Company Profile

Hunter Flow Meters and Hunter Flow Sensors for Commercial Irrigation and Landscape Water Control

Quick Answer: Hunter flow meters and flow sensors monitor water usage in commercial irrigation systems. They detect leaks, track flow rates, and send data to irrigation controllers. Silver Automation Instruments supplies industrial grade flow meters that work alongside Hunter sensors or replace them when you need higher accuracy, wider pipe sizes, or industrial outputs like 4-20 mA HART.

Hunter Industries builds flow devices for landscape and golf course irrigation. The product line includes the Hunter HC Flow Meter and the WFS series flow sensors. These units connect to Hunter controllers like the ACC2, I-Core, and Pro-C. The main job is simple. Count the water passing through the irrigation mainline and report it back to the controller.

Where Hunter Flow Sensors Are Used in the Field

Commercial irrigation covers a lot of ground. Office parks in Singapore need morning watering cycles. A golf course in Queensland runs 40 zones in one night. A resort in Dubai uses treated wastewater for landscape beds. In each case, the irrigation manager needs to know one thing. Did the right amount of water actually reach the pipes?

Hunter flow sensors sit in the mainline, usually after the backflow preventer and before the valves. The sensor body installs in a tee fitting. Water flows past a paddle wheel or impeller. The impeller spins at a rate proportional to flow velocity. The sensor sends a pulse signal to the Hunter controller. The controller compares actual flow against the learned baseline for each zone. If flow runs 10 percent above the normal range, the controller flags a leak and shuts down the zone. That is the practical value.

Hunter HC Flow Meter Technical Details

The Hunter HC flow meter is a battery powered standalone meter with a digital display. It shows total volume in gallons or liters and current flow rate. The HC model uses a nutating disc mechanism, similar to residential water meters but built for larger commercial lines. It covers pipe sizes from DN40 up to DN100. The accuracy runs around plus or minus 1.5 percent across the flow range. That is acceptable for irrigation billing and leak detection. It is not custody transfer grade.

The HC meter threads into standard NPT or BSP fittings. It handles working pressure up to 10 bar. Water temperature should stay below 50 degrees Celsius. The meter body is glass reinforced nylon with a brass or stainless steel insert for the measuring chamber. Hunter ships the HC meter with a pulse output cable for connection to ACC2 and I-Core controllers. The pulse factor is selectable in the controller menu. Most installers set it to 1 pulse per liter or 1 pulse per gallon depending on the site.

Hunter WFS Flow Sensors Compared to Industrial Flow Meters

Hunter WFS series flow sensors are insertion style devices. They go into a saddle clamp or tee fitting from DN40 up to DN300. The sensor tip houses a plastic impeller. As water moves, the impeller generates a magnetic pulse. The pulse frequency is linear with flow rate. A WFS sensor turndown is roughly 10 to 1. Below 0.15 meters per second, the impeller stalls and the controller reads zero. That is fine for irrigation. Most zones run between 0.5 and 3 meters per second in the pipe.

Here is the thing. Hunter sensors work well inside the Hunter ecosystem. The pulse output matches Hunter controller inputs. But if you need a 4-20 mA signal for a SCADA system, a Modbus RTU output for a PLC, or a flow totalizer on a panel meter, the Hunter sensor alone will not do that. You need a signal converter. Or you need an industrial flow meter from the start.

Silver Automation Instruments supplies industrial flow meters for the same water lines. We see customers who start with Hunter sensors and later upgrade when the irrigation system gets tied