Detecting Water Flow Through Pipe

[ssmith579]

I'm looking for a way to detect water flow through a pipe. For example, I want to detect when a toilet flushes or leaks. I'm looking for a way to detect this that doesn't require anything submerged in the tank or inserted into the water line. I really just want to know that water is flowing I don't care about flow rate. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Steve

 

[mrmiller1]

The most reliable way would be to drill a tiny hole in the piping (PVC?) on the up side (away from the direction of gravity) and somehow tape a bag over top of the hole. The bag should inflate when there's flow. You could also just put a tire pressure gauge into the hole. Change in pressure would indicate flow. Just make sure both are secured so you don't cause a leak.

If the flow is constant you could check the pipe temperature. It should be a bit cooler than room temperature if it's house water. You could also check for any vibrations in the piping.

 

[edgepflow]

Not sure of your budget and other requirements, but you can use a "non-intrusive" flow switch based on the Doppler or Ultrasonic principle. Do an internet search for non intrusive flow switch and you will find many producs.

 

[dlgoff]

The most reliable way would be to drill a tiny hole in the piping (PVC?) on the up side (away from the direction of gravity)

Wouldn't this cause it to flow all the time?