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Fluid Conservation Systems Equipment finds 50 leaks in first year

Milford, OH (May 16, 2013) – Using Fluid Conservation Systems (FCS) equipment, Rockdale County Water Resource (Conyers, Ga.) saved customers money and reduced non-revenue water by implementing a leak detection program.

Rockdale County Water Resource used FCS leak detection equipment to reduce non-revenue water.

Rockdale County Water Resource (RWR) maintains over 600 miles of water mains and 3,100 valves to supply water to approximately 27,000 connections in the town of Conyers and surrounding areas within the county. With 75 miles of pipeline installed prior to 1950 and the unbilled water rate at 34 percent in 2010, RWR Water and Sewer Systems Operations Manager Richard McDaniel recognized a need to monitor the county’s aging underground water mains and valves.

“I knew from my previous experience in municipal water systems maintenance that Rockdale County needed a leak detection program,” said McDaniel. “However department budgets were small without much leeway.”

In 2011, Rockdale County began investigating options for a cost-effective leak detection program. After comparing options, the county contacted Simon Wick, Vice President of Water Asset Management at Matchpoint Inc. (Wilmington, N.C.). Via a formal bid process, Rockdale County purchased 370 Permalog+ acoustic leak noise loggers, a Patroller II drive-by data collection device, a TriCorr real time leak noise correlator, a SoundSens “i” advanced correlating logger system and an X-Mic ground microphone. The products work together to analyze sound from water lines for leak noise, transmit this data to mobile collection units, and pinpoint underground leaks to minimize repair time and cost. Several RWR Water and Sewer Systems staff also completed extensive product training to ensure proper operation.

Within the first year of the program RWR found over 50 leaks, which it estimated to be the source of over 248,000 lost gallons of water per day. At a cost of $1 per 1,000 gallons of water, the new leak detection program has already saved Rockdale County over $90,000 per year.

Given its early success, Rockdale County plans to continue to expand Permalog coverage of its water distribution network.

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New equipment helps eliminate exploratory digging to find leaks

Milford, Ohio (February 20, 2013) – Fluid Conservation Systems (FCS) leak detection equipment has helped Greenville Water (Greenville, S.C.) maintain its tight distribution network and low water rates for customers in a more efficient manner.

Greenville Water has lowered the cost of maintaining its water distribution network with FCS leak detection equipment.

Greenville Water is responsible for maintaining 2,800 miles of mains to serve 168,000 metered connections in the city of Greenville and surrounding areas with a daily average of 58 million gallons of water. Some sections of the primarily ductile and cast iron distribution network are over 100 years old.

“We’ve always prided ourselves in keeping a tight water network,” says Greenville Water Chief Operations Officer Murray Dodd. “But our leak detection methods were not efficient, and when a leak was discovered it sometimes took a work crew a full day to find and repair the leak.”

Work crews would sometimes have to dig several holes in an attempt to find the exact location of the leak, and Dodd was becoming concerned with the cost associated with excavating and backfilling these “ghost holes.”

After a product demonstration from Carolina Meter and Supply (Hampstead, N.C.), Greenville Water purchased FCS leak detection equipment, including 30 Permalog leak noise loggers, a Patroller II drive-by data collection system, a DigiCALL+ correlator and an X-Mic ground microphone. In 2012, the full-time, two person leak detection team found 57 previously undetected leaks using Permalogs, and assisted in pinpointing over 100 additional running leaks. Dodd estimates that the leaks found and repaired saved 20 million gallons of water in 2012 alone.

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Program has saved customers close to $1 million in five years

Milford, Ohio (January 10, 2013) – Henry County Water and Sewerage Authority (McDonough, Ga.) has used equipment from Fluid Conservation Systems (FCS) to create an efficient leak detection program. The program has eliminated nearly 400 million gallons of non-revenue water in the last five years.

Henry County employees collect data from Permalogs (left) to be used on its online leak detection map.

Henry County maintains over 1,400 miles of mains to serve its approximately 54,000 meter connections. Its pipelines are constructed of various materials, mostly ductile iron as well as PVC and cast iron, with the oldest sections dating back to 1970. As part of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, Henry County is required to submit annual audits of its water distribution system. After a 2007 audit, Henry County saw rising non-revenue water rates and began investigating leak detection programs used by surrounding counties.

Using an empty subdivision with operational water pipes as a test site, Henry County Lead GIS Field Technician Brock Biles conducted side-by-side comparisons of three different leak detection systems. He found that the FCS products sold by Matchpoint Inc. (Wilmington, N.C.) were the most effective at finding leaks.

“Henry County had the most scientific approach to product selection that I had ever seen,” said Matchpoint Inc. Vice President, Simon Wick.

After extensive product training from Matchpoint, the county deployed its new leak detection program in May 2007 with 80 Permalog+ acoustic loggers and an AC Digital correlator. By the end of the year, the one-man team had located 26 leaks that generated over 20,000,000 gallons of water per year, saving Henry County an estimated $50,426.

