Elkhart Brass Unibody Valve - Manual (Page 44)

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ELKHART BRASS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INC
3. Install Flow Sensor (UBEC3, E4F, & E6F)
There are several ways to install the paddlewheel type flow sensors. Mounting options include saddle
clamps, weldments, pipe tees and special adapters. Each mount will meet particular plumbing
requirements.
Flow sensors are interchangeable. It is recommended that the calibration be checked if flow sensors
are swapped.
The maximum pressure for a flow sensor installation is 600 PSI.
Flow Sensor Location
The location of the flow sensor in the plumbing system is critical. The flow of water at and around the sensor
must be laminar, or smooth, to ensure accurate flow rate measurement. There must be enough straight pipe
run before the flow sensor location to allow the water stream to stabilize into a uniform flow. Guidelines for
selecting flow sensor locations are outlined in Figure 44.
When the sensor is mounted after an area in the plumbing that tends to increase water stream turbulence
(a valve, increase in pipe diameter, etc.), it is critical that steps are taken to stabilize the flow.
• When a pipe is reduced in diameter the water stream tends to be squeezed into a more uniform flow.
This can be used to help stabilize flow when there is not a sufficient pipe run upstream.
• Elkhart Brass offers an optional flow conditioner that replaces the standard sensor housing.
It protrudes into the water stream at the sensor location and is specially shaped to reduce
local turbulence.
Linearizer Feature
The UBEC3 features a Linearizer function in the calibration programming. This function should be used when
the flow sensor is installed in a plumbing location where flow is not linear. It corrects for nonlinear flow by
allowing the display to be calibrated at multiple flow rates (up to 10) to provide a more accurate flow rate
display. Refer to Calibration section on Pages 63-65.