I’m completely new to Victron products and need help setting up a Cerbo GX to monitor my off-grid water system. My system includes a 500-gallon tank powered exclusively by a 20kW or 25kW generator (this is not be a solar-powered setup).
I want to monitor:
Water Levels
Water Temperature
Air Temperature
Water Usage (Flow Monitoring)
Remote Monitoring via Victron VRM
Since I have no experience with Victron, I need help with:
What sensors work with the Cerbo GX for these measurements.
How to connect and configure them properly.
If I need extra Victron components or third-party integrations.
The best way to access and monitor data remotely via VRM.
What kind of battery system I need to only power Wi-Fi and Victron components in case of generator outages.
I’d really appreciate any advice, product recommendations, or example setups to help me get started. Thanks in advance for your help!
If you look at the advanced tab you can see a few widgets I use too keep an eye on things.
For this system I used a Multiplus / Pylontec / Cerbo GX, for tank levels I used a resistive KUS tank sender wired into the cerbo tank input. You can calibrate the sender to your tank size, this will also show volume of liquid left in the tank, which may work well enough not to need a flow sensor.
For air temperature you could use Ruuvi tags, there’s also an IP68 rated Ruuvi tag, but I’m not sure if it can be permanently submerged for water temperature.
Read all the online Victron manuals of the components you’re looking at and look at the system diagrams to help understand what you’ll need to do, there’s a comprehensive wealth of info in each manual and supporting docs on the victron website, but it can be overwhelming if your new to victron. Or ask a local Victron installer to help design and install for you, and TBH there are loads of battery options, it depends on what you need, you may need to speak to your local installer if your asking all these questions.
Thanks for the detailed advice! I appreciate the recommendation on the KUS resistive tank sender—it sounds like a great solution, and I’ll look into getting one that fits my tank size. The Ruuvi Tags for air temperature also seem like a solid option, though I’ll need to confirm if the IP68 version is safe for long-term water submersion or if I should go with a different water temperature sensor.
I’ll definitely take some time to go through the Victron manuals and system diagrams to get a better understanding of the setup. I know there’s a lot to learn, but the documentation should help clarify things. As for the battery system, I’ll evaluate my needs further and see if consulting a local Victron installer makes sense for fine-tuning my setup.
Thanks again for the insights! Your input has been really helpful.
Mopeka makes tank level sensors and are supported by Victron. Stick the Ruuvi tag to the outside of the water tank and then you don’t need to worry about submersion. I don’t know the answer about flow rate metering but is that really critical? Couldn’t you compare the tank level measurements across time and determine an average rate of consumption?
The Cerbo GX has a pulse counter so you could probably find a flow meter that outputs a digital single that pulses once for every gallon/liter of water and measure that way.
For the rest of your questions on system design, I would suggest you discuss this with your closest Victron distributor or installer. You can find them on the “where to buy” link on Victron’s website. Or, if you’re in the USA give us a call and we’d be happy to help you.