What we need is a simple battery operated water level indicator is the cry from online forums! It seems that many motorhome and caravan owners often run into issues with their regular water level sensors. The common problem seems to be that regaulr water level sensors either they stop working, always show as empty or are just not accurate. historically, solutions tend to be around the idea of “monitoring water usage and getting used to it”. But can that really be the answer in the 21st Century? Knowing how much water you have stored for washing and cooking when you are travelling off-grid and possibly on the way to a remote area is important!

Battery Operated Water Level Indicator

Step up the  MacNivel from Mac3. Designed and manufactured in Italy this super little battery operated water level indicator is a simple solution for water tanks in motorhomes, caravans and boats. It indicates five water levels in your tank. You calibrate the tank sensors to suit your needs simply by changing the length(s) of the wire. The five wire sensor cable can also be purchased through Celtic Water in lengths up to 30m! (see options on MacNivel page)

How to install this battery operated Water Level Indicator, simply;

1. At the “water” end of the cable, using wire strippers, strip cable outer sheath to expose the coloured cables to the length of max and min points you want to measure.
2. Strip about 2cm of wire from the coloured cable you will use for lowest water point (make a note of the cable colour).
3. Define the next water level you want to know and cut the next wire to that length,
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have cut and stripped all 5 wires.
5. At the “MacNivel” end of the cable, using wire strippers, strip back cable outer sheath to expose the coloured cables, you need enough free coloured wire to easily work with – about 5cm.
6. Strip all the coloured wires back to expose about 1cm of wire.
7. Open the MacNivel (It clips open/shut) and wire the cables, in height order from longest on the left (port 1) to shortest on the right.
8. Install a 9V battery (PP3) in the MacNivel
9. Close up the unit (push click)
10. Press the button to test the battery is connected properly - the lower two lights will show.
11. Fill a container of some kind with water to test you have correctly wired up the five wires (lowering the wires into a full water butt works well for this). As you lower the wires into the water and press the button, more lights will go on.
12. Install the MacNivel in a suitable place in your motorhome or caravan using the wall bracket supplied and put the wires in your water tank.

It is quick and easy to install of this battery operated water level indicator, but don’t just take our word for it. Here is a review from David, who purchased the MacNivel along with 3m of wire sensor cable:

DOES THE JOB IN A MOTORHOME

Review posted on Celtic Water by David on 11th Jun 2020

There's hardly any choice when it comes to water sensors for a motorhome, so I was glad to find this one. Easy to install and battery powered - perfect.

Device itself works fine, perhaps apart from showing Min level as default (two LEDs always on). So the actual minimum looks like much more than it really is. Build quality acceptable for the price, especially it's made in Italy, not China. Biggest drawback - wiring sticking out on top when fitted looks bad, but can be remedied by drilling a small hole in the housing and wiring internally, plenty of space for that. All in all recommended for caravans and motorhomes as an easy solution to checking water levels!

As David says, the two lower lights are also an indication that the battery is working. You can cut the next wire to be just a little shorter than the maximum length to give a really good indication that your water level is getting very low or as the level at which you need to think about refilling your water tank.

There is plenty of space to wire inside the  MacNivel and by drilling a small hole in the back of the plastic casing as David suggests you can hide the wires when it is installed – just take care! – depending on where you make the hole you may also need to drill a corresponding hole in the supplied wall bracket.