Step-by-Step Guide

Understanding Flow Monitoring and Its Importance

Before scheduling a learned flow test, it's important to understand why flow monitoring matters. While every WeatherTRAK controller is capable of providing flow features, these features require adding flow devices to your irrigation system—the controller cannot provide flow monitoring without additional hardware.

Flow sensors allow the system to monitor water usage in gallons. By watching gallons closely, the system can detect issues as they happen and provide reactions that minimize water loss, landscape damage, and downtime. The impact of irrigation breaks can be severe: a six-inch mainline running at nine feet per second with 100 PSI behind it can discharge nearly 900 gallons per minute. If such a break runs for five hours, it would fill an NHL-size hockey rink three feet deep.

Even when water utilities discount the cost of water lost during catastrophic events, a single overnight break can consume an entire inch of a park's seasonal water budget, forcing water conservation throughout the rest of the growing season. All the water savings achieved through weather-based irrigation scheduling throughout an entire season can be eliminated by a single major break event.

How Flow Monitoring Works

Once a flow sensor is installed, the system watches gallons and compares actual flow to expected flow. The WeatherTRAK system is designed to compare these values actively and create alerts when significant differences occur.

For every station, the system establishes a range of expected flow rather than a single exact value. Irrigation systems are dynamic—pressure situations change on water mains throughout the day and night. If a station is learned at 20 gallons per minute during testing, it might run at 22 gallons per minute or 18 gallons per minute on different nights due to varying conditions. The system creates an expected flow range, and alerts are triggered only when flow goes outside that acceptable window.

The system monitors several types of flow conditions:

• Mainline break threshold: A system-wide "do not pass" level
• Station high flow: Flow that exceeds the expected range for a specific station
• Station low flow: Flow that falls below the expected range for a specific station
• Leak: Water running during non-irrigation hours (universal alert)
• No flow: The system attempted to prompt irrigation but got no water flow (station-specific)

These alerts tell irrigation technicians not only what to expect when arriving on site, but also where to go and which stations are affected. When alerts are received—often via SMS text message in the morning—technicians know exactly which sites to visit, which controllers need attention, and which specific stations require wet testing. This directs staff to actual problems rather than spending time testing systems that aren't broken.

Setting Up Flow Components on the Program Page

Before scheduling a learned flow test, proper setup must be completed on the Program page. This critical preparation should be done well before attempting to execute the learn flow test.

1. Log in to WeatherTRAK.net with your username and password. You will land on the home page.

2. Navigate to the Program page for the controller you want to configure.

3. Expand the controller view and select the Flow menu.

4. Identify and select your master valve type: Normally Open or Normally Closed.

5. Turn on the flow sensor and select your specific flow sensor model from the drop-down menu. WeatherTRAK is compatible with more than just WeatherTRAK-branded flow sensors. Compatible sensors are identified in the drop-down by product number, including WeatherTRAK Flow 3 sensors and Creative Sensor Technology PVCT sensors, among others. The system will automatically apply the correct K-factor and offset values for accurate readings based on your sensor selection.

The most critical requirement before learning flow is having a flow sensor that is properly installed, properly calibrated, and accurately reading flow. You must verify that the system is accurately reading flow on the controller display before proceeding with any learn flow procedures.

Configuring Mainline Break Alert Thresholds

During the learn flow test, if the system measures flow that exceeds the mainline break alert threshold, it will create an alert and trigger the mainline break alert reaction, which shuts the system down and interferes with the test. Proper configuration of this threshold is essential.

The controller comes with the mainline break alert set to Alarm and Action by default. For example, if the threshold is set to 100 gallons per minute and the system measures that flow rate during the learn flow test, it will attempt to shut the system down, interfering with the test. The "action" is the interference; the "alarm" is simply the identification that something is wrong.

To prevent interference with the learn flow test, change the mainline break alert setting from Alarm and Action to Alarm Only. This prevents the system from taking action that would interrupt the test while still allowing alerts to be generated. Whether you turn alerts off completely or set them to alarm only, they will not interfere with the learn flow test.

Setting the Mainline Break Threshold Value: Set your mainline break threshold above your highest anticipated flow rate, not simply your largest zone. If you run one large station at a time, set the threshold above that station's flow rate. However, if your system has the capacity to run multiple stations simultaneously, the threshold must account for combined flow. For example, if you run two stations at 50 gallons per minute together, set the threshold above 100 gallons per minute. Add 15 to 20 percent above your highest anticipated flow to account for pressure fluctuations and mainline filling between zone changes. During zone transitions while the mainline is still filling, you may temporarily measure higher flow rates than the station's normal operating rate.

Configuring No Flow and Leak Alert Thresholds

The recommended approach for setting no flow and leak alert thresholds is to set them to the exact tolerance of the flow sensor installed in the ground. Every flow sensor has a published minimum and maximum flow rate that it can accurately measure.

