Flowmeter on autofill

[Qwijib0]

Here's a thing I did that I hadn't seen anyone else do, so I thought I'd share it. With an autofill, it's hard to know if something goes wrong causing a leak until it's a bigger problem because the autofill will mask it.

So I put a GPH flowmeter on it so I can see how much it's using and notice if something changes.

 

[ajw22]

That is nice but a digital flow meter that accumulates gallons used will give you a better idea of daily fill usage.

 

[Qwijib0]

I looked for a while and I couldn't find a flowmeter that did totalizing for flows at ~2GPH that weren't into the hundreds of dollars, which is why I settled on that one.

 

[RubiconValley]

That is nice but a digital flow meter that accumulates gallons used will give you a better idea of daily fill usage.

Hi ajw22,
I'm building a pool now and would like to incorporate yours and Qwijib0's ideas: Is there a digital flow meter for hooking up to an autofill that you would recommend, please? Thanks!

 

[ajw22]

Hi ajw22,
I'm building a pool now and would like to incorporate yours and Qwijib0's ideas: Is there a digital flow meter for hooking up to an autofill that you would recommend, please? Thanks!

I have no direct experience with any "digital flow meter totalizator". Search around and you will find many out there. Here are some examples...

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

 

[Qwijib0]

@RubiconValley looking at that mcmaster carr list, the slowest flow is .3gpm which works out to 18GPH-- and if you're doing 18GPH something is probably Very Wrong. I spent a lot of time looking for even .1GPH flow totalizers and couldn't find one under $1000-- they are a very specialized thing.\


edit: looks like you could get a secondhand badger E series ultrasonic meter that will measure .05GPM for ~$600 on ebay.

 

[superuser]

You can get analog or digital water meters with digital pulse output for ~$50 and up (depending on pipe size) on Amazon.

 

[MostlyCanuck]

Hi ajw22,
I'm building a pool now and would like to incorporate yours and Qwijib0's ideas: Is there a digital flow meter for hooking up to an autofill that you would recommend, please? Thanks!

RubiconValley - what did you go with in the end? I'm also looking for recommendations for similar set-up... thx

 

[RubiconValley]

RubiconValley - what did you go with in the end? I'm also looking for recommendations for similar set-up... thx

My pool is delayed right now because my PB's supplier cannot get hold of equipment. But my plan is to install the Orbit 62061Z Single-Outlet Hose Watering Timer + Neptune T-10 3/4" Potable Water Meter on the auto-fill line.

​

 

[Jerz]

A simple solution that I found is the flume 2... works awesome and is very accurate. You simply strap it on your meter...

 

[RubiconValley]

A simple solution that I found is the flume 2... works awesome and is very accurate. You simply strap it on your meter...

Hi, Jerz, is this for whole house monitoring since you strap it onto your water meter? Or can it be strapped just to an auto fill line? Thanks!

 

[MostlyCanuck]

My pool is delayed right now because my PB's supplier cannot get hold of equipment. But my plan is to install the Orbit 62061Z Single-Outlet Hose Watering Timer + Neptune T-10 3/4" Potable Water Meter on the auto-fill line.

Looks similar to a DAE model I found on Amazon I also thought would work. I tried a couple cheaper ones and were both no good. Let us know if this one is fit for purpose when you do install it...

Btw, why do you need a timer on the autofill line? To avoid a flap/float device, and run it based on time regardless of actual water level?

 

[Jerz]

Hi, Jerz, is this for whole house monitoring since you strap it onto your water meter? Or can it be strapped just to an auto fill line? Thanks!

It's for the whole house but if you're not using any water in the house and your meter is spinning it would mean you had a leak somewhere so at that point you could turn off the valve on your auto fill to see if that stops the leak.

 

[RubiconValley]

It's for the whole house but if you're not using any water in the house and your meter is spinning it would mean you had a leak somewhere so at that point you could turn off the valve on your auto fill to see if that stops the leak.

Got it, thank you!

 

[RubiconValley]

Looks similar to a DAE model I found on Amazon I also thought would work. I tried a couple cheaper ones and were both no good. Let us know if this one is fit for purpose when you do install it...

Btw, why do you need a timer on the autofill line? To avoid a flap/float device, and run it based on time regardless of actual water level?

I will report back when it all actually comes together. And yes, exactly. I'm putting a Flo by Moen on my main meter (whole house leak detection device), and I don't want my autofill triggering the whole house leak detection. The Flo learns by detecting unusual/irregular water usage. So I'm hoping that by using a timer, and allowing the autofill to only come on at the same time every few days, the Flo will learn that the autofill is not a leak but a planned usage, as well as prevent any hiccups with the unregulated flow of expensive city water.