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pHaestus · 01-10-2003, 11:10 AM

If you want one of the bell-type flow meters then I have one hardly used.

http://www.procooling.com/~phaestus/flowmeter.jpg

Huge pressure drop and ~6% accuracy. If you are testing below 1.5GPM only or with an enormous pump then I guess they are "ok". You need to consider (IMO) exactly what you want to test and then purchase accordingly. BillA seems to be about an order of magnitude up from me in both accuracy and cost when it comes to testing gear. It works out ok as we have (somewhat) different questions of interest.

I have a GPI paddle wheel type (0.01GPM res and 3% accuracy or so), and to me it is the upper end of acceptable price ($40-80 on ebay). The important thing with all such used equipment is to pay the extra $10-15 for current calibration. The Sparling looks nice, but I seem to recall Bill having some issues with his and it ended up being cheaper to replace than to repair. Maybe he can comment.

If you check www.labx.com and www.ebay.com you can find flowmeters that just have a 4-20mA output. Couple those with an indicator and you may have another relatively cheap solution.

01-10-2003, 11:10 AM	#6
pHaestus Big Player Making Big Money Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: irc.lostgeek.com #procooling.com Posts: 4,782	If you want one of the bell-type flow meters then I have one hardly used. http://www.procooling.com/~phaestus/flowmeter.jpg Huge pressure drop and ~6% accuracy. If you are testing below 1.5GPM only or with an enormous pump then I guess they are "ok". You need to consider (IMO) exactly what you want to test and then purchase accordingly. BillA seems to be about an order of magnitude up from me in both accuracy and cost when it comes to testing gear. It works out ok as we have (somewhat) different questions of interest. I have a GPI paddle wheel type (0.01GPM res and 3% accuracy or so), and to me it is the upper end of acceptable price ($40-80 on ebay). The important thing with all such used equipment is to pay the extra $10-15 for current calibration. The Sparling looks nice, but I seem to recall Bill having some issues with his and it ended up being cheaper to replace than to repair. Maybe he can comment. If you check www.labx.com and www.ebay.com you can find flowmeters that just have a 4-20mA output. Couple those with an indicator and you may have another relatively cheap solution.