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By Christian Small — Flow Meter Solutions
When a facility relies on dozens of flow meters to monitor water and utility usage, accuracy isn’t just important—it affects production efficiency, utility billing, and overall operational decisions. Recently, I had the opportunity to perform a full-facility verification using a portable clamp-on ultrasonic flow meter, and the results were eye-opening.
A large industrial customer contacted me with concerns about inconsistent utility data and uncertainty around their actual water usage. They had more than 50 flow meters installed across their plant, but readings didn’t match production expectations or monthly billing totals.
They wanted answers.
They needed clarity.
And they needed a method that wouldn’t interrupt their process.
That’s where a clamp-on ultrasonic meter becomes the perfect tool.
Using a clamp-on ultrasonic meter, I performed a sitewide audit:
Each existing meter was verified individually, comparing installed readings to the independent ultrasonic measurement. The goal was simple: determine which meters were accurate and which were misleading the facility.
Out of the 50+ meters checked:
Some were drifting, some mis-scaled, and others were never configured for the actual fluid properties or pipe dimensions.
This meant the facility believed they were using more water than they really were.
This created gaps in their internal balances, making efficiency almost impossible to calculate.
Based on their existing instrumentation, the facility assumed their utilities efficiency was lagging—until the ultrasonic verification proved otherwise.
Once corrected:
They learned they were operating at 25% higher efficiency than previously thought.
During the audit, we also verified the incoming water line with the clamp-on meter. The comparison against the municipal billing meter revealed:
Without verification, this issue would have gone unnoticed for years. The customer immediately contacted the utility provider and initiated a correction process—saving money every month going forward.
This project demonstrates exactly why routine flow verification is essential:
A clamp-on ultrasonic meter provides a fast, non-intrusive way to ensure you’re working with the truth—not assumptions.
If your plant relies on water, steam, gas, or other utilities to operate, verifying your flow measurement can uncover hidden losses, improve efficiency reporting, and eliminate billing errors.
Flow Meter Solutions offers:
If you'd like to schedule a site visit or request more information, feel free to reach out. Accurate flow data isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.
