cheap GPM flow velocity meter?

So i'm setting a new pump system and i'm hoping for a flow meter so that I know how slow my wort is moving when i'm sparging. Needs to be sanitary, able to go from the lowest possible resolution up to at least 1gpm 7 being preferable. Needs to withstand up to 212 in temp range. I've found a couple but they are around $1000 bucks, which is a bit much. My MLT and BK have sight glasses so I can time it to figure it out but I wash hoping for something a bit more precise and repeatable......

Anyone ever solve this one?

Good luck!

Northern tool has some digital units with temp ranges up to 180 for a couple franklins.

I looked for a while and couldn't find anything that would work to a homebrewer's specs nor that was reasonably priced. I just pump into a nalgene waterbottle that has graduated markings and time it to calculate my flow rate. I can make it repeatable each brew and after a few times you can dial it in pretty quickly.

maybe?

http://www.miniinthebox.com/saier-e...?currency=USD&litb_from=paid_adwords_shopping

that looks like a mini pump...

Says its a meter

TipsySaint said:

that looks like a mini pump...

Click to expand...

Minbari said:

Says its a meter

Click to expand...

It is a turbine style sensor only. Still needs a host to translate the voltage output into a meaningful flow rate.

Considering it cost $9, you make a simple circuit to convert it.

I'll look into this... This one is 1/2" http://www.miniinthebox.com/saier-hz21wb-g1-2-hall-flow-sensor_p1428071.html

The temp rating is good. I'm pretty sure nylon is food safe.... does .1-3L per min, wonder what happens if you surpass that?

Might be a limitation of the circuit or the water might blow by the in the meter

This https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11113 + This https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11708 plus a water proof housing should get me there!

Would a homemade approach work for you? You could put an inline sightglass type of fitting (capped for pressure) in there and then by manually measuring at different rates mark off the levels at different speeds could have a rough approximation of your flow rate. I am just theorizing here as the pressure should reasonably accurately push your sparge up into the sight gauge. I would make a cap removable for cleaning though.

Why not something like this... it's still expensive but not that bad: Flowmeter

It's looks similar to the one on the Blichmann Tower of Power.

CyclingCraig said:

Why not something like this... it's still expensive but not that bad: Flowmeter

It's looks similar to the one on the Blichmann Tower of Power.

Click to expand...

While this one is the exact right idea, it only goes down to 2 gallons per minute, which is still well above the speed i wish to measure.

DrunkleJon said:

Would a homemade approach work for you? You could put an inline sightglass type of fitting (capped for pressure) in there and then by manually measuring at different rates mark off the levels at different speeds could have a rough approximation of your flow rate. I am just theorizing here as the pressure should reasonably accurately push your sparge up into the sight gauge. I would make a cap removable for cleaning though.

Click to expand...

I thought about something like this, but if it's going from unpressurized vessel to unpressurized vessel, there won't be enough pressure differential to get a reading will there?

TipsySaint said:

While this one is the exact right idea, it only goes down to 2 gallons per minute, which is still well above the speed i wish to measure.

Click to expand...

The specs say from .2 to 2 gpm. Looks like 2 gpm is the top limit.

TipsySaint said:

I thought about something like this, but if it's going from unpressurized vessel to unpressurized vessel, there won't be enough pressure differential to get a reading will there?

Click to expand...

There should still be pressure in the lines or otherwise it wouldnt flow anywhere. Would it be measurable? I think so, as long as the 'gauge' is after the pump. Unless of course you are transferring at a trickle. I am not an expert at fluid dynamics, so really do not know.