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HC Flow Meter: Hunter Hydrawise Connected Smart Irrigation Systems
Quick Answer: The HC flow meter connects to Hunter Hydrawise controllers to measure water usage in irrigation zones. It works for clean water lines up to DN50, 10 bar, and 38°C. For industrial processes, chemical dosing, or pipe sizes above DN50, we recommend industrial magnetic or Coriolis flow meters from Silver Automation Instruments.
What the HC Flow Meter Does on a Hydrawise System
The HC flow meter is a turbine style insertion flow sensor. It threads into a standard 1 inch or 1.5 inch PVC tee. The sensor sends pulses to a Hydrawise connected smart controller. The controller then calculates flow rate and total volume per zone.
This setup gives landscape managers real time leak detection. If a zone runs and flow stays below 0.3 m³/h, the controller triggers an alert. Most irrigation pros set flow limits per zone. If flow spikes 30 percent above normal, the system shuts down the valve. That saves water and prevents damage from broken sprinkler heads.
Plastic Body, Clean Water Only
Hunter builds the HC meter with glass reinforced nylon. The rotor sits on a sapphire bearing. This gives decent repeatability for clean municipal water or well water with light sediment. Accuracy is roughly plus minus 4 percent of reading in the 0.5 to 10 m³/h range.
Here is the thing: that plastic housing limits where you can use it. Irrigation techs in the Middle East and Southeast Asia have reported swelling when exposed to pool chemicals or liquid fertilizers. If you inject chlorine or acid into the irrigation line, the HC meter will fail within two seasons. We have seen this on a farm in Thailand where a Hunter HC meter lasted only six months after adding a small acid dosing pump.
Pipe Size Limits: DN15 to DN50
The HC flow meter ships in two versions: 1 inch (DN25) and 1.5 inch (DN40) tee mount. You can bush down to DN15 or adapt up to DN50. Flow range spans 0.3 m³/h to 10 m³/h depending on pipe diameter. Pressure rating is 10 bar at 25°C. Temperature rating is 0 to 38°C.
Those numbers work fine for a residential garden or a small commercial landscape. But many of our customers ask us: what happens when the main line is DN80 or DN100? The HC meter simply does not fit. You would need to pipe a bypass with a reducer. That creates pressure drop and a whole new set of accuracy problems. For anything above DN50, engineers usually move to a full bore mag meter.
How It Connects to the Hydrawise Controller
The sensor cable is two core, shielded, up to 100 meters long. It lands on the SEN terminals of a Hydrawise HCC or Pro-HC controller. No external power supply is needed. The controller provides the excitation voltage. Pulse scaling is 1 pulse per 0.1 liter or 0.5 liter depending on the model. Most pros set the K-factor in the Hydrawise app under Sensor Setup.
The system reads pulse frequency and converts it to flow. The app displays current flow, total volume, and daily per zone consumption. You can export CSV files if you pay for the Hydrawise Premium subscription. That is fine for billing irrigation water to tenants. But keep in mind: it is not a certified billing meter. No MID or OIML approval exists for the HC flow meter.
Where the HC Flow Meter Fails in Industrial Settings
We get inquiries from small factories who want to use a HC flow meter on process water lines. The idea is to save money by picking a $120 sensor instead of an industrial flow meter. In practice this works only in very limited cases.
A juice bottling plant in Fiji tried to use an HC meter on a CIP return line. The 45°C wash water exceeded the temperature rating by 7 degrees. The rotor swelled and the signal dropped. Production stopped for half a day. The plant then ordered a DN40 electromagnetic flow meter with PTFE liner from Silver Instruments. That meter now runs at 60°C and handles the caustic wash without issues.
Another case: a paint manufacturer in Vietnam wanted to measure solvent based cleaning water. The HC nylon body swelled overnight. The replacement part took three weeks to arrive because Hunter distribution is thin in Southeast Asia outside of Australia. The factory switched to a 316L stainless steel oval
When the HC Flow Meter Makes Sense
Use it for: residential landscape irrigation, small parks, school sports fields, office complex plantings. The plastic body handles UV exposure and buried installation in valve boxes. It consumes less than 1 mA from the controller. Installation takes under one hour with basic PVC solvent welding skills.
Skip it if: your water carries sand above 50 ppm, you inject fertilizers upstream, your ambient temperature exceeds 38°C, or your pipe is DN65 or larger. In those cases, an industrial flow meter costs more up front but avoids repeated replacement and downtime.
Alternatives for Industrial Irrigation and Process Water
Silver Automation Instruments serves a different layer of the market. We make flow meters for industrial end users and contractors who need larger lines, higher accuracy, or chemical resistance.
A few examples from customer sites: a seawater irrigation project in Saudi Arabia uses our DN100 electromagnetic flow meter with Hastelloy electrodes (4-20 mA HART, IP68). A fertilizer injection skid in Malaysia runs our DN25 Coriolis mass flow meter to measure both mass flow and density in kg/h. A food processing plant in Brazil installed our sanitary turbine flow meter with tri-clamp connections for washdown duty.
These meters carry ATEX Zone 1 ratings, SIL 2 certification, and full material traceability. The HC flow meter does not need that. But when you do, we have the right tool.
Quick Spec Comparison: HC Flow Meter vs Industrial Mag Meter
The HC meter costs about $120 to $160 online. Our DN25 compact electromagnetic flow meter starts at $420, with no moving parts, full empty pipe detection, and RS485 Modbus output. It handles 1 m/s to 10 m/s flow velocity. The HC meter drops below 0.3 m³/h and loses accuracy fast. The mag meter reads down to 0.1 m³/h with 0.5 percent accuracy. Over a five year period, the cost difference shrinks when you factor in the HC meter replacement cycles in harsh water.
We are not saying the HC flow meter is a bad product. It does one job well. But it is not an industrial instrument. Engineers should pick based on water quality, pipe size, and temperature first. Price comes second.
Send Us Your Specs for a Quote
If you are working on a project that needs flow measurement beyond what a plastic irrigation meter can handle, get in touch with Silver Automation Instruments. Tell us your pressure in bar, temperature in °C, pipe size DN, flow range, and what fluid you are measuring. We reply within 24 hours with a recommended model and price. Email: [email protected]. Tel: +86-25-68650347. WhatsApp: +86-25-52155837. WeChat: +86 15365082610.
FAQ
1. Can the HC flow meter measure fertilizer or chemical solutions?
No. The nylon body and plastic rotor are for clean water only. Even mild acids or liquid fertilizers will damage the meter over time. For chemical injection, choose a mag meter lined with PTFE or a 316L stainless steel turbine.
2. What is the maximum pipe size for the Hunter HC flow meter?
The largest factory tee is 1.5 inch (DN40). With adapters you can reach DN50, but flow range becomes limited at the low end. For DN65 and above, use an electromagnetic or insertion style industrial flow meter.
3. Does the HC flow meter need external power?
No. It gets power from the Hydrawise controller sensor port. If you are connecting to a generic PLC or 4-20 mA input, the HC meter will not work. You would need a signal conditioner or choose an industrial meter with active output.
4. Is the HC flow meter approved for billing or custody transfer?
No. It has no OIML or MID approval. Use it for leak detection and water consumption monitoring only. If you need to bill water, install a certified electromagnetic flow meter from a manufacturer that provides calibration certificates.
5. Can I bury the HC flow meter in a valve box?
Yes. The IP68 rated cable and sealed body allow direct burial. The Hydrawise controller must stay above ground. Keep the tee accessible for cleaning because the rotor catches debris faster than you expect.
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