I took a chance and bought this ultrasonic flow meter from aliexpress. I gotta tell you, I'm pretty thrilled with it so far. This is in advance of installing a UV sterilizer so I wanted to read flow rates better than the fill-a-bucket-test. But I don't own an apex nor frankly do I trust any in-line meter. Being non-contact/non-intrusive/easy to retrofit, this just seemed too good to not try out.
At the expense of sounding like a salesman, there are several different TUF-2000 meters available in different form factors. The TUF-2000B is IP67 rated, which is what I got. You choose different transponders depending on pipe diameter (I bought the TS2 for my 1" Sch 40 PVC ), slap some grease on them, strap them to the pipe, set a couple of settings on the unit and BAM, non-intrusive flow meter readings (ok, in all honesty, it took a little while to RTFM and figure out how to get it installed correctly). Unfortunately, I don't have anything to verify the readings, but I'm getting 400 gallons/hour, which matches what I expected to get with my setup.
The unit is also LOADED with additional features including data logging options, daily sums, a modbus interface, and an 'Open Collector Transistor' output (digital relay). In fact, I've already connected an ESP32S2 MCU to the modbus interface and am wirelessly streaming flow rates up to my HomeAssistant server every 5 seconds. Once the UV sterilizer is plumbed in, I'll also wire that up to the relay to turn the bulb off automatically if flow rates drop to zero.
I'd be happy to share notes, steps to get the thing up and running, tips, or ESP32/HomeAssistant code if anyone is interested.
Cheers!
Pic of the case:
Pic of the sensors. Rubber bands are temporary.
Pic of the insides. ESP32, RS485, and DC-DC converter conveniently installed in the cavity behind the main PCB:
Home Assistant plot of flow data:
At the expense of sounding like a salesman, there are several different TUF-2000 meters available in different form factors. The TUF-2000B is IP67 rated, which is what I got. You choose different transponders depending on pipe diameter (I bought the TS2 for my 1" Sch 40 PVC ), slap some grease on them, strap them to the pipe, set a couple of settings on the unit and BAM, non-intrusive flow meter readings (ok, in all honesty, it took a little while to RTFM and figure out how to get it installed correctly). Unfortunately, I don't have anything to verify the readings, but I'm getting 400 gallons/hour, which matches what I expected to get with my setup.
The unit is also LOADED with additional features including data logging options, daily sums, a modbus interface, and an 'Open Collector Transistor' output (digital relay). In fact, I've already connected an ESP32S2 MCU to the modbus interface and am wirelessly streaming flow rates up to my HomeAssistant server every 5 seconds. Once the UV sterilizer is plumbed in, I'll also wire that up to the relay to turn the bulb off automatically if flow rates drop to zero.
I'd be happy to share notes, steps to get the thing up and running, tips, or ESP32/HomeAssistant code if anyone is interested.
Cheers!
Pic of the case:
Pic of the sensors. Rubber bands are temporary.
Pic of the insides. ESP32, RS485, and DC-DC converter conveniently installed in the cavity behind the main PCB:
Home Assistant plot of flow data:
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