I purchased the new check valve/flow meter from TFTestkits and did the install today. I took pictures of the install process and will also share some lessons learned with the forum. I apologize in advance if this is a long post but I feel it may help others.
The first thing I found is that the valve body is made by Praher not Jandy as I assumed after reading another post. I was able to find some accurate dimensions on Praher's website and found that the pipe cut needs to be 3.75". The overall body length is 6.5" and the socket depth is approximately 1-3/8". The most important number is the 3.75" pipe cut since that is how much pipe needs to be removed in order to install the flow meter. I also removed the guts of the flow meter so I could put a torpedo level on top and also check that the pipes were bottomed out in the socket during the install. I used Oatey clear primer and Oatey clear general purpose cement to do the install. I also noticed that the Praher valve body has an additional port on one side which can be drilled out and serves no purpose with this flow meter. The valve body is symmetrical so it doesn't matter which way it gets installed but the flow meter must be installed such that the side with the flow scale is on the downstream side of the flow.
The installation went very well. The only trouble that I had was leveling the valve body which ended up being slightly off. I waited a few hours to let the cement cure per Oatey's instructions. I then started the pump and the flow meter seems to work very well with very little effect on the system. I will follow-up with another post with a detailed review on the flow meters operation and effect on the system.
Here are some pictures of the install:
The first thing I found is that the valve body is made by Praher not Jandy as I assumed after reading another post. I was able to find some accurate dimensions on Praher's website and found that the pipe cut needs to be 3.75". The overall body length is 6.5" and the socket depth is approximately 1-3/8". The most important number is the 3.75" pipe cut since that is how much pipe needs to be removed in order to install the flow meter. I also removed the guts of the flow meter so I could put a torpedo level on top and also check that the pipes were bottomed out in the socket during the install. I used Oatey clear primer and Oatey clear general purpose cement to do the install. I also noticed that the Praher valve body has an additional port on one side which can be drilled out and serves no purpose with this flow meter. The valve body is symmetrical so it doesn't matter which way it gets installed but the flow meter must be installed such that the side with the flow scale is on the downstream side of the flow.
The installation went very well. The only trouble that I had was leveling the valve body which ended up being slightly off. I waited a few hours to let the cement cure per Oatey's instructions. I then started the pump and the flow meter seems to work very well with very little effect on the system. I will follow-up with another post with a detailed review on the flow meters operation and effect on the system.
Here are some pictures of the install: