Install the Transmitter

Install the Transmitter

Mounting the TankSync™ transmitter on your tank lid. Do this after you've confirmed the transmitter is talking to the receiver — see Setup — I Bought a Kit. Verifying it works while it's still on the ground saves climbing back up.

Tools: a 32 mm hole saw, a drill, and a measuring tape. That's it. The threaded mount and locking nut are already fitted to the transmitter.

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Choosing the location

Two things have to be true at the same time, and they sometimes pull in opposite directions:

1. The ultrasonic sensor must point straight down at the water. Not angled. An angled sensor bounces its echo off the tank wall instead of the surface and reads erratically.
2. The solar panel needs several hours of direct sun a day.

Avoid permanent shade — under a large tree, beneath a water tower, behind a parapet wall that shades it all afternoon.

Permanently shaded tank? Underground sumps and covered overhead tanks will never keep a solar transmitter charged. Use the externally powered transmitter variant instead. Don't fight it with a solar unit — you'll spend the year chasing a flat battery.

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Before you drill

Look inside the tank first. This is the step people skip and regret.

Pick a flat section of the lid where the sensor has a clear, unobstructed view of the water surface all the way down. Check specifically for:

• Inlet pipes — the incoming stream and the splashing around it will confuse any ultrasonic sensor
• Float valves — a mechanical float directly under the sensor reads as a false water surface
• Support ribs and moulded structures on the underside of the lid
• Anything else that hangs into the tank

The sensor measures the first thing that returns an echo. If a float valve is in the cone, the float valve is your water level as far as the sensor is concerned.

Once you've chosen the spot, drill through the lid with a 32 mm hole saw. 32 mm is the size the supplied threaded sensor mount is made for.

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Mounting

The transmitter ships with the threaded sensor mount and a hexagonal locking nut already installed.

1. Remove the hex locking nut from the threaded sensor.
2. Insert the threaded sensor down through the 32 mm hole from the top side of the lid.
3. From underneath the lid, thread the locking nut back on and tighten until the transmitter is firmly held.

The transmitter should sit flat on the lid and not move once tightened.

Hand-tight is enough. Over-tightening can damage the mount or crack the tank lid, especially on older plastic that's been in the sun for years. Stop at firm.

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Final position check

Before you close up, confirm all four:

• The sensor points straight down
• The transmitter is securely mounted and doesn't rock
• The solar panel has a clear view of the sky
• There is nothing directly below the sensor

Two minutes here saves a lot of puzzling over strange readings later.

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First power-up

Leave the transmitter in direct sunlight. If the battery needs charge, give the panel a few minutes.

The transmitter wakes on its own, measures, and sends. No buttons to press, and no pairing needed for the transmitter that came with your order.

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Verify the installation

Open the TankSync dashboard. Once the first transmission arrives you should see:

• Current water level
• Water percentage
• Battery level
• Signal strength
• Last update time

If those are updating, the installation is done.

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Now calibrate it

The percentage won't be meaningful until you enter your tank's real dimensions — the mounted sensor is at a specific height above your specific water, and only you can measure that. Go to Tank Calibration with the measuring tape you already have out.

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Troubleshooting a fresh install

What you see	Usual cause
Reading is wildly wrong or jumps around	Sensor is over the inlet, or angled rather than vertical
Level never changes	Something is hanging in the sensor's path — float valve, pipe, cobweb
Reads 0 or an error	Sensor too close to full water, or an obstruction directly beneath it
Battery falls over days	Panel shaded or dusty — see Power Saving

More in Troubleshooting.

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Long-term

With a clear view of the sky and a clean panel, this runs by itself. The one recurring job worth doing: wipe the solar panel when you think of it. Dust is the main reason a transmitter that worked all summer starts struggling.

Cobwebs across the sensor face are the second. Both are a thirty-second fix if you catch them.