sent by text message or email.
If the water level rises again, another alert is sent to advise when the level is back to normal. There is also an option to be notified when water levels reach 50%, by tethering the water rat to the side of the tank.
You can monitor the information online from your phone, tablet or computer. Through the water usage graph, pump health and issues can be identified early, including when:
- the trough is damaged
- a water pump stops working
- a pipe leaks.
Farmo water rat dashboard information
Installation and power
The water rat is installed by attaching a magnet to its side to activate it, then placing it in a trough or tank.
We recommend purchasing a tether for tank monitoring to be alerted when it is 50% full, rather than when the tank is empty.
Powered by a lithium-ion non-rechargeable battery (8000 mAh Li/SOCl2) for long-term use.
Connectivity requirements
The water rat uses a NB-IoT connection to send data.
Pricing model
Upfront hardware cost with ongoing subscription costs for data and service.
Return on investment (ROI) estimate
The below table demonstrates costs of using the Farmo tecnhnology 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 water rat.
If your property relies on reticulated water, these costs will be considerably higher.
| Costs | Manual water checks | 1st year using Farmo | 2nd year using Farmo | 3rd year using Farmo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Purchase price + ongoing data costs1 | - |
$680 ($545 hardware + $135 data subscription for 1 device) | $135 | $135 |
| Labour cost2 | $4,387.50 | $2,193.75 | $2,193.75 | $2,193.75 |
| Motor vehicle cost3 | $3,090.24 | $1,545.12 | $1,545.12 | $1,545.12 |
| Total costs | $7,477.74 | $4,418.87 | $3,873.87 | $3,873.87 |
| Savings4 | - | $3,738.87 | $7,477.74 | $11,216.61 |
| Return on investment5 | - |
450% of costs recovered |
818% of costs recovered |
1081% of costs recovered |
- Prices current as of April 2022.
- 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 water rat, contact the AgTech Extension Officer at Struan and Kybybolite demonstration farm.
Struan AgTech field day demonstration
Contact vendor
Nick Seymour – Farmo
Email: nick@farmo.com.au
Phone: 0434 555 804