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IMPORTANT: My inventions are free for anyone or any company to exploit in any way they wish as long as my name is displayed as the original inventor in all printed or media material. The ideas may or may not be practical, they have not been checked for prior art, and they have not been assessed for safe use. These things must be the responsibility of those wishing to exploit them. For more check Free Inventions and Why this website?. Patent never applied for.
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SQUIRT FLOW
METER |
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With
a hacksaw and five minutes you can make a
simple device to measure water flow. It is very
simple, gives an instantaneous measurement, and
is accurate enough for many purposes. There are
no moving parts, nothing to clog up, and it is
calibrated by gravity. I invented it for
measuring the flow rate of my well pump and the
flow rate through my ground water heat pump
system. It beats measuring the time it takes to
fill a bucket and then converting the
measurement into gallons per minute.
EXAMPLE:
To construct a Squirt Meter that measures flow rates
between two and ten gallons per minute do the
following: Cut a fourteen inch length of ¾" PVC
plastic pipe. Check to make sure that the inside
diameter is exactly ¾" (Important because the
formula uses the inside diameter to the fourth
power). Three inches from one end cut three fourths
of the way through the pipe. Make two lengthwise cuts
from the other end of the pipe until they join up
with the first cut. This leaves a 3" length of
pipe with an 11" lengthwise strip (see sketch).
Using an indelible marking pencil, place marks on the
strip starting from the first 3" cut that you
made. These marks are located according to the table
or calculate with formula. Install a hose fitting on
the pipe. NOTE: I have been informed by a long time well driller that this is an old idea that he has known about for several years. I decided to leave this idea on my website because I believe that it can be a useful tool that very few people have heard of. |
Liquid
flow vs Squirt height
|
Flow |
Squirt
Meter
using ½" pipe |
Squirt
Meter
using ¾" pipe |
|
Flow
(gpm) |
Height
(in) |
Height
(in) |
|
1 |
.52 |
NR |
|
2 |
2.09 |
.41 |
|
3 |
4.69 |
.93 |
|
4 |
8.83 |
1.65 |
|
5 |
Off
scale |
2.58 |
|
6 |
Off
scale |
3.47 |
|
7 |
Off
scale |
4.35 |
|
8 |
Off
scale |
6.59 |
|
9 |
Off
scale |
8.34 |
|
10 |
Off
scale |
10.30 |
.03259 x (gpm)2
(Squirt height) = ————————
(inside diameter)4
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WATER LEVEL Bonus idea suggested by Jerry Kenney - See: http://horology.magnet.fsu.edu The SQUIRT METER was inspired by a well drilled to supply water to a ground water heat pump system. The performance of a deep well can also be very important. Changes in water level may change because of seasons, rainfall, soil porosity, and underground supply stream. Measuring the water level by dropping a float down the pipe or by timing sound waves of a dropped pebble are only possible before pipes, wires, and torque arresters are installed. Therefore, after plumbing and electrical are installed, these methods can not be used to measure the water level during operation of the heat pump. Kenney suggested installing a 1/4" plastic tube that terminates open ended at the pump. At ground level connect the tube to an air compressor through a cutoff valve and a pressure gage. The water level in the well can be measured at anytime by compressing the air in the tube until the pressure remains constant. This means that air is escaping from the end of the tube down at the pump. Turn off the cutoff valve and shut down the air compressor. The pressure of trapped air in the tube is proportional to the water head above the pump. If depth of pump is known, the depth of water level below ground level can be easily calculated. A chart of water head (above pump) and water level (below ground level) vs. pressure can be plotted to avoid calculating each time.
NOTE: I have been informed by a long time well driller
that this is an old idea that he has known about for
several years. I decided to leave this idea on my
website because I believe that it can be a useful tool
that very few people have heard of.
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Go to previous
invention (So Who Needs Ears?)
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