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Make Water Meter Reading Easy with Local and Remote Digital Displays

Make Water Meter Reading Easy with Local and Remote Digital Displays

25th Feb 2021

Local and Remote Digital Displays Make Water Meter Reading Easy

Every day, we get calls from homeowners, plumbers, and building or property managers looking for the easiest way to monitor their own water consumption or the water consumption of tenants in each unit. This task can be time consuming and inconvenient for many reasons, and it typically happens on a recurring basis, either weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Simplifying this task will save time and frustration each time the meter needs to be read. Doing so is quite easy and inexpensive.

Sometimes these customers are working with existing meters, sometimes they’re starting from scratch. Either way, the solution is the same: Adding a digital display to the water meter. These displays can be local (right at the meter) or remote (located away from the meter). They can also be indoors or outdoors. They are so easy to install that anyone can do it in a few minutes. The only requirement is that the meter is equipped to provide a pulse output. Our best selling WM-PC and WM-NLC water sub-meters from Assured Automation come standard with this ability. Many other makes and models also include this feature.

These digital displays are often referred to as pulse counters. They are connected to the meter with a simple 2-wire cable. This cable connects to the display on one end, and has a switch that attaches to the meter on the other end.


for a complete description of how Pulse Output works, see this article by Assured Automation.

Local Displays Simplify Reading the Meter in 3 Ways:

First, they take the numbers from the multiple dials on the face of the meter and create a single number from them rather than the person reading the meter having to do so manually. This saves time and ensures accuracy.

Second, they can be placed in an easier to read position and/or location. No more getting on your hands and knees or having to stretch your neck or wedge your body into unpleasant spaces to read the water meter. The display can be mounted in a much easier to see location. If the location is dark, a backlit display can also be used.

Third, you can use a digital display that has a reset button. This eliminates the need to have the previous reading to subtract from the current one to get the usage for the last term. These reset buttons can be disabled easily. If you still want the ability to reset the display, that is easily achieved with the addition of an external keyed reset or keyed reset lockout. This is often done by the landlord or property manager to prevent the tenant from resetting the display to reduce the reading, or by the homeowner to prevent their curious children or pets from doing the same. Even when a reset button is used, the meter’s register will always record and retain the grand total of water usage since the time of installation.

Remote Displays Make it Even Easier:

Remote displays offer the same convenience of the local ones described above with the additional benefit of allowing the display to be located further away from the meter. These same displays can be located in a completely different location simply by running a longer wire from the meter to the display. You can go through walls, floors, ceilings, etc. to place the display in a convenient location of your choosing. This aspect is especially important for apartments and  rental units where the sub-meter is in the tenant’s private living space. It allows the meter to be read for any unit at any time without disturbing the occupants or having to schedule a time to do so. There are also wireless versions available and even systems that can be accessed over the internet using a mobile app or web browser.

Multiple Meter Displays & Advanced Wireless Systems:

Multiple water meter digital display

In addition to these simple, single meter displays, there are multi-display boxes that are ideal for apartments and multi-unit buildings. Call (855) 871-6091 for details. On top of that there are also more advanced wireless sub-metering systems that transmit the data to the internet for viewing in a mobile app or on the web.


Are you ready to simplify your water meter reading?
GREAT! You will thank yourself every time you read the meter!

Here is What You Need to Do...

First, you need the meter or sub-meter installed to have the pulse output ability. Typically this can be determined by looking for a wire coming out of the register or a small magnet on one of the dials on the face. If you have a meter installed and are unsure if it has this ability, simply take a photo and send it to inquiry@flows.com and we will be glad to assist you.

For Meters with a Wire coming from the register, you will simply need to connect the pulse counter to the end of that wire.

For meters with a small magnet on a dial, you will need to add a pulse output switch to the face of the meter, located directly above the dial with the magnet. Then connect the digital display to the end of the wire that comes from the switch.

Next, you need to select the digital pulse counter that you want. 

We offer a few options:


KAL-D06 remote digital display for water meters KAL-D06 Get More Info or Buy Now
  • 
This is a simple pulse counter with a reset button.
  • The reset button can be disabled or locked out with a key
  • The reset can be disabled or locked-out with a keyed switch
  • This is NOT weatherproof but it can be placed in a weatherproof box
  • It is battery powered with a 10-year non-replaceable battery
  • It can be backlit. (requires an external 5VDC power source)

RCM Weatherproof remote digital display for water meters RCM Get More Info or Buy Now
  • This display is weather resistant
  • It cannot be reset without opening the unit and removing the battery
  • There is a tamper indicator if the unit is opened without authorization
  • It is battery powered with a replaceable 3.6 volt Lithium battery

T210 outdoor remote digital display for water meters T210 Get More Info or Buy Now
  • This display is weatherproof
  • It is battery powered with a 7-year non-replaceable battery
  • It cannot be reset without the use of an expensive “touch reader” programming unit
  • It also has many additional features that are not necessary for most homeowners but are attractive to landlords and property managers
    Those include:
    Serial number and date recorded by “touch reader” each time it is read.
    Alerts for leaks, no flow, or tampering

Need Help? Call us at (855) 871-6091 and we will be happy to help you select the best solution for your specific needs.