Henry County uses the “Lift and Shift” method of deploying Permalog+ noise loggers, which promotes quick and efficient leak detection with a limited number of logging devices. Loggers are distributed to one area of the water distribution network for a short period of time, retrieved and analyzed for potential leak indications, and then rapidly redeployed to other areas of the system. Information collected is then uploaded to an intranet map of the distribution network, allowing the leak detection team to see a history of leak data and logger deployments for each area of the system.

Since its inception, the Henry County leak detection team has grown to three full time and three part time employees, and saved approximately 380 million gallons of water at a cost of over $933,000. It has become a model among its peers, hosting 10 municipalities since 2011 to demonstrate how the program works.

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Low maintenance sensor has five year battery life

Milford, OH (September 18, 2012) – Fluid Conservation System’s new SonicSens 2 ultrasonic level and flow sensor provides remote monitoring of open channels, combined sewer overflows, storm drains, storage tank levels and flood warning systems. The battery powered sensor is non-contact, non-contaminating and requires little maintenance.

The SonicSens2 ultrasonic sensor with Multilog XL data logger from FCS.

SonicSens 2 mounts above the level to be monitored and emits a high frequency acoustic wave to the water surface that is reflected back and detected by the emitting transducer. The device uses a Multilog LX telemetry data logger to transmit the data via SMS or GPRS for immediate analysis.

The sensor has up to a five year battery life at a two minute sample rate, and uses self diagnostics and echo loss alarms to minimize the need for site visits. The SonicSens 2 can send alerts to up to 16 telephone numbers if predetermined alarm conditions are met, and then provide dial-in functionality allowing rapid access to data during an event.

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Milford, OH (July 2, 2012) – Fluid Conservation Systems’ (FCS) new website increases customer support. Visitors to the site, www.fluidconservation.com, can access extensive information on the FCS line of water management and wireless monitoring products.

The new website from FCS provides extensive product information.

The site includes detailed information on water leak detection and every product in the FCS inventory. Customers can browse products available through FCS from its sister companies, including Palmer Environmental leak detection, Radcom Technologies data recording and analysis products, and Radio-Tech wireless monitoring and AMR equipment. The site includes an interactive map that allows customers to quickly locate and contact their local distributor, and pages to sign up for product training events, or updates on FCS news and events.

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Municipality projects $15,000 in annual savings from leak detection equipment

Milford, OH (June 26, 2012) – Leak detection equipment from Fluid Conservation Systems (FCS) has helped the town of Roaring Spring, Pa. cut its non-metered water usage by almost half.

FCS Permalog noise loggers helped Roaring Springs quickly identify, locate and repair leaks.

Roaring Spring Water and Sewer Authority maintains 26 miles of main lines with 1,200 metered connections to serve its population of about 3,300. In January 2011, daily water loss averaged almost 460,000 gallons, about 50 percent of the water pumped. Chairman Terry Glunt recognized the need to increase efficiency and instructed his department to investigate options for leak detection equipment.

After comparing similar products, Roaring Spring purchased six Permalog leak noise loggers and a Patroller II data collector from local FCS distributor L/B Water Service, Inc. During a product demonstration, the loggers immediately found three leaks accountable for an estimated loss of 13,000 gallons per day. Today, with continued product training and the purchase of a Tri-Corr Touch correlator, Roaring Spring has found 17 leaks and cut water loss to 27 percent.

Permalog noise loggers attach magnetically to pipes and “listen” for noise caused by leaks. Data from the Permalogs is then collected wirelessly by the Patroller II and analyzed using the TriCorr Touch correlator. This allows leaks to be quickly identified and pinpointed, minimizing exploratory digging, damage from erosion and lost resources.

In April of 2012, a shockwave generated from an explosion at a nearby rock quarry produced a leak in an 8-inch ductile iron main almost a half mile away. Roaring Spring Maintenance Supervisor Dane Noel noticed that water usage was up 40,000 gallons the next morning and 110,000 gallons the following day. Using the leak detection equipment, Roaring Spring employees were able to quickly find and stop the leak. “If we wouldn’t have had loss rates down so low, we never would have known what happened,” said Noel.

In 2012, Roaring Spring estimates the reduced non-metered water usage will save the town over $15,000.

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Equipment finds leaks fast, minimizing damage and resource waste

Milford, OH (April 11, 2012) – Using Fluid Conservation Systems’ (FCS) leak detection equipment, Benton County Water District #1 (Avoca, Ark.) has reduced non-revenue water by 66 percent. Over the last six years, the municipality saved over 101 million gallons of water at a cost of $207,257.

A municipal worker uses an AccuCorr 3000 to analyze data collected from a Permalog leak noise logger (foreground).

Founded in 1972, Benton County Water District #1 has 170 miles of main water lines serving an average of 380,000 gallons of water per day through its 2,100 meter connections. The lines are all PVC except for one mile of ductile iron pipe, which was installed in 1996.

In 2006 the district was experiencing an average water loss rate of 26 percent, with some months as high as 40 percent. At the end of the year, officials calculated a total loss of 42.5 million gallons of non-revenue water. To combat this problem, the district purchased 10 Permalog leak noise loggers, a Patroller II remote data collector, an AccuCorr 3000 correlator with three outstations, and an Xmic ground microphone. After training from FCS, the program was put into place in the fall of 2007.

