Jim ‘Slim’ Mimlitz, SCADAmetrics
Alert Labs (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada) is a manufacturer of water leak and flow sensing equipment, serving the commercial and industrial building spheres. Here at SCADAmetrics (Wildwood, MO), we manufacture flow metering instrumentation in support of the water metering industry, as a whole.
One of Alert Labs’ instruments is the model Flowie-O, which attaches to a water meter, detects flow by sensing the meter’s internal rotating magnet, and provides the property owner with usage and leak detection information. The Flowie-O also features an alternate operational mode, where is can be wired directly to flow meters that feature a pulse output.
However, there are many meters that fit into the following category:
- No Moving Parts — Ultrasonic / Electro-Magnetic
- No Pulse Output — Sensus/Neptune/Elster Protocols (3-Wire Encoded Only)
Examples include popular municipal-style flow meters, such as the Neptune Mach-10, Sensus iPerl, Kamstrup FlowIQ, Zenner Stealth, Badger E-Series, and many others.
The SCADAmetrics model EMP Signalizer (US Patent No. 11,041,738) can be used the bridge this gap by converting the 3-wire encoded output from such water meters into a compatible 2-wire pulse output that can be directly wired to the Flowie-O. The user simply must add the Flowie-O Pulse Cable accessory (P/N ALF-000073-001).
Furthermore, the Signalizer can be used to help connect the Flowie-O to water meters that are utility-owned. Because the Signalizer does not interfere with the utility’s AMI/AMR meter-reading system, concurrent Flowie-O and AMI/AMR connectivity is achieved. It is important to note that permission generally must be requested and granted before connecting to Utility-owned water meters.
Want to Learn More?…
Are you interested in learning more about how SCADAmetrics instrumentation can extend the usefulness of Alert Labs’ lineup of water meter monitoring devices? Give us a call!… We’ll be glad to discuss the details!