Concrete pump water box level sensor

An apparatus for preventing undue wear on a concrete pump relying upon a volume of water in a water box for cooling and lubricating pumping seals on a material pumping piston within a material pumping cylinder, the apparatus comprising:

• a three-axis accelerometer to generate a vibration signal,
• a water level sensor to generate a water level signal to represent the water level of the water box in the concrete pump;
• the water level sensor activated at intervals wherein the vibration signal indicates the water in the water box is suitably still to measure a water level in the water box, the water level sensor generating a water level signal indicative of the water level;
• a computing device comprising a memory and a central processing unit (CPU) configured to receive the generated vibration signal and the generated water level signal from the three-axis accelerometer and the water level sensor and to apply an algorithm drawn from the memory to determine whether the water level in the water box is sufficient for operation of the concrete pump and if not sufficient, to generate a water level alert;
• an interface to receive a water level alert from the CPU and in response to the alert, to execute a pump-preserving action.