A level detector for storage tanks for fluids comprises a microprocessor, a network
of resistive elements connected in series or parallel, and a plurality of conductive
elements between them, connected across a power source. The resistive elements
have a high temperature coefficient, and are heated by passing a high electric
current through them, after which a low electric current is passed through them
and the voltage between them is sampled by the microprocessor. The resistive elements
lose heat through conduction, so that a pair of resistive elements can be detected
having differential cooling between them as a consequence of being adjacent to
the void within the tank or the fluid within the tank. Thus, an approximation of
the fluid level within the storage tank can be determined and signalled remotely.