Live Steam
Water Level Detection System (WLDS)
May 11, 2005
By Chris Wolcott |
Author
Bio
One of the things I hear from others in this live steam hobby is how hard it is to know how much water you have.
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One of the things I hear from others in this hobby is how hard it is to know how much water you have. If you don't have a sight glass, you are left to listening to the sound of the engine and trying to detect the slight performance changes that occur as the water level drops. Even with a sight glass, you still have to stop the engine and try to determine the water level by looking at clear water in a clear tube. Then you have to try to determine if the level is accurate or has been thrown off by an air bubble or some other obstruction. But now there is a better way to know when the water level is getting low. I saw Bill Ford demonstrating his latest Water Level Detection System at the 2005 Diamondhead steam-up. His system uses an RF coupling circuit to detect the presence of water at the probe. .jpg)
When the probe is covered, the color of the L.E.D. light is Green. When it is uncovered, the circuit detects this and reverses the polarity to the L.E.D. which changes the color to Red. This provides a positive feedback so you know the system is working. There is no wondering if the light is off because the water level is OK, the battery is dead or the bulb burned out. It works on pure distilled water, there is no need to add tap water or other electrolyte to the boiler water and the probe will not corrode or get plated while in the boiler.
The WLDS comes in two versions, one with a 9-volt battery holder attached and a second with leads and a 9-volt battery snap connector. The typical installation requires a small hole to be drilled and tapped in the boiler backhead. A special kit is available for Accucraft engines that have a sight glass that allows the WLDS to be installed in place of the sight glass, removing the need to drill and tap an additional hole. 
Since I find the sight glass on my Accucraft C-16 difficult to use, a way to know the engine is fine while it is running really appealed to me, so I bought 2 version 'B' units, one with the additional parts for Accucraft engines. (The second will go into my Roundhouse Lady Anne.) This review covers the installation and function of the Accucraft version into my C-16. 
Picture 2 shows the backhead of my C-16 before I began. The sight glass connections are on the top of boiler and at the bottom of the backhead. The sight glass is GLASS and is very fragile. I removed my cab and the left side cab deck plate, then removed the bolt on the top connector. Then I loosened the gasketed union nuts holding the glass and slid it out the top. Now I could remove the Banjo bolt going into the top of the boiler and replace it with the small bolt supplied in the WLDS package. (This is the special Accucraft part and is not part of the normal package.)
Picture 3 shows the backhead at this point Note the installed bolt that now plugs the upper sight glass connection. 
Picture 4 shows the probe installed in place of the lower sight glass connection. Now all you have to do is install the circuit board, battery and install the L.E.D. in a visible location. For my test I simply laid them in the fireman's side of the cab and ran the L.E.D. out the window. For a permanent installation I bought a second L.E.D. from Bill and plan to mount them in the C-16's classification lights. Other installation ideas I have heard of are to hang a small hand lantern in the cab to hold the L.E.D., or to simply drill a small hole in the cab roof and have the L.E.D. protrude through. It is really up to your imagination. During my test the WLDS worked as expected.
While the C-16 ran around the backyard, I looked at it from various places to see how well the L.E.D showed up.  It was hard to see from a distance of around 60' unless the background was dark. It was easier to see from a distance when it finally showed red. Within 10' or so it was much easier to see the color of the L.E.D. Overall I was very happy with the performance of the WLDS, and would recommend it to anyone who wants to be able to visually monitor the water level in their boilers. Another item Bill was demonstrating was the prototype of a servo driven water pump. One of the leads of the WLDS can be connected to this pump to turn it on for a specified amount of time whenever the probe is uncovered. Since Diamondhead, B.F. Industries has released the production version of this pump. This will be a great addition to the WLDS for those engines that have a tender or saddle tank that can carry a water supply.
When used with the WLDS, the pump will be triggered the first time the probe is uncovered, adding water to the boiler and causing the L.E.D to revert to Green. This will continue as long as there is water to pump. After the water supply runs out, the L.E.D. will remain Red and you will know it is time to service the engine. For those engines that already have an axle pump, Bill also has a bypass valve that can be controlled by the WLDS. This means those with an axle pump will not have to stop the engine to manually turn the bypass value on or off. It will be controlled automatically when it is needed. As with the servo pump, when the water supply runs out, the L.E.D. will remain Red as a warning that the water level is low. I believe the WLDS is a well thought out addition to our hobby. 
It removes the need to stop the engine to inspect the sight glass and with the additional of the servo pump or bypass valve you won't even need to stop the engine to hand pump water or turn the bypass valve on /off. The dual color L.E.D. lets you know it is working and whether the boiler has enough water or not at a glance.
| WLDS Mfg address |
| Hi...Thanks for the article. Couyld you supply Bill Ford's or the manufacturer's name and contact i9nfo, please? Thanks! |
| Philip R. Bronner MD - 01/06/2010 - 23:41 |
| contact |
| http://home.earthlink.net/~bfindus/ |
| Peter De Keles - 01/07/2010 - 06:27 |
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