6 Water Flow Meter

[Emelia Lute]

BeforeI go barking up the wrong tree, is the Pulse Counter the right component to use? I could hack something up in the Arduino IDE, but ESPhome integrates so beautifully into HA (and therefore NodeRed) that it would make capturing this data into pretty graphs very, very easy. Am I on the right track?

To me, your approach of using pulse counter seems like the right approach. I am also interested in this kind of water flow rate meter.

YF-DN40 is a plastic material sensor and I would prefer a brass one for durability and to avoid any leakage situations.

SEN-HZG1WA 1" Brass Water Flow Sensor is one I found on the web.

I would also prefer a brass sensor, but these things are unfortunately not easily available in my country. Even the YF-DN40 was extremely expensive - I could have bought 10 Wemos D1s for the same money.

As you can see, not a lot exciting going on. On the right, AC power coming in. I put it through a large MOV, and then a PCB-mount 220V-5V adapter. Then a small MOV (because I am paranoid), and a 4700uF capacitor. All of that is just to clean the power supply and protect the D1 from spikes.

The numbers its kicking back seem to be excessively high. Like, when I measure by catching the water in a 20L jug and timing how long that takes, it seems to be very, very wrong. Like, my shitty jug measurement gives me about 900L/hr. The flow meter says 3,800L/hr.

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The difference between a flow sensor and a water meter is that a flow sensor measures the rate or speed of water flow, while a water meter measures the total amount of water used over time. Essentially, flow sensors track how fast water moves and water meters track how much water is used.

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I am attempting to read the output of an IFM SM6001 flow meter in LabVIEW, and write the flow values to an Excel file. To do this, I am using a USB-6008 DAQ board (with 9.3.5 drivers) and LabVIEW 2010 on a Windows 7 64-bit machine. The specifications for the flow meter may be found at: The flow it can measure is 0.03-6.6 gallons/min of water. (For reference, my application will cover a range roughly between 1.5 and 3 gallons/min.) The flow meter requires 19-30V DC, and I am powering it using a generic 24V power supply, which I believe (based on testing with a multimeter) is working. It is a 4 wire system (supposedly) capable of outputting either a 0-10V analog voltage signal or a 4-20mA current signal, depending on user preference. I have configured the sensor to output 0-10V, but in testing, I have changed the settings to attempt to read current, adjusting the parameters of the DAQ assistant accordingly (to no avail). I have since returned the settings to output voltage (again, configuring the DAQ Assistant accoridngly), but I am still having trouble.

Pin 3 (Black Wire): Not connected (This is based on the understanding that it is not a ground wire, but used as a pulse or switching output. If this is the error, and it should be connected to the AI7 ground, please let me know.)

In testing, for signal conditioning purposes, I have also had Pin 2 (white wire) in series with a 440 Ohm resistor, in an attempt to eliminate noise. This has not appeared to have an effect on the problem I am observing.

The problem I am observing is that the voltage I am reading out in the program does not appear to be varying with flow (which I am controlling with a simple ball valve), making it impossible to calibrate the flow meter and output the correct value to the Excel file. The voltage appears to be stuck at a value of .009V. To verify that the DAQ and flow meter are talking, I have run a test within the DAQ Assistant configuration box, which is the JPEG shown below. I am unsure of how to interpret this plot, e.g. if this is just noise or a meaningful signal. I am also unsure of the correct measurement type within the DAQ assitant (e.g. RSE or not). I have attached my code as well, as it maybe that I have made a logic error I simply don't recognize.

I would think you need to nail down if you are going to measure a single or double wire measurement. Maybe hook up the OUT2 (signal) to the AI+, and the Pin 3 (L-) to AI- for double ended. Couldn't find it in the spec.

Thank you for your reply. I reset the values of the DAQ Assistant to 0-Min +10-Max (good catch), and checked the scaling on the sensor (which was correct). Unfortunately, I am still getting the error.

You could start with the basics and remove the resistor and just come off the flowmeter outputs into a volt meter to verify you are getting an output signal. Once the output is verified then you can troubleshoot software if needed.

Do you have anything wired to AIGND? An analog input requires two wires because it's fundamentally a difference between two levels, and you only mentioned one wire going to the AI7 input. Try connecting AIGND to the negative end of the power supply. Also, do you have a multimeter available? If so, you might want to confirm that the sensor voltage output does properly vary with flow.

Using a DMM, I established that the issue was the voltage drop across the resistor. After checking a different sensor spec sheet, I found that the signal conditioning on this sensor is such that external resistance for smoothing purposes actually does more harm than good. I removed the resistor and then added a wire running from common ground to AI7GND (differential wire), per suggestion. I also reset the sensor, checking the max and min values. With these changes, I am now getting a nice linear variation, and have been able to calibrate the program to the sensor to get a gallons/min output. Much obliged Mark, and thanks to all who commented.

A good version of a script that does that can be found here. I took this script as a basis and did some further editing to it (incl. more intervals, see below, and more documentation in the code itself, in case I have to edit it in a couple of months from now). My documentations might help you as well.

To calibrate the sensor, let one liter of water flow through the sensor at the respective speed, and enter the number of pulses counted into the script under the respective flowspeed. The reset-button helps resetting the counters. For comfort reasons, the numbers can also be entered in the field in the main menu, but to be safe (after restart) it is better to include the values in the code itself.

Assuming that MQTT is already working on your openHAB installation (if not, here under #3 are some hints), the goal is to create an openHAB item which receives the information from the ESP.

As mentioned, the flow sensor used is not super precise. But for my purpose (get an impression on the amount of water consumed at various points around the house) good enough.

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There are several water flow meter technologies to choose from depending on the water measurement application, maintenance requirements, and budgetary terms. Each of these types of water flow meters has a unique principle of operation, specific application benefits, and overall cost-of-ownership. The question is: What water flow meter should you choose for your water flow measurement application? There are four primary types of water flow meters: mechanical water flow meters, vortex volumetric flow meters, ultrasonic flow meters or magnetic flow meters.

The best type of water flow meter to use depends upon the specific application, some flow meters work better when measuring different things. To learn more, watch videos, read white papers and use selection tools to find the right Sierra flow measurement product for your water and liquid flow application.

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Flow sensor devices are relatively new products. They can help you monitor your water use and detect leaks, potentially saving you money and avoiding damage to your property. Research carefully to find the device that best fits your needs and budget.

*Vendor has a preferred installer. Check their website for more information.

**In San Antonio, irrigation systems typically separate from the main line near the water meter. If you want to measure irrigation water flow, the flow sensor must be located near the meter which may be impractical or cost prohibitive for many households.

Flow sensor devices are smart home devices that monitor water use from either your water meter or water main line. Flow sensor devices are able to detect leaks and notify owners of a leak before catastrophic damage can occur.

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