There are often hidden spaces on board boats where water could accumulate and be difficult to spot until it becomes a problem. Most high water level monitoring solutions use a simple float switch which activates an alarm. While low cost and effective, you need to run cables and often the float switch needs a lot of water to activate.
Digital Yacht’s new NavLINK Blue gateway allows simple and low cost consumer wireless Bluetooth sensors to interface with modern NMEA 2000 boat networks. It can generate NMEA 2000 alerts or even provide information from compatible tank sensors, wind or environmental transducers and gas bottle sensors.
Our latest solution is high water level alerting using a new tiny (70 x 40mm), battery powered wireless sensor which can connect to NavLINK Blue via Bluetooth. With no requirement to run wiring to the device, they can be situated in hard to access areas such as hulls, voids, lockers or under pipework.
In practice, the Bluetooth signal will footprint a boat up to 25m LOA* so the NavLINK Blue gateway can be conveniently located in the electronics area.
What is a Wireless Boat Water Level Sensor
The sensor features a waterproof probe with stainless steel contacts, allowing it to detect even small amounts of water or minor spillages. It also includes a built-in audible alarm that provides a local alert, operating independently of the boat’s NMEA 2000 network.
The main unit is supplied with a waterproof 3M adhesive mount and can also be secured using cable ties or clips. It can be installed remotely from the probe, as shown in the diagram above, making it suitable for applications such as detecting leaks in pipework.
Water Level Alerts and Integration with NMEA 2000 Systems
After installing the water level sensor and wirelessly pairing it with NavLINK Blue , the system generates a real-time NMEA 2000 alert message upon activation, displaying a pop-up on compatible MFDs. In the example above, the Garmin MFD will receive an alert when a water leak is detected.
Multiple sensors are also supported (up to 16) and NavLINK Blue can also be used with other compatible Bluetooth sensor devices at the same time. Another popular option is the Ruuvi pressure, temperature and humidity wireless sensor for environmental and weather monitoring
Typical Use Cases for Wireless Boat Water Level Sensors
There are many applications for a boat water level sensor, including monitoring hulls in catamarans and trimarans, checking pipes, pumps and outlets, bilge level alerting, and even lockers and fridges—any area where there is a risk of an expensive and potentially dangerous water leak.
NavLINK Blue is available as a package with a single sensor for $349.95 and additional sensors are $49.95. Details HERE
Digital Yacht have also introduced BilgeIQ, a dedicated bilge pump controller and monitoring solution. Full details HERE.
*The long range Bluetooth used has a theoretical maximum range of 150m so often much larger boat’s can be accommodated so this is a conservative estimate