Set your No Flow alert threshold to the lowest accurate reading your flow sensor can provide. Anything below that threshold is sensor noise and cannot be accurately measured. While some users keep the default setting (typically around 5 gallons per minute), using the sensor's minimum accurate flow rate as your threshold is a reliable rule of thumb.

Turn off no flow and leak alerts during the learn flow test, then configure these threshold values after the test is complete.

Excluding Stations from Flow Monitoring

Stations that operate below the accurate measurement range of your flow sensor should be excluded from no flow and low flow monitoring. If you have a flow sensor that is only accurate down to 10 gallons per minute and you have a drip station that runs at 7 gallons per minute, that station must be excluded from low flow and no flow monitoring.

Stations running below the sensor's accurate range will create problems: the flow sensor wheel won't spin consistently, causing missed pulses and generating frequent no flow alerts even when the station is operating normally.

Additionally, low-flowing drip zones that follow larger zones may trigger high flow alerts due to mainline filling time. On systems with very long mainlines, it can take considerable time for flow to slow down after a high-flow zone shuts off. This filling time may exceed the delay threshold (discussed below), causing false high flow alerts on subsequent low-flow zones. In these cases, exclude those low-flowing drip zones from flow monitoring even if the flow sensor is technically capable of reading that flow rate.

To exclude stations, use the Exclusion feature on the Flow setup page to exclude specific stations from no flow and low flow monitoring.

Setting the Flow Monitoring Delay

The Delay setting represents the time the system will allow for pipe fill to occur before testing stations for flow alerts. The system recognizes that irrigation systems are dynamic and that pipe fill and pressurization must happen before accurate flow measurements can be taken.

This delay is the time that will elapse after a station starts before the system tests that station for flow alerts. The delay allows everything to pressurize and normalize before monitoring begins.

Configuring Flow Alert Clearing Behavior

The Flow Alert Clearing setting determines how the system handles stations that have triggered flow alerts. There are two options:

Manual Clearing: The system alerts once, and the affected station will remain off until someone manually clears the alert after visiting the site. This workflow is preferred when you want technicians to physically inspect the site before the station runs again. This prevents situations where commanding officers, property managers, or the public see broken irrigation systems running repeatedly. When a flow alert is raised, staff are sent to the site with boots on the ground to verify the issue is resolved before clearing the alert.

Automatic Clearing: The system automatically clears all flow alerts every night and re-tests all affected stations. This workflow is useful when you have a revolving door of contractors who may fix issues without clearing alerts in the system. In these situations, perfectly good irrigation systems that have been repaired may remain offline because alerts were never manually cleared. Automatic clearing prevents this scenario.

The choice between manual and automatic clearing is a preference based on your operational workflow. Different supervisors may set this differently based on how they want their teams to react to alerts.

Understanding and Configuring the Flow Offset Percentage

The Offset setting establishes the expected flow range window for each station. This offset creates the acceptable variance above and below the learned flow rate.

When a station is learned during the flow test, the system records the flow rate measured during that test. For example, if Station 4 runs at 33 gallons per minute during the learn flow test, that becomes the baseline. However, because city water pressure fluctuates from night to night, the system adds a percentage above and below that baseline to create an acceptable range.

The default offset is 20 percent above and 20 percent below the learned flow rate. Using the example above, Station 4 learned at 33 gallons per minute would have an expected flow range of approximately 26.4 to 39.6 gallons per minute (33 ± 20%). As long as the station operates within this range, no alerts are generated.

You can adjust the offset percentage based on your operational needs. For example, if you want to avoid dispatching contractors for minor issues and only respond to significant breaks, you might increase the high flow offset to 30 percent. A 20 percent variance might not warrant sending an irrigation technician, but a 30 percent variance would indicate a break large enough to justify the response.

Most users find the default 20 percent offset works well. Some sites may require increasing the offset to 25 or 30 percent, but if you find yourself consistently needing higher offsets, this often indicates an underlying problem with shielded cable or the flow sensor itself that should be investigated.

Accessing the Learn Flow Page

Once all setup on the Program page is complete and your flow sensor is reading accurately, you can proceed to learn flow. Flow learning can happen either in real time or on a scheduled basis.

1. From the WeatherTRAK.net interface, navigate to the Smart Irrigation tab.

2. Select the Learn Flow page. This page is the exclusive location for setting up and executing learn flow tests.

Clearing Flow Alerts Before Learning

You cannot learn flow on stations that currently have active flow alerts, just as you cannot operate stations manually when they have alerts. Before proceeding with a learn flow test, clear any existing flow alerts on the stations you intend to learn.

