Stealing water – water theft is real. How can a utility provider identify where water theft is occurring?
If the distribution network has no leaks, and each subscriber has a water meter with telemetry at the point of use, assessing if water is being stolen is relatively easy. However, these scenarios are costly to implement and often impractical.
But what if more water is being taken somewhere in the network – where do you start looking?
By installing flow meters at key stages in the water main, you can segment the water main into zones which makes it easier to identify where the loss is.
The low power QTech Q48-RTU can be part of the solution – it provides cellular based data logging, monitoring, and control options. The Q48-RTU can be installed at each flow meter along sections of the main pipework.
By analysing the flow data in DATRAN SCADA, you can narrow the search criteria for your modelling, and identify excessive or irregular patterns of water use. You can graphically trend the data and integrate it into the regular analytical reports.
The Q48-RTU is low power and can be solar powered, making it ideal for those remote flow meter locations without power.
The QTech WRTU is another cost-effective option for DATRAN system users.
The WRTU uses low power 900MHz radio to communicate from the flow meter to a local DATRAN XL4 Plus RTU or even directly to the DATRAN base station.
The WRTU is an ideal consideration when there is no cellular coverage and it can also be solar powered.
Please get in touch now to enquire about the low cost DATRAN solutions and the solar powered options available.