Low flow water usage gauge?

[Lowmiler]

Can anyone recommend an inline water volume gauge that will automatically trigger with the low flow seen with a typical pond filler?

All the water flow gauges I’ve seen need the full flow of like a garden hose before they will automatically wake up and start recording.

I’m trying to chase a potential water loss issue and would like to monitor how often my automatic filler is coming on.

Thanks.

[BWG]

I haven't kept up on the latest and greatest flow meters but in the past very low flow rates would require one that senses something mechanical turning within the meter such as an internal paddle wheel. Maybe the 100% total electronic ones with no moving parts have improved but doubtful one of the inexpensive ones will be accurate at very low flow.

[aquaholic]

That's a very interesting issue. It it possible to turn off the water for a week to see how much water is lost? Or do you need the pond constantly full for filtration?

Alternatively could you catch the incoming water into a kiddie pool with inflatatable top float ring? So the pond level is maintained but you can see/weigh/measure the new water amount.

Most of the budget flow meters /digital meters have a turbine (propeller) with magnet and an electronic counter. At low flow, the spin rate becomes unreliable with a low viscosity fluid like water.

I am using an inline micro flow meter but it is an add-on to a WiFi valve which has a Zigbee gateway (phone used for real time monitoring and control) so it becomes expensive just for a flow meter. I need to measure 200ml per minute (12 litres per hour) for a constant drip top up-auto water change. It's accurate because it uses positive displacement flow - the meter counts how many times a small chamber is filled and emptied somehow. Unfortunately you can't ramp up the flow rate suddenly on that micro meter past 5 litres per minute but I have dual taps for that.

This is the link for your interest. The WiFi tap itself is excellent.

https://www.link-tap.com/#!/micro-flow-meter

[Lowmiler]

That's a very interesting issue. It it possible to turn off the water for a week to see how much water is lost? Or do you need the pond constantly full for filtration?

Alternatively could you catch the incoming water into a kiddie pool with inflatatable top float ring? So the pond level is maintained but you can see/weigh/measure the new water amount.

Most of the budget flow meters /digital meters have a turbine (propeller) with magnet and an electronic counter. At low flow, the spin rate becomes unreliable with a low viscosity fluid like water.

I am using an inline micro flow meter but it is an add-on to a WiFi valve which has a Zigbee gateway (phone used for real time monitoring and control) so it becomes expensive just for a flow meter. I need to measure 200ml per minute (12 litres per hour) for a constant drip top up-auto water change. It's accurate because it uses positive displacement flow - the meter counts how many times a small chamber is filled and emptied somehow. Unfortunately you can't ramp up the flow rate suddenly on that micro meter past 5 litres per minute but I have dual taps for that.

This is the link for your interest. The WiFi tap itself is excellent.

https://www.link-tap.com/#!/micro-flow-meter

Thanks, a bit complicated and expensive for what may not even be a real problem I am chasing.

Our water bill doubled this past quarter, and the only water use the water dept folks could find when coming to our house and checking for leaks post meter was the koi pond filler running. That doesn’t 100% mean that’s where the water usage spike came from, but it did rule out leaks anywhere else on the property.

Since then, I’ve been monitoring water level drop with the pond filler off. For the first week, I would have to manually fill 30 gallons each day to get the water level back up to “full”. 5000 gallon pond.

Weather this past summer has been incredibly dry with low humidity, so that might have been contributing to loss through evap.

Of course, a week after I started collecting data, weather has turned rainy, so I am now not able to get a true loss reading.

I was hoping just to let the filler run for a couple weeks and monitor its usage with a gauge, instead of the manual daily work I’ve been doing…

[coolwon]

Your household water meter reads down to a dribble.

Would that not be accurate enough?

Buy a separate meter and fit in line.

Cheap is nasty.

[aquaholic]

I would think a week of manual measurement is sufficient if you have calculated 30 gallon daily loss? Or manually measure once a week for a month if it's getting tedious. That will let you use the higher flow water flow meter you already have.

What does knowing the water flow/water volume provide? Is it cheaper to pay for water or cheaper to search for and repair a pond leak? The fish would love the higher volume of water turnover.

You can distinguish between evaporation and leaks by setting up a bucket filled to exactly the same level as pond level in your pond. If the water level drop is evenly matched, its all evaporation.

[Lowmiler]

Your household water meter reads down to a dribble.

Would that not be accurate enough?

Buy a separate meter and fit in line.

Cheap is nasty.

Not sure if you’re being serious? It’s not possible to install another municipal water meter directly on my pond filler line.

You must not be serious.

[Lowmiler]

I would think a week of manual measurement is sufficient if you have calculated 30 gallon daily loss? Or manually measure once a week for a month if it's getting tedious. That will let you use the higher flow water flow meter you already have.

What does knowing the water flow/water volume provide? Is it cheaper to pay for water or cheaper to search for and repair a pond leak? The fish would love the higher volume of water turnover.

You can distinguish between evaporation and leaks by setting up a bucket filled to exactly the same level as pond level in your pond. If the water level drop is evenly matched, its all evaporation.

I’d rather know I have a leak, I can then formulate a plan fully informed.

Yes, it has occurred to me that it might just be cheaper to just keep filling with water. Unless the leak suddenly gets worse. Like if I am away from the house for an extended time.

If there is evidence of a leak, I can then spend the energy to locate it.

I like the idea of the water bucket under the same ambient conditions. I will try that, with my water feature off. It will at least tell me if the pond itself isn’t leaking, but it still leaves the water feature plumbing, which is fully buried, as a potential leak source.

Knowing “normal” water usage from the pond filler would be useful to know either way… it can also help me eliminate it as the extra water usage entirely and look elsewhere on the property.

[aquaholic]

Oh... you almost certainly have a leak. There is no way you will lose 30 gallon per day through evaporation only. My suggestion will help you determine how much is leak and how much is evaporation. Even if it were all evaporation, you still need to spend money on water if you want a full pond.

So you may as well start looking if your intent on stopping leaks.

[coolwon]

Not sure if you’re being serious? It’s not possible to install another municipal water meter directly on my pond filler line.

You must not be serious.

Get a plumber to install a municipal TYPE meter on your pond line.

Always stand you in good stead.

Where,where you were going to install the el cheapo meter?