Water meter data logging

[Bruce Varley]

Hi, For various reasons, I need to put a datalogger on a conventional
domestic mains watermeter (in WA), to provide rough indication of when the
main flows occur and how big they are. The authority won't assist in any
way, and obtaining and fitting a proper flowmeter downstream is excessive
for the situation. I'm wondering whether the clicking noise that meters
generally make when they have significant flow going through them has been
used by anyone to do this - a contact mike with some filtering and a scaled
totaliser. Has anyone come across a design, or a device?

 

[David L. Jones]

On Mar 11, 10:16 pm, "Bruce Varley" <bxvar...@weastnet.com.au> wrote:

Hi, For various reasons, I need to put a datalogger on a conventional
domestic mains watermeter (in WA), to provide rough indication of when the
main flows occur and how big they are. The authority won't assist in any
way, and obtaining and fitting a proper flowmeter downstream is excessive
for the situation. I'm wondering whether the clicking noise that meters
generally make when they have significant flow going through them has been
used by anyone to do this - a contact mike with some filtering and a scaled
totaliser. Has anyone come across a design, or a device?

Interesting idea.
Could be as simple as a mic and a microcontroller, hardware wise
anyway. You might be able to use the noise of the water flow in the
pipe to get an indication when the water switches off and on, but that
doesn't help with the actual flow rate. The clicks could be quite
fiddly in practice I suspect.
Also, I wonder what the water meter dude will do when he comes around
to check the meter and sees this gadget hanging off?

Dave.

 

[TT]

"Bruce Varley" <bxvarley@weastnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:13tcqgo5est6te5@corp.supernews.com...

Hi, For various reasons, I need to put a datalogger on a conventional
domestic mains watermeter (in WA), to provide rough indication of when the
main flows occur and how big they are. The authority won't assist in any
way, and obtaining and fitting a proper flowmeter downstream is excessive
for the situation. I'm wondering whether the clicking noise that meters
generally make when they have significant flow going through them has been
used by anyone to do this - a contact mike with some filtering and a
scaled totaliser. Has anyone come across a design, or a device?

This is what you want http://tinyurl.com/3b7yan well that is if price is no
object ;-)

Or see this http://www.watermeters.com.au/category1_1.htm and read the bit
about the pulses and see their section on data logging
http://www.watermeters.com.au/category12_1.htm

You may get some ideas. Everyone else just reads their own meters before
and after ;-)

Cheers TT

 

[James]

"Bruce Varley" <bxvarley@weastnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:13tcqgo5est6te5@corp.supernews.com...

Hi, For various reasons, I need to put a datalogger on a conventional
domestic mains watermeter (in WA), to provide rough indication of when the
main flows occur and how big they are. The authority won't assist in any
way, and obtaining and fitting a proper flowmeter downstream is excessive
for the situation. I'm wondering whether the clicking noise that meters
generally make when they have significant flow going through them has been
used by anyone to do this - a contact mike with some filtering and a
scaled totaliser. Has anyone come across a design, or a device?

I work with flow meters but nothing that would be suitable in a domestic
installation. I take it you are not disputing the accuracy of the meter but
just want to know the flow rate at any given time? If so I would say using a
piezo transducer, utilising hardware and software filtering with a
microcontroller sounds very plausible (provided your meter "ticks") and
would be very easy to calibrate to your existing meter. Not only that but
there is nothing to stop you doing it, whereas installing an additional
flowmeter would cause all sorts of head scratching and accusations from the
uninformed water authority representitive, since there would be no tampering
with the meter.

James

 

[Russ]

"Bruce Varley" <bxvarley@weastnet.com.au> wrote in message
news:13tcqgo5est6te5@corp.supernews.com...

Hi, For various reasons, I need to put a datalogger on a conventional
domestic mains watermeter (in WA), to provide rough indication of when the
main flows occur and how big they are. The authority won't assist in any
way, and obtaining and fitting a proper flowmeter downstream is excessive
for the situation. I'm wondering whether the clicking noise that meters
generally make when they have significant flow going through them has been
used by anyone to do this - a contact mike with some filtering and a
scaled totaliser. Has anyone come across a design, or a device?

I've done a similar thing, but in my case I ordered a water meter with a
pulse output - it has a magnet attached to the fastest spinning dial (one
rev every 10 litres) and a reed switch mounted above it. In my case, a PIC
tied to an LCD display shows both instantaneous and cumulative usage.

The water meter was relatively cheap, and that was for a 2" unit - I imagine
a domestic unit would be even cheaper.

 

On 3ÔÂ11ČŐ, ĎÂÎç7Ęą16ˇÖ, "Bruce Varley" <bxvar...@weastnet.com.au> wrote:

Hi, For various reasons, I need to put a datalogger on a conventional
domestic mains watermeter (in WA), to provide rough indication of when the
main flows occur and how big they are. The authority won't assist in any
way, and obtaining and fitting a proper flowmeter downstream is excessive
for the situation. I'm wondering whether the clicking noise that meters
generally make when they have significant flow going through them has been
used by anyone to do this - a contact mike with some filtering and a scaled
totaliser. Has anyone come across a design, or a device?

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