Hi

I would like to install / build a meter that would display the amount
of water I have taken from my water tank(s). There is no access to the
tank(s), installing level senders would be difficult.

I am aware of the WaterWatch. It would suffice but the literature says
the minimum water flow required is ~ 1.6 Gallons Per Minute. I don't
think it would record small demands i.e. brushing one's teeth.
Although it would be good for measuring the amount of water added to
the tanks.

I would prefer a system with a small in-line sensor sending pulses? to
a meter (LED ? LCD?) 10' away.

Any suggestions

foggywaters

I am afraid a flow meter will never be good enough, because they would be
approximate at best and expensive. On a second thought, if you do not have
access, how do you clean them? If in fact, you really do not have access,
you have a much bigger problem than water level to worry about.
Steve

"foggywaters" wrote in message
...
Hi

I would like to install / build a meter that would display the amount
of water I have taken from my water tank(s). There is no access to the
tank(s), installing level senders would be difficult.

I am aware of the WaterWatch. It would suffice but the literature says
the minimum water flow required is ~ 1.6 Gallons Per Minute. I don't
think it would record small demands i.e. brushing one's teeth.
Although it would be good for measuring the amount of water added to
the tanks.

I would prefer a system with a small in-line sensor sending pulses? to
a meter (LED ? LCD?) 10' away.

Any suggestions

foggywaters

I agree with Steve, right down the line.

On Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:23:07 +0100, "Steve Lusardi"
wrote in :

I am afraid a flow meter will never be good enough, because they would be
approximate at best and expensive. On a second thought, if you do not have
access, how do you clean them? If in fact, you really do not have access,
you have a much bigger problem than water level to worry about.
Steve

"foggywaters" wrote in message
...
Hi

I would like to install / build a meter that would display the amount
of water I have taken from my water tank(s). There is no access to the
tank(s), installing level senders would be difficult.

I am aware of the WaterWatch. It would suffice but the literature says
the minimum water flow required is ~ 1.6 Gallons Per Minute. I don't
think it would record small demands i.e. brushing one's teeth.
Although it would be good for measuring the amount of water added to
the tanks.

I would prefer a system with a small in-line sensor sending pulses? to
a meter (LED ? LCD?) 10' away.

Any suggestions

foggywaters





--
Very best wishes for the holiday season and for the coming new year,
John

foggywaters wrote:
Hi

I would like to install / build a meter that would display the amount
of water I have taken from my water tank(s). There is no access to the
tank(s), installing level senders would be difficult.

I am aware of the WaterWatch. It would suffice but the literature says
the minimum water flow required is ~ 1.6 Gallons Per Minute. I don't
think it would record small demands i.e. brushing one's teeth.
Although it would be good for measuring the amount of water added to
the tanks.

I would prefer a system with a small in-line sensor sending pulses? to
a meter (LED ? LCD?) 10' away.

Any suggestions

foggywaters



If you want to build one, two solutions.
1.
Put a small propeller in a piece of glass or
transparent tube, a LED lichtsource on one side,
a phototransistor on the other side.
Clean up the phototransistor signal, and add a counter.
Then calibrate your counter by withdrawing a
known amount of water.
2.
Put a small propeller with magnet attached in the tube.
On the outside place a reed relay close by.
use switch to produce pulses, for the rest see solution 1.

Both are 10 dollar solutions.

Steve & John

You may very well be right that a flow meter may not be accurate
enough with small flow rates.

As for cleaning I do the bleach, let sit for 24 hours and rinse
several times every few months.

Foggywaters

On Dec 29, 8:09*am, John Navas wrote:
I agree with Steve, right down the line.

On Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:23:07 +0100, "Steve Lusardi"
wrote in :

I am afraid a flow meter will never be good enough, because they would be
approximate at best and expensive. On a second thought, if you do not have
access, how do you clean them? If in fact, you really do not have access,
you have a much bigger problem than water level to worry about.
Steve

"foggywaters" wrote in message
Hi

I would like to install / build a meter that would display the amount
of water I have taken from my water tank(s). There is no access to the
tank(s), *installing level senders would be difficult.

