Remote Water Monitoring and Management in the Hebrides

A customer living in Norway had a remote water metering problem, so they approached Bell Flow Systems to provide a solution.

They owned a second home in the Hebridean Islands, which was left empty for long periods of time and only visited sporadically. The customer wanted to be able to view the properties water usage remotely from their home in Norway, and also set alarms to alert them of any peaks in the flow -which would indicate a potentially burst pipe or other water leak.

This would then enable them to call a local caretaker to come and assess the situation and prevent and further damage to the property or grounds, in addition to preventing a large water utility bill!

With these criteria in mind, Bell Flow offered a water meter and GSM data logging solution. Considering the relatively high possibility of freezing temperatures and frozen pipes, Bell Flow offered a Badger RCDL Meter with a pulsed output. The RCDL, which is the most popular domestic water meter in the USA, does not suffer frost damage if the water within the chamber freezes, like other types of meter might. The water within the RCDL can freeze and the meter will cease working but when the water thaws again, the meter will continue accurate operation once more.

Along with this model of pulsed meter, the customer was also offered the Aqualink GSM Datalogger. The pulse output from the water meter would go into the Aqualink - which is fitted with a SIM card. The flow data is then captured by the Aqualink and sent to an on-line portal with a secure customer log in.

This ensures that the customer can view his water usage anywhere that has internet access. The Aqualink also has the ability to set alarms, enabling the customer to set a warning alert by SMS for excessively high water usage.

This gave the customer peace of mind that he would not visit the house to find any unexpected water damage, or be surprised by unexpected high water bills.