Since the SeaPod won’t be supplied by city water or a well like most houses are, we have to store water onboard since our water supply is limited. Things like the shower or the sinks will be supplied with fresh water that is stored in large holding tanks.
These tanks will act as a reserve so that you don’t run out of water during a shower. As the water level in the tank drops, then it will automatically refill so that you should have seemingly “unlimited” water in a limited system. With our water filtration system we will be able to recycle up to 90% of the water used in the shower so you can enjoy your shower without the feeling of wasting too much water.
The water level inside the holding tank will be measured by a pressure differential sensor that will give a constant up-to-date reading of how much water is in the tank. The sensor is similar to what is found in the bilge pump and works by using two small hoses, one measures the ambient pressure inside the tank and the other measures the pressure from the water column. Based on the difference in pressures, we can get an exact measure of how much water we have.
We could have used a much more simple system like a float switch like what you find in most household toilets. A float switch would simply keep the water topped off by refilling the tank when the water level goes below the threshold. While this would work to keep the tank full, we wanted to have a more exact reading available for various reasons. One of the most important is for water conservation. If you see that your shower used a certain percentage of water, then next time you can try to use less water. Just by keeping a general idea of how much water we use helps us be mindful and reduce our usage in the future.
As you can see in the video, the water level begins to drop when Omer turns on the shower. As the water is pumped out of the tank and to the shower, you can watch the number go down on the home automation app in real time. We also want to note that the tanks in the SeaPod will be larger than this demonstration so your water level won’t drop as fast as this.
The SeaPod is full of small details and hidden technologies like this pressure differential switch that really make the SeaPod a living home and allow everything to work together seamlessly. Hopefully you are as excited as we are to enjoy the full SeaPod Smart Shower experience!
