2.4 Flow Meter

A flow meter is a requirement for larger nursery and greenhouse operations in many states where a state permit is required and water usage must be reported on an annual basis. A flow meter is a management tool for monitoring the system. Flow data for a given irrigation zone can be used to check system functionality over time.

Once an irrigation zone has been inspected for nozzle condition, nozzle discharge and pressure uniformity, an estimate can be made on the amount of water used for a given time period and this value can be checked using the flow meter. It will give a rough idea on the working of the flow meter.

Calibration of the meter is recommended if there is a large enough tank of known water volume on hand to run water into from the meter to test its accuracy.

Data on the seasonal water demand is useful for planning future requirements for water.