Types of water meters

Water meters are found in residential and commercial buildings that use a public water supply system. These meters are designed to keep track of how much water is consumed by a particular household or business.

The most common types of water meters are:

• (Positive) Displacement Water Meters
• Velocity Meters

The Flowie water sensor works on (Positive) Displacement water meters.

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 Positive Displacement Water Meters

Displacement water meters, often called Positive Displacement (PD) meters, are the most common water meters for residential and small commercial properties. They're great for measuring small volumes of water at low flow rates.

They contain mechanical parts (an oscillating piston or nutating disk) that are displaced, or moved, as water flows through the meter's main chamber. These moving parts measure the volume of water and increase the reading on your meter's register by the appropriate amount. 

The video below illustrates how Badger meters measure water flow using a nutating disk.

Once attached, our Flowie water sensor is able to passively record the mechanical movement as well, helping us provide you with minute insight into your water use. Displacement water meters vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but the Flowie sensor's flexible rubber strap is designed to fit on any kind of PD meter.

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Velocity Meters

Velocity water meters measure the speed at which the water moves through the meter's known volume. Velocity meters are further divided into four categories:

• Electromagnetic and Ultrasonic Meters
  Using magnetic fields or sound waves to measure water flow.
• Single and Multiple-Jet Water Meters
  Using an impeller and rotation speed to determine water flow.
• Turbine Water Meters
  As the name suggests, using a turbine to measure water flow.

Flowie water sensor does not support ultrasonic or electromagnetic water meters, such as the iPerl meter pictured above.

The video below explains magnetic flowmeter technology, though on a larger scale than is necessary for a residential property.