The Importance Of Paddle Type Flow Switches from Proteus Industries's blog

Before we check out why you need to invest in flow switches, what are these? It would be great first to understand what we’re talking about. Right? Sometimes you’ll hear other words such as flow sensors or flow indicators. But all these cite the same thing. 

Generally, the ultimate goal for these water flow switches is to control the movement of liquid or gas. You can set them at a particular time to monitor this or let it flow continuously. 

One may be wondering about the science behind the flow sensors. That’s what we need to address first to understand our device.

The primary product includes a magnetic trigger that connects to the circuit placed in the channel where the gas or liquid passes. And whatever substance that goes through rotates or displaces the paddle and sends the signal to a transducer-a secondary component.

How does the paddle water flow switch work? You mount it on the primary fire sprinkler rise (sometimes secondary). It has a paddle or plastic vane that must go through the wall pipe’s opening. And whenever the water streams through the tube, this paddle gets deflected by the running water.

These signals get converted into readings and actions. In essence, this switch detects if there is flow in a horizontal or vertical pipeline. As per the Principle of Operation, liquid flow in the valve directs the paddle to move towards the flow.

Paddle flow switches are excellent at measuring flow rates consistently. But they can be sensitive to foreign objects and residue build-up. They also require periodic maintenance as the moving parts tend to wear constantly. So, the solution is to avoid installing them on wet systems. And the impact from the high-speed surge of water could damage the flow switch when a dry valve trips.  

Water Pumps Water Flow Switches.

This type of flow switch makes an automatic adjustment to the speed or volume transfer of the electric pump attached to a liquid system. So, it senses the flow rate of water in the system, and if it’s high, it sends off the signals to lower the system’s internal water pressure. 

You can see how crucial this device is. When there is water supply failure, the pumps may run dry, causing damage to the pump. But this signals to prevent that from happening.  

Sprinkler Water Flow Switches

You’ll often find this type of switch in automatic fire sprinkler systems. It has the critical function of detecting when water flowing through the sprinkler valves exceeds a specific flow rate. So, it triggers the sprinkler system. 

Remember to install paddle-type flow switches in wet systems only. And that will serve their purpose effectively. It will be brilliant to consider these flow indicators, as they help detect water flow by sending signals.