A flowmeter is a device engineered to gauge the rate of flow of a liquid or gas passing through a particular point within a specific system. For example, water traversing through a pipeline. Water utilities generally utilize water meters. However, they also have been used in manufacturing and industrial capacities. They can even be part of your home’s plumbing system.
Water meters are, for the most part, used in all areas of society. There are relatively four kinds of meters gauging water in its various forms. And these are hygrometers, ice meters, moisture meters, and water meters. We will walk you through what these four classes of water meters measure and where and how they are used. Read on!
What They Measure
Water meters gauge the attributes and properties of liquid water. These characteristics include its quality, its pH balance, quantity used, speed of flow, and how well it conveys or channels electricity. If you have water coming into your home (which most of us do) you have one attached to the side of your house. It’s used to compute your water bill. Other water flow meters are utilized to assess the quality of water.
How They Are Read
Water meters are, more often than not, read in many ways, relying upon the meter:
- Through a clock-like face
- Numerous digital readings
- Electronic communication
- Sending pulses from a distance to a reader
Some are read by machines. Some are read by people.
Water Flow Meter
This type of flow meter is how most water suppliers gauge the amount of liquid water their consumers use every month. The added results aid them in monitoring their water supply, ensuring that they have a sufficient supply for everyone. Also, it tells them how much their consumers should be billed based on their monthly water usage.
Water suppliers aren’t, for the most part, the only ones making use of flow meters. Apartment building owners also use this kind of meter in different ways.
- First, to uncover signs of a leak. If water isn’t being received inside but the water meter is still moving, then there is an active leak.
- Some gauge the amount of liquid water that any wellsprings on the building produce.
- Meters can be used to divide total usage among units in an apartment building so that renters can pay for their own water consumption.
- To break apart the water utilized in an apartment complex from that utilized for landscaping as it’s often billed at a different rate.
Water Velocity
When a buyer hires a home inspector, one of the things the inspector does is test the home’s water pressure. There are meters that gauge both the speed and flow of water. Or you can get a probe that just calculates velocity. Hydrologists utilize this kind of flow meter to gauge the velocity of a river or stream. By determining the depth, width, and speed of a stream, hydrologists can assess the volume of flow.
Water utilities make good use of this type of flow meter to ensure their pipelines stay open. For instance, if the flow is slow-moving, that means there is an obstruction somewhere. They’ll use a probe to know the exact location of the obstruction, before cleaning out the pipelines.
Water pH Meter
The water pH meter was first designed in 1936 to assess the pH level in lemon juice. And from then on it has progressed to gauge the relative acidity of various liquids such as water. It can also assess semi-solids with a different probe.
Water Temperature Gauge
A water temperature gauge is a very common type of meter. As its name suggests, it measures the heat content in liquid water. It is commonly used in vehicles and cars, where it lets the person driving the car know if there are any problems with the radiator. For sure, most drivers know that when a radiator heats up, it will crack, losing coolant and water, and causing an engine breakdown.
Conductivity and TDS Meters
These water meters are, for the most part, quite different from each other. However, both meters gauge dissolved solids in liquid water by discerning how well the solution conveys electricity. Its main uses are:
- These meters assess the quality of the water in lakes, rivers, and streams, which is how the contamination in water is discovered from urban runoff and industrial dumping.
- In an HVAC system, the meter gauge whether the water passing through the line is too contaminated for use in the system.
- Also, these meters can test water purification output.
Salinometer
Salinometers are quite similar to TDS meters. However, it only gauges the salt content of the water. This kind of water meter is utilized in desalination plants and aboard steamships to assess the salt content.
Takeaway
Water meters are designed to measure the water volume used in many residential and commercial buildings. The water is then supplied to offices and homes through a public water system.
Water meters can gauge dirty water, clean water, cold water, and hot water. Each kind of water flow meter offers many advantages to various industries. If you want to know more, you can visit any flow meter manufacturer such as Smart Measurement Flow meters.