Selecting Stations to Learn

You can learn flow for individual stations or for all stations on a controller. You are not required to relearn the entire controller if you've only made changes to one zone.

To select specific stations: Check the boxes next to the individual stations you want to learn. This is useful when you've added heads to one zone or made changes that only affect certain stations.

To select all stations: Use the Select All option to quickly select every station on the controller. This is appropriate for new system setups or when you want to relearn the entire controller.

After selecting stations, the system will indicate that you have "queued these stations to learn." These are the stations for which the learn flow test will update or establish flow rate values.

Starting the Learn Flow Test Immediately

The traditional method of learning flow is to start the test immediately while you're actively working in the system.

1. After selecting the stations to learn, click the Start Learning button.

2. The system sends the signal and begins the process. The controller will enter manual irrigation mode.

3. You can monitor the test in real time by watching the operating status update on the Learn Flow page.

4. Flow rates will begin to populate on the selected stations after approximately six minutes. The process takes longer than you might expect because there is a step of processing that occurs in the cloud.

This immediate start method requires you to be available at the time the test runs, which can be complicated when working in public parks, playgrounds, or commercial properties where the public is present. Running a learn flow test on a system with 20, 30, or 40 zones during public hours means dealing with the public and potentially warning people as they move through the area. For this reason, many users prefer to schedule the test to run in the middle of the night.

Scheduling the Learn Flow Test

The scheduled learn flow feature allows you to set up the test to run automatically at a future date and time, eliminating the need to be present or to wake up in the middle of the night to start the test manually.

1. After selecting the stations you want to learn, click the Save and Schedule button instead of Start Learning.

2. A scheduling dialog will appear. You can rename the task if desired—the default name clearly indicates what the task will do.

3. Select the date you want the learn flow test to execute.

4. Select the time you want the test to start. For example, you might schedule the test to begin at 10:00 PM to avoid public interaction and ensure the test runs during typical irrigation hours.

5. Click Save and Close.

6. The system will confirm that you have successfully scheduled the learn flow test. A message will appear stating "Successfully scheduled to learn flow."

7. To view details of the scheduled event, click the View link in the confirmation message. This will take you to the details of when the test is scheduled to execute.

Scheduling Learn Flow Tests for OptiFlow Systems

Scheduled learn flow is particularly useful for OptiFlow applications, where multiple controllers need to learn flow. Rather than sitting and waiting for one controller to finish before manually starting the next one, you can schedule tests for multiple controllers.

However, when scheduling learn flow tests for OptiFlow systems, be aware of timing constraints. The OptiFlow system will not allow you to overlap learn flow tests. If Controller A is still learning, the system will generate alerts preventing Controller B from starting its test.

Before scheduling multiple controllers in an OptiFlow system, determine how long each learn flow test will take and how long each system will be busy. Schedule subsequent controller tests with enough time between them to ensure the previous controller has completed its test.

⚠️When to Relearn Flow

You should relearn flow any time you make a change that will alter a station's operating flow rate:

• System expansions: When zones are expanded with additional coverage
• Large repairs: After significant repairs that may affect flow
• Retrofits: When changing components on a station, such as converting from regular spray nozzles to low-precipitation nozzles
• Adding heads: Any time sprinkler heads are added to a zone
• Nozzle changes: When nozzles are replaced with different models or flow rates

Some users establish standards such as relearning flow every spring after completing full system checks and confirming everything is operating correctly. This allows comparison of current flow rates to the previous year's values and ensures the system is ready for the season.

However, relearning flow too frequently can reduce your ability to track gradual changes over time. If flow rates are slowly creeping up or falling off over months or years, frequent relearning eliminates that historical perspective. The decision to relearn on a regular schedule versus only after changes is a personal preference based on your management approach.

Limitations of Automated Flow Monitoring

While flow monitoring is a powerful tool, it has limitations. The system can only detect issues that fall outside the configured tolerance thresholds (typically 20 percent variance from learned flow rates).

Small leaks, broken heads, or minor issues that only adjust flow rate slightly will not trigger automated alerts if they remain within the acceptable flow range. There is no "heads watering the parking lot" alert or "sprinklers pointing in the wrong direction" alert. You can shave nozzles off heads and create a geyser that only costs one or two gallons per minute—not enough to trigger an alert.

For this reason, automated flow monitoring does not eliminate the need for regular wet checks and physical inspections. Visual inspections remain essential for catching issues that fall below the threshold of automated detection.

Video Walkthrough

Video originally published April 2021.

If you have questions, here are 3 ways to get answers:

1. Search within this WeatherTRAK knowledgebase

2. Visit the WeatherTRAK support page

3. Call 800-362-8774 or email support@hydropoint.com, hours are Mon-Fri 3:00 AM – 6:00 PM PT and Sat 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM PT.