A lot of people use the terms water meter and flow meter interchangeably. So, they think that there’s a definite connection between them or that they are the same. However, that’s not quite so because there is a difference between the two terms.
These terms are similar, but the primary difference is what makes them unique. So, if you are interested to know about the differences between the two meters, follow this article to get a basic idea.
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Basic Difference
All the water meters indeed flow meters; however, not all the flow meters are water meters. So, what’s the basic difference between these two things? Well, let’s just say it’s effortless. A water meter can measure the volume of water as it passes through the meter. Whereas a flow meter would measure the speed of the water at which it would pass through the meter.
There’s another major difference between the two that makes them pretty much unique in their own right. So, for example, people use water meters exclusively for water, while they use flow meters for many industrial applications to measure liquids, like oil, honey, milk, etc. In addition to liquids, people also use flow meters to measure gases as well.
Some More Difference Between The Two Terms
First of all, let’s say there are three different water and flow meters types. They are Mechanical, electromagnetic, and Ultrasonic, respectively. Needless to say, each of these has its uses. So, with that out of the equation, let’s check out a few more ways to differentiate our main terms.
- So, people use the water meter exclusively for billing purposes. Moreover, it’s true that water meters with AMR and AMI technology supply almost accurate and real-time data to the utility and its customers. In the process, it also saves the time and expense of manually reading meters.
- On the other hand, we use a flow meter in a lot more situations. For example, if you want to measure the flow of gas, then it becomes pivotal to use a flow meter. Since gas leaking can be a huge problem to any factory and have severe consequences, you can use a flow meter to solve the problem.
- You can always quantify a water meter on two accuracies, a high range and a low range. If you want to check out the correct reading, then you have to determine the average between the two measurements.
- On the other hand, the accuracy of a flow meter depends on the linearity principle, i.e., its ability to remain within the designed limits of the meter. This is how it can provide results consistently. Therefore, the two most important factors of a flow meter are its linearity and repeatability. These aren’t that important to a water meter at all, which uses the means of high and low range, as we just said earlier.
Final Thoughts:
Both of these meters are pretty much similar in their design and appearance. So, therefore, it can be difficult to distinguish these two meters. But, if we talk about a device that deals with the water bill, then it’s a water meter, and if we talk about measuring gas or something similar, it’s a fluid meter.
