Measuring pressure of water tank

In summary: Dear AllIn summary, the conversation discusses measuring the pressure at 1m height from the ground for a water tank fixed on a rooftop. The tank is 5m from the ground and has a height of 1m and width of .75m. The discussion also covers calculating the pressure for a .5 inch hose connected to the tank and the importance of considering water density and the area of the hose's end. The conversation also includes a detailed explanation of how to calculate the pressure at a specific point, including the use of the value 9.81 and the meaning of "itex".
  • #1
PA3040
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0
Dear All

My water tank fixed on roof top 5M from the ground

Height of tank 1m
width of tank .75m ( Cylinder type water tank )
if water out from the tank by .5 inch hose

how can I measure the pressure at 1m height from the ground

Please advice
Thanks in advance
 
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  • #2
PA3040 said:
Dear All

My water tank fixed on roof top 5M from the ground

Height of tank 1m
width of tank .75m ( Cylinder type water tank )
if water out from the tank by .5 inch house
You mean ".5 inch hose", right? That puzzled me for a while.

The pressure on a surface is the weight on that surface divided by the area. Since any fluid, like water, exerts the same pressure in all directions, to find the pressure at the end of a hose .5 inches in diameter, of height h, you could calculate the volume, [itex]\pi(.5)^2h[/itex], then multiply by the density (the density of water is 1000 kg per cubic m or 62.3 pounds per cubic foot) and finally divide by the area of the end of the hose, [itex]\pi (.5)^2[/itex]. Of course the "[itex]\pi (.5)^2[/itex]" terms will just cancel out, leaving "density times height".

It seems odd that you give the diameter of the pipe in "inches" and the height in meters but, since only the height (5- 1= 4 meters) is relevant, use 1000 kg per cubic meter (approximately) as the density of water.
how can I measure the pressure at 1m height from the ground

Please advice
Thanks in advance
 
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  • #3
Thanks for the reply
how can I measure the pressure at 1m height from the ground

I need to measure the pressure of .5inch hose at 1m height from the ground. the hose is connected to the water tank,

Please also advice how measure the pressure when the thank water level going down

Thanks in advance
 
  • #4
Probably the best way is with a gauge.

It is hard to know the loses due to the hose. You know that the final pressure will be less then the ideal pressure given by ρgh. ρ is the density of water, g the acceleration due to gravity and h=4m.
 
  • #5
HallsofIvy said:
You mean ".5 inch hose", right? That puzzled me for a while.

The pressure on a surface is the weight on that surface divided by the area. Since any fluid, like water, exerts the same pressure in all directions, to find the pressure at the end of a hose .5 inches in diameter, of height h, you could calculate the volume, [itex]\pi(.5)^2h[/itex], then multiply by the density (the density of water is 1000 kg per cubic m or 62.3 pounds per cubic foot) and finally divide by the area of the end of the hose, [itex]\pi (.5)^2[/itex]. Of course the "[itex]\pi (.5)^2[/itex]" terms will just cancel out, leaving "density times height".

It seems odd that you give the diameter of the pipe in "inches" and the height in meters but, since only the height (5- 1= 4 meters) is relevant, use 1000 kg per cubic meter (approximately) as the density of water.

Dear HallsofIvy

Could you please advice me according to my attached picture
How may I calculate the pressure location of Letter "A"

It could be much appreciated if you can sow me step by step

Thanks
 

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  • #6
The pressure is, as I said before, the total weight of the water above that point, divided by the area it is pressing against. Here, you have cylinder of water, 1 m in diameter, so .5 m in radius and 1 m high. That has volume [itex]\pi (.5)^2(1)= \pi/4= 0.7854 cubic meters. Water, at standard temperature and pressure, has a density of 1000 kg per cubic meter (that's essentially the definition of "kg") so that water has a mass of 785.4 kg and so a weight of (785.4)(9.81)= 7705 Newtons.

Your pipe is relatively so small the water in it adds only a very tiny amount to the weight of the water and can be ignored. However, the pipe has radius .5 inch so 1.25 cm= .0125 m and area [itex]\pi (.0125)^2[/itex]= 0.0004909[/itex] square meters. The pressure at A is 7705/.0004909= 15696497 Newtons per square meter.
 
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  • #7
HallsofIvy said:
The pressure is, as I said before, the total weight of the water above that point, divided by the area it is pressing against. Here, you have cylinder of water, 1 m in diameter, so .5 m in radius and 1 m high. That has volume [itex]\pi (.5)^2(1)= \pi/4= 0.7854 cubic meters. Water, at standard temperature and pressure, has a density of 1000 kg per cubic meter (that's essentially the definition of "kg") so that water has a mass of 785.4 kg and so a weight of (785.4)(9.81)= 7705 Newtons.

Your pipe is relatively so small the water in it adds only a very tiny amount to the weight of the water and can be ignored. However, the pipe has radius .5 inch so 1.25 cm= .0125 m and area [itex]\pi (.0125)^2[/itex]= 0.0004909[/itex] square meters. The pressure at A is 7705/.0004909= 15696497 Newtons per square meter.