I am aware of the WaterWatch. It would suffice but the literature says
the minimum water flow required is ~ 1.6 Gallons Per Minute. I don't
think it would record small demands i.e. brushing one's teeth.
Although it would be good for measuring the amount of water added to
the tanks.

I would prefer a system with a small in-line sensor sending pulses? to
a meter (LED ? LCD?) 10' away.

Any suggestions

foggywaters

--

On Dec 29, 1:58*pm, Sjouke Burry
wrote:
foggywaters

If you want to build one, two solutions.
1.
Put a small propeller in a piece of glass or
transparent tube, a LED lichtsource on one side,
a phototransistor on the other side.
Clean up the phototransistor signal, and add a counter.
Then calibrate your counter by withdrawing a
known amount of water.
2.
Put a small propeller with magnet attached in the tube.
On the outside place a reed relay close by.
use switch to produce pulses, for the rest see solution 1.

Both are 10 dollar solutions.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thakns

This of course leads to the question where to get a small propeller
with or without a magnet. The Floscan fuel meter I had many years ago
used the former method, however it was only about 5/16" dia. I would
require 1/2 - 3/4"

foggywaters

On Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:57:48 -0800 (PST), foggywaters
wrote in
:

As for cleaning I do the bleach, let sit for 24 hours and rinse
several times every few months.

Bleach can be very hard on non-metallic parts -- I do not recommend it.
I personally use cleaners designed for the task.

--
Very best wishes for the holiday season and for the coming new year,
John

$10 solution? I guess you don't build many things. How much is your time
worth? How much effort do you think it will take you to source the
apprpriate parts, even if you could? If you couldn't, do you have the tools
to make them? Material cost? Then you have the performance, accuracy,
liniarity, data display and verification issues to deal with. I have both
the knowledge, the test equipment and the machine shop to do this and I know
that for me to make one would cost me several kilobucks in time and
materials. Perhaps you want to share what your smoking.
Steve

"Sjouke Burry" wrote in message
...

If you want to build one, two solutions.
1.
Put a small propeller in a piece of glass or
transparent tube, a LED lichtsource on one side,
a phototransistor on the other side.
Clean up the phototransistor signal, and add a counter.
Then calibrate your counter by withdrawing a
known amount of water.
2.
Put a small propeller with magnet attached in the tube.
On the outside place a reed relay close by.
use switch to produce pulses, for the rest see solution 1.

Both are 10 dollar solutions.

Steve Lusardi wrote:
$10 solution? I guess you don't build many things. How much is your time
worth? How much effort do you think it will take you to source the
apprpriate parts, even if you could? If you couldn't, do you have the tools
to make them? Material cost? Then you have the performance, accuracy,
liniarity, data display and verification issues to deal with. I have both
the knowledge, the test equipment and the machine shop to do this and I know
that for me to make one would cost me several kilobucks in time and
materials. Perhaps you want to share what your smoking.
Steve
I would make the mecanical parts, and
get a counter/photo transistor from www.conrad.com

I dont have to pay myself, you apparently have never
done any hobby work, according to your rules it would
be impossible to make something on the cheap.
The OP wanted something simple/cheap to have some indication
of water consumption, and I dont see where you would
spend all that money on, unless you are trying to
solve a different problem.

foggywaters wrote:
On Dec 29, 1:58 pm, Sjouke Burry
wrote:
foggywaters
If you want to build one, two solutions.
1.
Put a small propeller in a piece of glass or
transparent tube, a LED lichtsource on one side,
a phototransistor on the other side.
Clean up the phototransistor signal, and add a counter.
Then calibrate your counter by withdrawing a
known amount of water.
2.
Put a small propeller with magnet attached in the tube.
On the outside place a reed relay close by.
use switch to produce pulses, for the rest see solution 1.

Both are 10 dollar solutions.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thakns

This of course leads to the question where to get a small propeller
with or without a magnet. The Floscan fuel meter I had many years ago
used the former method, however it was only about 5/16" dia. I would
require 1/2 - 3/4"

foggywaters
If you have sombody with astma around, you can get a nice
propellor from an old inhalor.
Else goto a hobby shop, where they cater to ship moddeling,
they sell propellors to drive model ships.