In many businesses and operations, liquids are a common occurrence. Depending on your industry, liquids can be your finished product, a part of your finished product, waste material, or a part of your manufacturing process. No matter the source or use, liquids can play an important role in daily operations and have to be properly (and safely) managed. Storage tanks are a common tool in business for managing and storing liquids.
Tanks come in different shapes and sizes, can be designed to be inside a building, designed for outside storage, or designed to be portable. No matter your need or unique business circumstances there is a tank to fit your specific needs. However, to properly manage any onsite liquids you need the correct tools and monitoring equipment. Two accessories you should invest in for your thank storage system are a Float Switch and a Level Switch. Here is a brief overview of what these items do and why you need them.
Importance of Float and Level Switches
Float Switches Explained and Various Uses
The float switch sits on top of the liquid in your tank and reacts to rising and falling liquid levels. This is very useful as you can use a float switch to activate various systems in response to liquid levels. For example, you can set your switch to activate a pump to drain a tank if the liquid levels get too high in a tank that stores waste material. The opposite is also true as you can set a switch to activate a pump to fill a tank if levels get too low in a tank that stores materials used in production.
Pumps and drains are not the only things a float switch can activate. Some issues are rather complex and require direct attention, so in situations such as these, you can set your float switch to an alarm, letting you know that direct attention is needed. Float switches are also available in several materials and shape to deal with specific types of liquids (both non-harmful and corrosive) and tank designs (open, closed, etc.).
Level Switches Explained and Various Uses
A level switch is one that carefully tracks the fluid levels in a tank. Much like a float switch, a level switch can activate various systems when the fluid level in a tank reaches a certain amount. These systems are similar to a float switch in that they can be pumps, drains, alarms, and other preventative and liquid management systems. Another advantage of a level switch is it also allows you to carefully track the fluid level in a tank. Level switches are available with different degrees of fluid tracking. Some level switches track non-specific measurements such as half full or a quarter full. Others are very specific and provide exact numerical reads outs for fluid levels. This can make tracking and day-to-day operations easier to manage. In many cases, level switches serve the secondary purpose as an information tool allowing you to know what’s in a tank at a glance.
Final Thoughts
Liquids are a key aspect of many industries and have to be carefully managed. Without proper tracking tools, you increase the odds of various negative outcomes. These can include loss of valuable materials, industrial accidents, damage to tanks, increased workload, and the interruption of daily business operations. Luckily, you can install float switches and level switches at the same time. This allows you to track fluid levels in your tanks and automate certain systems. By having preventative systems such as pumps, automated you can have tanks drained as needed without having to manually activate your pumps or having to routinely check the fluid levels. This makes daily business not only safer but more efficient as well.
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