Do you want a low coolant alarm at £22.17?

[The Great Pretender]

Hello peeps...................times are hard..........so here is a piece of kit that can save money and offer a certain amount of help................it is not and will never be a cure all....................but will help.

http://stores.homestead.com/hydrogengar ... Detail.bok

connect the pump wires to a buzzer and warning light.................. :

[Bob]

As a 'Diesel Trucker', I think we should all have one.

But what do I know?

[The Great Pretender]

DON'T BUY IT IT IS TO EXPENSIVE....................If you have a soldering iron there is a cheaper one...........

[haydn callow]

Does anyone know what current it puts out ? Who's going to be first ? Spec sheet??

[mikeonb4c]

Interesting device and well spotted TGP. Defo worth a go for the enthusiastic although the other bits always seem to rack up the cost unless you have a spares box etc. I have to confess that for me, life's too short and I wouldn't trust myself to achieve a reliable (which it must be) installation.

What it did get me thinking though was how amusing it would be to base a system that topped up the header tank on it. Ridiculous I know but made me smile all the same.

[waycar8]

so to non techie person, what does it actually do?, doesnt really tell me owt, unless your in the know anyway , do they ship abroad?

I think peeps are going to have to know a bit more about it to buy it. sounds like a challenge for someone

[dandywarhol]

So , I take it you'd need to have yet anothe tank fitted to the vehicle, filled wit hpremixed coolant to replenish whatever's been lost through a leak?

So, how then do you know there's a leak in your cooling system? You'd need to wait until the extra tank is empty

Seems a good, simple bit of stuff for topping up hydrogen cell tanks (which I gues its primarily designed for) but not so sure about using it, as it stands, on a cooling system - UNLESS...........................rather than power a pump when the level gets low - it powers a battery of flashing lights/klaxon siren/tea brewing facility etc.

[francophile1947]

UNLESS...........................rather than power a pump when the level gets low - it powers a battery of flashing lights/klaxon siren/tea brewing facility etc.

I believe that's what he's getting at dandywarhol - an alarm instead of a pump. However, will it be much cheaper when you've added P&P, import tax and VAT on to the price?

[The Great Pretender]

A warning light or buzzer was what I was thinking of Dandy.
The self assembly model is $22 but as the pound is now only worth one and a half buttons it equates to £14.34.

http://stores.homestead.com/hydrogengar ... Detail.bok

[mikeonb4c]

A warning light or buzzer was what I was thinking of Dandy.
The self assembly model is $22 but as the pound is now only worth one and a half buttons it equates to £14.34.

http://stores.homestead.com/hydrogengar ... Detail.bok

Defo a good tip for a keen DIYer. Wouldn't be hard to do as TGP says and Franco confirms. My suggestion about the pump and reservoir was just a bit of tomfoolery (you know me). After all there'd be all kinds of issues about pumping into a pressurised zone (which I think the header tank is though could be wrong as I'm not expert on theses things). And as Dandy says, it would only be putting off the unputoffable. And if the leak was major, it would be utterly pointless anyway!

[haydn callow]

Please don't take this the wrong way. Some of you may say "well, he would say that wouldn't he". By all means try this someone. However, a word of caution ! the low coolant alarm I represent has been developed over a 6/7 year period. The current it allows into your coolant is approx 45 micro amps (thats micro not milli). Anything much above this will cause problems with different metals in the system and a problem we call "probe filming" This will occur very soon after fitting the alarm and will give false alarms. The device above works as a simple low level switch which will cause a pump to switch on (this could indeed be used to switch a light/buzzer) However the current used could well be far to high to introduce into a vehicles cooling system.
This device is not designed as a coolant alarm and to use as one could be a big mistake.

[madmile]

To be honest haydn I was going to bring up the current issue myself when this post first appeared, but lost my post and couldnt be bothered to retype it.

[Big Rich]

Hi all looks good to me, a very simple alarm ( forget the pump / top up bit, thats not required! ) probes into the header tank, and an led, if your feeling posh fit a buzzer and your away !! .....and it aint going to drain the national grid, probe coating ?? also i feel this is also going to be in the micro amp drain using the led. I have a bigger problem thats my bongo springing a leak ... it is also possibly under import duty at that price, I actually made a cellar alarm a few years ago and it looks very similar on the circuit to this
thanks Big Rich G1VPE Ps VERY WELL SPOTTED !

[The Great Pretender]

This device is not designed as a coolant alarm and to use as one could be a big mistake.

" Automatic Water Level Sensor & Pump Driver Circuit"
by Les Banki

I designed this circuit for automatic re-fill of electrolyzers in ‘water fuel’ systems. However, it can be adapted to many other uses as well. Despite looking deceptively simple, it is quite ‘sophisticated’.
I wrote this detailed circuit description mainly for the benefit of those who want to understand how it works, make their own and perhaps wish to modify the circuit to suit different applications.
However, modifying it does require some knowledge of electronics.

[haydn callow]

Yes ! I read that, Banki operates in Oz and is a prolific designer of electronic gadgets. Not sure what you are saying above. It is a gadget designed to top up one vessel from another. My concern would be the amount of current passing between the "level" sensors. It would be nice to get a spec sheet.