Using whole house flow meter, only read flow during watering on rain machine...

Follow

Nate C.

June 29, 2019 05:39

I have installed a fortrezz 3/4” flow meter before my house and irrigation water input. It uses a magnetic sensor with resolution of one pulse per 0.01 gallon, but instead of the usual two wire with bare ends, it has the magnetic reed sensor and a micro-usb plug (probably just hooked to the two data wires?) plugged into a z-wave powered wireless transmitter to send flow data to my home automation system.

although I can see irrigation water use in my home automation platform (SmartThings), I’d also like to see the flow data used for more accurate watering data/calculations.

I have limited experience with DIY electronics, so my apologies of this sounds dumb, but my thought was to install a second magnetic reed switch on the flow meter (close enough to get the signal but hopefully not affecting the original pulse reed switch cable) and run it back to my Rain Machine Pro 16. But then the sprinkler would also see/record regular home water usage as a leak.

I suppose I could try to figure out something with a transister/mosfet, to only allow flow pulses through when the mosfet is powered (perhaps using master control signal to provide the voltage necessary to activate, so that pulses only are received while on a watering program?). The easier thing would be if there was a setting to ignore non-active watering pulses on the RM, because even though I’ll know it’s not a leak, the type A need to have accurate data showing persists. 

Has anyone else tried something like this, or have any recommendations?

0

• 

  Istvan July 01, 2019 09:30

  Hi Nate,

  If I understand it right, you have one single water meter and all the water going into the house and into the irrigation system runs through it - you can't see them separately. Is this correct?

  If yes, then you won't be able to detect irrigation system leaks, regardless of the electronics you might attach to the RainMachine to enable/disable flow meter pulses.
  There would be ways to power a relay from the master valve output and feed the pulse signal of the flow meter through it, doing this, however, renders the leak detection completely useless. The purpose of the leak detection system is to check for pulses when your valves are not on. If the RainMachine knows that it isn't watering but pulses still come on the pulse counter input then there must be a leak somewhere in the irrigation system and the RainMachine reports it. If pulses are inhibited when no valves are on, the RainMachine is kept in the dark about potential leaks.

  Istvan
  RainMachine

  0

  Comment actions Permalink
• 

  Nate C. July 01, 2019 16:18

  Thanks Istvan,

  Yes, my goal was to only capture irrigation watering on the Rain Machine.

  I have other leak detection functions running within my SmartThings system (water flow for too long without stopping, flow rate too high) etc., which would alert me to leaks in my home or irrigation system.

  0

  Comment actions Permalink

Please sign in to leave a comment.