Anyone know the best digital meter for doing well flow testing? I’m looking for one that you can hook up to the pressure tank and as water passes through…it counts the gallons. I’ve found quite a few online…just looking here to see what brands or models inspectors find that works the best…?
Thanks for all the help.
John,
Here’s the one I use. It’s not digital but works well, sorry no pun intended.
Got the same one as Peter works well for 4 years
I ordered one from here: http://www.urbanfarmerstore.com/ and including shipping it was about 1/3 the price of the one from PE. I don’t see it on the site after a quick look but it may be worth a call or an email. I’ve had mine for 4-6 years. It is made well and works well.
Hey guys, I would like to ask a stupid question since I don’t do well testing. Fancy gauges and what not, doesn’t that just prove how many gallons of water the well pump can put out?
Doesn’t this not really tell you how many gallons the well can really put out?
Without the actual draw down test, isn’t this a false indicator of what the flow test is all about?
Isn,t the capacity of the pump and the supply piping determine the amount of gallons you will get?
What is the prognosis of this. The well only produces 4 gpm? Isn’t the pump size and the pipe size the problem? And not the well?
Just saying. :)
Yes Marcel, there is a difference between a flow test and a yield test.
I do ground water allocation and treatment work. Here’s a quick primer on water well jargon:
Dependable or safe yield - this is the maintainable flow from the source available for future conditions, including a drought, that (in my state) the master driller calculates and puts on the well permit. A master driller will proof the well with his own equipment to test flow and drawdown, and come up with the dependable yield.
Well allocation rate - if you’re in a sensitive area, your state may regulate how much water you can legally take out of the ground.
Pump capacity - this is the number you get off the pump curve for the installed equipment.
Required capacity - this is the number that the state or local jurisdiction says you need to be able to pump in order to provide sufficient drinking water for the application (mobile home, office building, nursing home, etc).
Well test capacity - this is supposed to be the number that the system produces once everything is piped in. There exists a problem, though. Most plumbers/drillers only leave a 3/4 spigot to test for flow, usually through a garden hose. That’s ok for a residential well, but for a mobile home park or golf course, that’s not good enough. The flow test should be designed for the size of the main and required flow in mind. In my state, PE’s have to prepare the test cards, per NJAC 7-10. It’s not always a 3/4 inch test outlet, and it’s not always the full main diameter.
Also, in your report, be careful not to use the word “certify” when it comes to well water flow rates.
I just state what it produced , I never state how much is available. Loan companies basically want to know if it is working. Most drilled wells here have a state number for the record of the well ,
This device doesn’t count the total number of gallons produced … correct? You basically average the flow and multiply by the time conducted. I’m looking for a device that counts the number of gallons dispensed.
Thanks for your help. Lots of good answers here.
A guage such as this is only mesuring the flow at the spacific out let you test. Also if some one turns on any other water at the time you’ll get a false reading. Every bend in the pipe reduces the flow due to friction. So you get a spacific flow at the well head (if there’s an out let there) then you go to the house and every hose bib will give a differant reading. So what does this tell you. I don’t see the usefulness of this test, turn on the bath room fuacet and shower then flush the toilet, you’ll learn more that way.
Watched it and I still think it needs to be done as Darren explained it to get meaningfull results.
Oh, I was looking at the meter as a marketing and business success tool, not a flow meter.
Always thinking!
I believe that inspectors should drag in their tool boxes (even if they are empty), gadgets, and meters, and spread them out all over the kitchen on every inspection.
I bought the same one Peter & Wayne have. Nice looking and impressive.
Used it twice in 3 years / No call for it / Got $65 for it this summer.
Wanna sell two a week? Put this line in your www.nachi.org/survey.htm : “Did the inspector recommend a well test?”
Works like a charm.
Used a survey for 9 years now.
In my area we SEE almost never see wells EVEN out in the Boonies.
Most inspectors are not good salesmen at the P.O.S. This does the upselling for you. Your www.nachi.org/survey.htm should be modified for each and every ancillary inspection you offer. For instance, if you offer radon and mold, your www.nachi.org/survey.htm should include the following:
Dan, I figure out stuff like this 24/7, it keeps me up at night. 