Short answer: TankScan, made by AquaPhoenix Scientific, is well-built tank-level hardware: a guided wave radar probe rated for hazardous locations, with a battery pack that runs about two years at 4-hour readings. Its oil field sheet is written around planning “just-in-time collections and deliveries.” That makes it a strong tool for whoever runs the trucks. A producer usually needs more than tank inventory: pressures and runtime too. TinyPumper watches all of it on one gateway, for one flat rate per site, and your team installs it in 8 minutes.
Two people care about the same tank. The water hauler wants to know when to send a truck. The producer wants to know why the tank filled faster than usual, whether the casing pressure is climbing, and whether the compressor is still running. Those are different jobs.
What Is TankScan?
TankScan is a wireless liquid tank monitor from AquaPhoenix Scientific in Hanover, Pennsylvania. Per its oil field spec sheet:
- Measurement: guided wave radar, on a probe that comes in lengths from 38 to 420 inches.
- Rating: intrinsically safe for Class I, Division 1, Groups C and D.
- Power: a 6V battery pack, about two years at 4-hour readings.
- Gateway: cellular or Ethernet, with sensors up to 1,000 feet line of sight.
- Software: a web dashboard with email alerts at preset levels, scaling “from 1 to over 100,000 tanks.”
- Service: full installation, maintenance and service plans, with lease-to-own options.
That is real, field-ready hardware.
Who Is TankScan Built For?
Read the sheet’s own benefits: “Plan logistics more efficiently,” “just-in-time collections and deliveries,” “Know when your customers’ tanks need to be serviced before they do,” and “Use data to plan more cost-efficient routes.” It is built to answer one question well: when does a truck need to show up?
If you are a water hauler, a fluid supplier or a distributor keeping customer tanks topped off, that is exactly the question you need answered, and TankScan is a good choice.
Where Does a Tank Inventory Tool Stop for a Producer?
A producer’s surprises do not all show up in the tank:
- Pressure. Casing, tubing and flowline pressure warn you a well is loading up or a line is plugging.
- Runtime. A compressor or pumping unit that quit overnight costs production every hour until someone notices.
- Injection. Water going down an injection or disposal well needs its own pressure watch.
A tank-level tool, however good, does not watch those. So the question is whether tank inventory is the whole job on your lease.
How Does TinyPumper Compare?
| TankScan | TinyPumper | |
|---|---|---|
| Built around | Tank inventory for deliveries and collections | Watching the whole producing site between pumper visits |
| What it watches | Tank fluid levels and temperature | Tank levels, pressures (wellhead, flowline, injection) and engine or compressor runtime |
| How the tank is measured | Guided wave radar probe that hangs into the tank | Radar on top of the tank, no fluid contact |
| Install | Full installation service available | Your team self-installs in 8 minutes |
| Connectivity | Cellular or Ethernet gateway | 100% continental U.S. coverage over satellite |
| Pricing | Not published on its oil field sheet | $349 a sensor, one time, then one flat rate a month per site, unlimited sensors |
| If it breaks | Service plans | Lifetime hardware replacement |
What Are the Options Besides TankScan?
| Option | What you get | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Hand gauging | A pumper’s reading, once a visit | Few tanks, short drives, nothing urgent |
| Tank-only monitor (TankScan and others) | Tank levels on a schedule | Whoever routes trucks to the tanks |
| Whole-site monitor (TinyPumper) | Tanks, pressures and runtime on one gateway | Producers watching the lease between visits |
| SCADA | Monitoring plus control from an office | Instrumented facilities with a controls team |
When Is TinyPumper the Better Fit?
- You are the producer, and you need pressures and runtime on the same lease as the tanks.
- You want alerts the moment something crosses a line. TinyPumper sensors report every hour and check thresholds every 5 minutes.
- You want one price per site, so adding a tank or a pressure sensor does not add a monthly charge.
- Your leases have dead zones. Satellite covers 100% of the continental U.S.
Producers running TinyPumper report cutting lease runs by 30 to 50 percent and catching failures days sooner. For the whole picture, see our oil well monitoring systems guide.
TinyPumper watches all three on one gateway. $349 a sensor, one time, then one flat rate a month per site. 60-day money-back.
See TinyPumperWhen Is TankScan the Better Fit?
If you haul or supply fluids and need to know when your customers’ tanks are ready for a truck, TankScan is built for exactly that, and it scales to a very large tank count. If you need full control of instrumented facilities, look at oil and gas SCADA instead of either product.
Who This Page Is Not For
This page is not for distributors and haulers routing trucks to customer tanks, and it is not for producers who need full SCADA control. For the rest of the field, see oilfield monitoring alternatives and oilfield tank monitoring.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is TankScan?
TankScan is a wireless liquid tank monitor made by AquaPhoenix Scientific. It measures fluid level with a guided wave radar probe, is rated intrinsically safe for Class I, Division 1 locations, runs about two years on a battery at 4-hour readings, and reports through a cellular or Ethernet gateway to a web dashboard with email alerts. Its oil field sheet is built around planning deliveries and collections.
What is the best TankScan alternative for a producer?
If tank inventory is your only need, another tank-level tool will do. If you are the producer and also need casing, tubing or flowline pressure and engine or compressor runtime, a whole-site monitor is the better alternative. TinyPumper covers tanks, pressures and runtime on one gateway for one flat rate per site, and your team self-installs it in 8 minutes.
Does TinyPumper use radar like TankScan?
Both use radar, mounted differently. TankScan’s guided wave radar runs a probe down into the tank. TinyPumper’s radar sensor mounts on top of the tank and reads the level without touching the oil or water, so there is nothing in the fluid to corrode, freeze or foul. Lifetime hardware replacement covers TinyPumper if a device ever fails.
How much does TinyPumper cost?
TinyPumper is $349 a sensor, one time. Then one flat rate a month per site, with unlimited sensors at that site. There is no setup fee and no training fee, and every order comes with a 60-day money-back trial with return shipping paid. Your exact monthly rate depends on how often you want readings sent.