Bulk water meters are used to measure larger volumes of water for commercial, industrial, municipal, and estate type applications. Woltmann meters are suitable for DMA monitoring, zone and area monitoring or large consumer metering applications.
Pipe size, flow rate and installation position must be considered when selecting a meter for your application. Selecting the incorrect meter will affect meter accuracy, billing accuracy and long-term water management data.
What are bulk water meters used for?
Typical uses include:
- Municipal water distribution
- District Metered Areas, also called DMA monitoring
- Zone and area monitoring
- Industrial applications
- Commercial buildings and complexes
- Estates and developments
- Bulk water supply systems
- Large consumer water metering
Municipalities use bulk water meters as water management tools for water loss control. If you know how much water enters a zone and compare that with actual usage you start identifying if there are leaks, losses or unusual consumption patterns in that zone.
Why use a Precision Meters Woltmann meter for bulk water measurement
Precision Meters’ Woltmann meter range of Class B and Class C cold portable water Woltmann meters are suitable municipal applications including DMA monitoring, zone and area monitoring and large consumer metering applications. The product information also highlights features such as epoxy-coated cast iron bodies, pulse-ready capability, IP68-rated registers on selected models, and replaceable pre-calibrated internal mechanisms for easier meter maintenance and replacement.
Woltmann range comparison: Eco vs Evo Class B vs Evo Class C Vs Evo R160
The range is as follows:
Infinity ECO Woltmann WP Class B
The Infinity ECO Woltmann meter is a lower-cost Class B option for high-volume bulk water measurement. It’s commonly used by municipalities in water distribution networks for DMA monitoring and zone and area monitoring.
The size range is from 40mm up to 500mm nominal bore. This makes the Eco meter useful for different large-scale applications. The Eco meter is designed with maintenance in mind, and the internal mechanism of the meter can be replaced without removing the meter body from the pipeline.
The Eco meter is a U10/D5 meter and special note must be taken of this meter’s installation requirements. This meter is suitable for horizontal installation only and a length straight pipe equal in length to 10 X the Diameter of the meter must be fitted upstream of the meter free of fittings and bends. A piece of straight pipe equal in length to 5 X the Diameter of the meter must be fitted downstream of the meter. Failure to do this will result in the meter being inaccurate.
Best for: Municipal networks, DMA zones, industrial sites and large commercial water supply.
Infinity EVO Class B (50mm-100mm)
The Infinity EVO Class B Woltmann meter is a Class B option for high-volume bulk water measurement. It’s commonly used by municipalities in water distribution networks for DMA monitoring and zone and area monitoring. The Infinity Evo Class B meters conform with SANS1529-1 Class B requirements.
It features an IP 68 counter with both magnetic and bi-directional inductive pulse outputs. (Reed switch and Inductive pick up must be purchased separately.) The Evo meter is suitable for both horizontal and vertical installation and is a U0/D0 meter, and no straight lengths of pipe are required upstream or downstream of the Evo meter.
The Evo meter is designed with maintenance in mind, and the internal mechanism of the meter can be replaced in the field without removing the meter body from the pipeline.
The Evo Class B meter is a good option where you need a reliable industrial water meter, but don’t need the low-flow measurement capability/accuracy of the Evo Class C option.
Best for: Industrial sites, municipal monitoring and zone and area monitoring.
Infinity Evo Class C (50mm-100mm)
The Infinity Evo Class C Woltmann meter is designed for bulk water metering where low-flow measurement accuracy is important. It’s suitable for commercial and industrial sites, large consumers, zone and area monitoring and minimum night flow monitoring. The Infinity Evo Class C meters conform with SANS1529-1 Class C requirements.
It features an IP 68 counter with both magnetic and bi-directional inductive pulse outputs. (Reed switch and Inductive pick up must be purchased separately.) This is a U0/D0 meter, and no straight lengths of pipe are required upstream or downstream of the Evo meter.
This makes the Evo Class C meter especially useful where small changes in flow still need to be picked up. This matters for leakage checks, minimum night flow analysis and more detailed water management data.
Best for: large consumers, zone and area monitoring, minimum night flow monitoring, and low flow measurement applications.
Infinity Evo R160 (150mm-200mm)
The Infinity Evo R160 Woltmann meter is designed for bulk water metering where low-flow measurement accuracy is important. It’s suitable for commercial and industrial sites, large consumers, zone and area monitoring and minimum night flow monitoring. The Infinity Evo R160 meters complies with ISO4064 requirements and is MID approved to R160.
This makes the Evo R160 meter especially useful where small changes in flow still need to be picked up. This matters for leakage checks, minimum night flow analysis and more detailed water management data.
Best for: large consumers, zone and area monitoring, minimum night flow monitoring, and low flow measurement applications.
Understanding DN sizing
DN is the abbreviation for the nominal diameter. In everyday terms, it’s the size of the meter and pipe connection.
When choosing a bulk water meter for your application, look at:
- Pipe diameter
- Expected normal flow rate
- Minimum and maximum flow rates and ensure that it is within the measuring range of the meter selected
- Horizontal or vertical installation requirements
- Pressure rating
- Whether remote reading or pulse output is needed
- Access for future maintenance
Do not oversize or undersize the meter.
Bulk water meters for DMA and municipal monitoring
DMA monitoring is one of the biggest reasons to use an accurate bulk meter. A District Metered Area is a defined section of a water network where inflow and usage can be monitored and recorded.
This helps water managers to see what’s happening in the system. Are there losses? Is night flow higher than expected? Is a zone using more water than it should?
Bulk meters support:
- Water loss monitoring
- Minimum night flow checks
- Large consumer billing
- Zone performance tracking
- Municipal supply management
- Estate and development monitoring
It’s not just about reading a number on a dial. It’s about having better control over the system.
How to choose the correct bulk water meter
Start with the application.
If you need a durable high-volume meter for municipal, industrial, agricultural or DMA use, the Infinity ECO Woltmann WP is likely the right starting point.
If you need a reliable industrial Woltmann meter for commercial buildings, estates, developments or municipal monitoring, the Infinity EVO Class B is a strong option.
If you need higher accuracy for large consumers, zone monitoring, area monitoring or minimum night flow checks, the Infinity Evo Class C should be considered.
The best bulk water meter is the one that matches the site conditions. Flow rate, pipe size, pressure, installation layout and maintenance access all play a role.
Need assistance with choosing the correct Woltmann bulk water meter?
Precision Meters supplies Woltmann bulk water meters for municipal, commercial, industrial, agricultural and estate applications. Speak to the Precision Meters team for help choosing the correct meter range and DN size for your site.
