We hear the term "smart water" used a lot in our industry but everyone seems to use it differently.
I'd like the people on this forum to tell me what they mean by "smart water"?
Just post your response to the forum.
A water system that is simple to operate, provides the necessary information, and most importantly doesn't break the bank. This question was asked a year ago and Tom nailed it on the head that it means differently to different folks.
At a minimum, considering my field is groundwater wells and small population (<500 people served per well), a 'smart' system needs a master meter, backup capacitors, and relays to get a water system back up and running again. It needs to have spare parts available or arrangements made for afterhours part run when things go bump in the night. Needs a well pump installer available on call to change pump at any given notice. Lastly it needs a competent operator to document their visits, conditions, voltage/amperage, etc.
That being said, I am working to grow what I consider "smart" systems and by smart, I mean what I can determine from the limited data I need to make a reasoned decision based on experience and field reports. I utilize off the shelf components to provide simple datalogging conditions like water usage through the master meter, pressure, room temperature, current sensors on well pump, and motion detection. This has happened in the last year or so. I am doing this because it does save costs and provides general consistent and accessible minimum information that can be dumped into programs like excel and analyzed for trends, operators can see a problem before a problem is seen at the customer level, security, etc.