ESPhome Flow Meter

Have one of these

Stainless Steel G3/4” Flow Meter with NTC temperature Hall Water Turbine sensor

all I know is

Material: Stainless Steel
Thread Size: G3/4"
Voltage : DC4.5~18V
Normal voltage : DC5V
Output voltage (DC5V): High level 4.5v, low level 0.5V;
Pulse occupise a space: 50%;
Insulation resistance: >100MΩ
Electric strength : AC500V,50Hz;
Flow rate : 2~45L/min
pressure : <1.75Mpa,
Installation : any direction.
F=8.1*Q-5 + -10%
1L Water= 477 Pulse ±10%
Accuracy :5%~10%
Temperature sensor : NTC 50K 50K Ω
Temperature range -20~150°C
Liquid : water , <60°C
Cable connection: 3 wires : Red + ; Black : - ; Yellow : Pulse output NPN signal ;
2 Wires : Blue : NTC temperature resistance .
Conector Type: HX 3P / HX -2Pin

is this the same thing

am joining the wrong dots

Dont need to know the Flow amount Ill be happy knowing water is flowing.

No. A sensor is not the same as a calculation.

First you will need to set the flow sensor up as a digital input pulse counter (since it gives pulses) which you then count to calculate flow.

In this case you can just check for pulses to work out: pulses= flow, no pulses=no flow

Hi, myle

I’m going to buy this sensor. Can you share its code with us?

Good lord, you know what a search box is, right? Theres one right here in the forum . Not only that but someone posted the link where it tells you how to set up a pulse counter sensor. Make an effort to learn something, otherwise your brain will atrophy.

I’m sorry. I just can’t find NTC 50KΩ. I only found 10KΩ. NTC Sensor — ESPHome

Only found 10k where? In the docs?

Hello and good morning…

Can u say anything about the long term function of your flow meter?
And can you share which product that is?
Any restrictions in the tube itself for ventury or so?
Does that restrict flow?
How accurate do you think it is?
I have one of those spinning ones but i was hoping for direct flow display and not just pulses per gallon
Thx alot

Oh and by the way, what about potable water safety?

I installed 2 of these, 1 is on the main that feeds my irrigation and the other is at the water softener. I want to say it’s been about 2 years since I first installed them. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with them to be honest. I initially bought the cheaper plastic ones as more of a trial to see how things go and then I’d upgrade to brass. Well, 2 years later they’re still installed because I have no reason to replace perfectly good sensors.

https://www.amazon.com/GREDIA-Sensor-Food-Grade-Flowmeter-Counter/dp/B07RF49TZH/ref=sr_1_20?crid=3L1A77GP9QYGX&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OOANSTAuAoj31C4s_7xy5Ly4NCxcCAhPkFIeg6Bs5cljuXJRH34F8IH-JWoj-VflHm3hejK47Qh1yOJintPOCom3gf2tgtjU3dndsBt355sTf229gVwFPtYtzDJ8WNYJnprCqvigdgN2SkvG5WDRJMgiNFWhMUoO3tvlOZATrL6u5UFWNpgYtKB2UMA3GJvj3lNCiMcjRpWRPNREG7L6cwOYCRBZqvhq68AiJwKckQY.f6cKXlZ1PO99W02i_Tz0gOEsNuUgLTpzAqudVb7GRJY&dib_tag=se&keywords=3%2F4%2Binch%2Bflow%2Bmeter&qid=1724873191&sprefix=3%2F4%2Binch%2Bflow%2Bmeter%2Caps%2C359&sr=8-20&th=1

I wouldn’t call them “restrictive” if you buy appropriate sized sensors. Each one will tell you the specifications, for example these will do up to 60l/min. If your project requires more than that then go up to 1" diameter or larger.

They provide the formula on the sensor to calculate flow rate but, I noticed mine wasn’t quite accurate when I first tested them so, I took the time to calibrate mine and they are not 100% perfect but, very good and i’m happy with them because when I do check my monthly utility meter sensor and compare it against my water bill, It’s always within 50gal or less. The one problem they all seem to suffer from is the accuracy decreases when pressure decreases.

spinning ones? A reed sensor and magnet inside? Direct flow display? like on the meter it has a display with the flow rate? They have those available but, they work the exact same say. It counts pulses internally and then converts that into gal/liter and display it on the screen. That’s the exact same way the digital flow sensors with pulses work. Instead of the sensor doing the calculation internally, you’re having the esp board do the calculation so one isn’t better than the other.

Pretty simple. You buy a brass one or buy one that is a food grade sensor meant to be used with food prep systems. Secondly, keep it clean during installation and don’t lay it in sloppy mud during install. You could even go as far as using a cleaning or bleach solution to wipe it down right as you install it. It’s really just a matter of using common sense, you don’t need to be a brain surgeon to figure this out. Read the manual/instructions and a little common sense is all it takes.

Thx alot for your detailed answer…
My meter only counts every gallon, and since i want to see the acutal flow, it is not working for me.
Since i live in backwards america with sheetrock all over i want to kill the water supply as soon i see unrestricted flow which would ruin my house. Had one pipe break on me in the oast, and taht was no picnic.

Any hall sensor flow meter can do what you need.
Small flow rate means higher accuracy and higher restriction.
High flow rate means opposite.
Find your balance/ priority.

I to live in backwards rural America, I know the feeling. A frozen and then busted water pipe that went undetected for hours is the reason I now use them myself! I really had no desire to track water use just for the hell of it, its tp prevent catastrophic damage. Even if you can only see gallons being used, it can still be a useful indicator of a serious problem or potential water leak.

If you track your normal home water uses and you figure that a shower runs for X minutes, sprinklers run for X minutes, etc. Any flow rate that exceeds X plus a little extra time could indicate a problem.

Hello again…
I prob will switch my 1 signal per gallon one out to one of these hall ones…
I am just concerned about possible pressure drop…my water pressure in the house is already pretty bad. unfortunately it is a spec house, so the builder did the worst things possible and i am not feeling like redoing the hole piping…
What would be the negative/positive, to just get a 1 inch plumbed in instead of 3/4 like the pipe is and have this way, low flow speed but almost no pressure drop

A 1" flow meter on a 3/4" water line? I have no idea honestly. I would think its a better option than putting a 1/2" flow meter on a 3/4" pipe.

Do you not have a masters degree from Google University?

Haha, Google University is great…i prefer human experience than random info.
But i will ask uncle google on this one…
thx for all the help…

If you dont find a definitive answer or unsure. I have a cousin who is a union pipe fitter foreman. Ill shoot him a text and see what he sais if you need me to.

Exactly what I wrote in post#9. Not too much restriction and less precision/sensibility for low flows.

You can always grab some sort of bucket like a 5gal one and your garden hose which are standard 5/8" or 3/4" here.

Now open the timer on your phone and do some testing. See how much water comes out in 15-30 seconds. If 15s then X4 or for 30s X 2 to get 1min and do the same with your bucket of water. For example, if you got 2gal in 15 seconds then your flow rate is 8gal/min with an unrestricted garden hose.

Now put the flow metet on and repeat the same process. This is also a good time to check the meters accuracy and tweak the equation for flow rate thats usually printed on the flow meters.

Take your 5gal bucket and mark off 1,2,3,4 gal up the bucket then with your meter still attached, fill the bucket with 2 or 3 gal then check to see if the flow meter matches or if it needs punted down the road because its a turd sandwich… Just dont dont overcomplicate it like so many others do.