Hi all,

Really awesome stuff here! I am a big OSS advocate and a beer lover. I've recently decided that it's finally time for me to build a kegerator. Of course, running kegbot is a must. Anyhow, I stumbled upon this flow sensor [1] and I was wondering what the kegbot experts thought. It seems like a solid price, and it seems to be widely distributed.

[1] Water flow sensor

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Josh

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Hi Josh, welcome aboard!

That's an interesting meter. For $10, the price is the cheapest I've seen by a factor of 3-4. I'm glad to see someone chipping away at this exorbitantly high-margin industry..

The connectors look a bit odd, a commenter over there points out they are straight pipe thread.

The other thing I might take into consideration is the overall construction; what materials are wetted? Some meter makers, such as SwissFlow and GEMS, certify the food safety of the materials used. It is hard to say how big of a factor this is..

cheers,
mike

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Thanks for the reply I'll make sure to update here based on my progress. Not sure if I'll attempt those flow sensors or not. May just go with the trusty SFs. It'll be a couple of months though, as for now this is kind of a side-side project.

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Josh

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For reference, I found some more info on this sensor: http://garden.seeedstudio.com/index.php?title=G1/2_Water_Flow_sensor

and some arduino code: http://www.seeedstudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=989&p=3632#p3632

Edited by joshpelkey (April 6, 2011 09:14:07)

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FYI I ended up using these in my two tap system, and so far they haven't had any problems. I did have to set the ml/ticks higher to about 1.9 or so, but other than that they seem to be working well. I'll update this if anything goes wrong.

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Actually, having some taste issues in my lines. Not sure yet if it's my meters or the connectors. Will update this post when I find out.

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Did you use brass connectors? If so, you'll want to swap those for plastic.

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bender
Did you use brass connectors? If so, you'll want to swap those for plastic.

Well, I kind of have a mix of things, as I was in a rush to get all this put together I do have brass, along with some other metals...not so good. I've ordered some plastic ones that should work for me. I haven't ruled out the flow meters yet though, as they are made of nylon fiber, which could react with the acidic beer. We'll find out soon.

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Quick update here. I replaced the metal connectors with some nylon ones [0], and the off-taste has vanished.

It should be noted that the accuracy seems a bit off at times depending on the pressure and the amount of foam. I can't compare this to the SF meters, as I've never used them. I think it's probably a safe bet that the SF's are more accurate without even looking at the specs. Anyway, usually it's not off too much, but I do seem to have to adjust the ML/tick for specific kegs. Not a huge deal. I haven't thoroughly tested it, but so far it has only been off by a few pints per 5 gal keg. I should know more after finishing off a few more kegs.

[0] http://www.qcsupply.com/female-thread-x-hose-barb-nylon-fitting-1-2-fpt.html?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=productfeeds

And if the above link dies, for reference, the connectors are Female Thread x Hose Barb Nylon Fitting - 1/2" FPT x 1/4"

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Hey did you have any foam problems with this sensor? I just got everything hooked up (using the same nylon connectors as you) and am having problems with foam.

Thanks.

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