Dear HallsofIvy
Thank you so much for details reply
Can you please tell me where did you get the value ( 9.81)
What is the meaning of (itex)Please advice
 
  • #8
HallsofIvy said:
The pressure is, as I said before, the total weight of the water above that point, divided by the area it is pressing against. Here, you have cylinder of water, 1 m in diameter, so .5 m in radius and 1 m high. That has volume [itex]\pi (.5)^2(1)= \pi/4= 0.7854 cubic meters. Water, at standard temperature and pressure, has a density of 1000 kg per cubic meter (that's essentially the definition of "kg") so that water has a mass of 785.4 kg and so a weight of (785.4)(9.81)= 7705 Newtons.

Your pipe is relatively so small the water in it adds only a very tiny amount to the weight of the water and can be ignored. However, the pipe has radius .5 inch so 1.25 cm= .0125 m and area [itex]\pi (.0125)^2[/itex]= 0.0004909[/itex] square meters. The pressure at A is 7705/.0004909= 15696497 Newtons per square meter.

Hi

I got 9.81 which Earth gravity and [itex] too.

I should think you not consider water tank fixed from 5m from the ground in above calculation right?
 
  • #9
I'm sorry, but the calculations for pressure at point A have taken a weird turn. According to Halls of Ivy, the pressure at point A is some 15.7 MPa, which is in excess of 2200 psi, or more than 150 atmospheres, all produced by a column of water 4 meters tall.

According to Pascal's law, the static pressure in the hose at point A is the fluid head or 4 meters of water. This is equivalent to a pressure of:

rho*g*h = 1000 kg/m^3 * 9.81 m/s^2 * 4 m = 39,240 N/m^2 = 39.24 kPa = 5.69 psi

which a hose or pipe should be able to withstand without blowing up and killing everyone standing nearby.

Remember, all of the water in the tank is not pressing on the hose at point A, just the column of water immediately above the point A in the hose and the tank itself.
 
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  • #10
SteamKing said:
I'm sorry, but the calculations for pressure at point A have taken a weird turn. According to Halls of Ivy, the pressure at point A is some 15.7 MPa, which is in excess of 2200 psi, or more than 150 atmospheres, all produced by a column of water 4 meters tall.

According to Pascal's law, the static pressure in the hose at point A is the fluid head or 4 meters of water. This is equivalent to a pressure of:

rho*g*h = 1000 kg/m^3 * 9.81 m/s^2 * 4 m = 39,240 N/m^2 = 39.24 kPa = 5.69 psi

which a hose or pipe should be able to withstand without blowing up and killing everyone standing nearby.

Remember, all of the water in the tank is not pressing on the hose at point A, just the column of water immediately above the point A in the hose and the tank itself.

Dear SteamKing Thanks for the reply

Actually my pressure measuring sensor measuring range is 1 to 100 kPa

http://www.freescale.com/files/sensors/doc/data_sheet/MPX5100.pdf

As per SteamKing I can implement the my project which is displaying water level in the LCD display

Please advice
 
  • #11
The easy answer is:
231' of water (measured vertically) creates 100 psi, no matter what the shape of the hose or tank.
(Or, more simply, 2.31' of water equals 1 psi).
So, if your tank is half full (filled to the 0.5m level), that would mean that at 1m from the ground, you'd have a vertical
measurement of 4.5m of water (4 meters up to the bottom of the tank, plus 0.5m to the surface of the water).
4.5m is approximately 177.165 inches.
177.165 divided by 2.31 equals roughly 76.69 psi.

So, simply measure the height of the water in the tank in meters (0m to 1m), add 4 meters, and
divide by 2.31 to get the psi at a point 1m above the ground.

Of course if the tank is empty, you would simply measure the vertical height of the water in the hose alone (0m to 4m).
 
  • #12
I just came across this post and noticed 2 errors:

1) The OP states that the tank is fixed on the rooftop 5m from the ground. This would mean that the vertical measurement from the ground to the bottom of the tank is 5m. However, the picture in Post #5 shows 5m from the ground to the top of the tank.

2) While zgozvrm showed an easy solution, he forgot to convert the units to match.
4.5m ≈ 177.165 inches ≈ 14.764 feet
Therefore, the pressure at the 1m level would be approximately 14.764/2.31 = 6.39 psi
 

1. How do you measure the pressure of a water tank?

The pressure of a water tank can be measured using a pressure gauge, which is typically attached to a valve on the tank. The gauge will show the pressure in units of pounds per square inch (psi) or kilopascals (kPa).

2. What is the purpose of measuring the pressure of a water tank?

Measuring the pressure of a water tank is important for several reasons. It allows you to ensure that the tank is functioning properly and not over or under pressurized, which can lead to tank damage or water system failures. It also helps you monitor and regulate water flow and pressure throughout the system.

3. How often should the pressure of a water tank be measured?

The frequency of pressure measurements will vary depending on the specific water system and tank. However, it is generally recommended to measure the pressure at least once a month and after any major changes or maintenance to the system.

4. What factors can affect the pressure of a water tank?

Several factors can affect the pressure of a water tank, including the height and size of the tank, the amount of water in the tank, the temperature of the water, and the rate of water flow in and out of the tank.

5. Is it possible to measure the pressure of a water tank without a pressure gauge?

It is possible to estimate the pressure of a water tank without a pressure gauge by using a manometer or a simple water column. However, these methods may not be as accurate as using a pressure gauge and should only be used as a temporary solution.

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