Permalog acoustic leak noise detectors attach magnetically to water lines and “listen” for leak noise. Data from the Permalogs is collected remotely with the Patroller II, and analyzed with the AccuCorr 3000 to determine the existence and general location of leaks. Workers then use the Xmic ground microphone to pinpoint the leak, minimizing investigatory digging.

Municipal workers found two main leaks and numerous small service leaks within the first month. Through continued product training District #1 improved their efficiency, finding 34 leaks in 2010. According to county officials, the municipality averaged only 12 percent loss for the first 9 months in 2011.

“Most of the leaks found with the FCS equipment would not have surfaced. Two of the leaks found and fixed in 2011 have been leaking probably since the pipeline was installed in 1974,” said Benton County Water District #1 Manager, Edwin Cooper. “At an average of 8 gpm for both leaks, this equates to approximately 155.5 million gallons at an average cost today of $318,775 for 2 small leaks.”

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System runs 55 noise filter combinations to produce most accurate result

Milford, OH (February 8, 2012) – Fluid Conservation Systems (FCS) has released an Automated Filter Intelligence System (AFIS) for its TriCorr Touch correlator. The new feature further increases the correlator’s ability to accurately pinpoint leaks.

The TriCorr Touch with new AFIS feature from FCS.

TriCorr Touch uses information gathered from acoustic leak noise sensors placed at intervals along a pipeline to identify and locate leaks in a water distribution system. Due to the number of unknown variables that can change the frequency of leak noise, accurate results depend upon using the correct noise filter setting. While most correlators include default filter settings for different pipe materials and sizes, TriCorr Touch’s AFIS automatically runs 55 different filter combinations on the correlation data. This allows TriCorr to check the quality of the results and optimize filter settings as required, until the clearest and most accurate result is presented.

TriCorr Touch is the first standalone correlator with a VGA touch screen for maximum visible screen area and easy data entry. A new High Contrast mode is now available to provide clear visibility in bright sunshine. The unit’s compact charging case carries and protects all components while allowing the base station and outstations to be charged from a single power source.

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Equipment helped department exceed water loss reduction goal

Milford, OH (December 14, 2011) – Texas-based New Braunfels Utilities (NBU) used leak detection equipment from Fluid Conservation Systems (FCS) to build an efficient maintenance program for its distribution network while drastically reducing water loss. The equipment allows NBU to conduct scheduled repairs on its pipelines instead of dealing with leaks on an emergency basis.

NBU workers use an FCS TriCorr Touch correlator to locate leaks and conduct scheduled maintenance.

The NBU leak detection and valve maintenance program was established in 2009 to reduce water loss and increase system and valve reliability for NBU’s 456 miles of pipeline and 24,000 customer connections. At the end of the first year of the program, NBU calculated its average water loss at 2,000 gallons/ mile/ day.

Recognizing the need for improvement, NBU purchased FCS leak detection equipment including Xmic ground microphones, a SoundSens “i” correlating noise logger, a TriCorr Touch correlator and Permalog acoustic leak noise data loggers. The team began using the equipment to perform preventive maintenance on 750 valves per year and proactively scan the city for non-surfacing leaks. Two years later, NBU estimates its average water loss at 961 gallons/ mile/ day, less than half the loss rate during the program’s first year.

“Everyone knows that water is a precious resource and its preservation requires a ton of attention,” said NBU Operations and Maintenance Division Manager, Trino Pedraza. “We tested many products in the field and found FCS to have the highest level of reliability.”

FCS Permalog data loggers attach magnetically to pipelines and use advanced algorithms to discern the acoustic signature of leaks from background noise. SoundSens “i” and TriCorr correlators analyze data from acoustic sensors to approximate a leak’s location. The FCS Xmic electronic ground microphone amplifies noise generated by water escaping from buried supply lines under pressure, allowing users to pinpoint a leak’s location.

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Hong Kong was the first city in Asia to take advantage of the advanced leak detection capabilities of the Permalog noise loggers, with an initial deployment back in 1999. The loggers are placed on water pipes where they listen for the sound made by leaks, log the data and then transmit it for further analysis. This enables water companies to identify leak areas quickly and efficiently; saving time, money and water by enabling a rapid, accurately-targeted response to repair the issue.

In Hong Kong, the Water Supplies Department (WSD) is in charge of maintaining the 7800km of underground water pipes in the city, and has a 15-year rehabilitation program costing billions of HK dollars to repair, upgrade and modernise the network. Their target is to reduce burst incidents from 2500/year in 2010 to 1000/year by 2015, and to decrease the leakage rate from 25% to 15%. Out of the 1100 cross-road pipes, around half are very old, and at increased risk of damage and disrepair.

HWM's PermaNet SMS leak detecting noise loggers help protect Hong Kong's vital water networks

When a pipe in the busy Wanchai district burst recently, the Hong Kong government identified a further 600 sites around the city where very old pipes run under busy streets, and deployed a new batch of Permalog+ noise loggers to watch for, identify and locate any leaks in these areas. 

Permalog technology is made and developed in the United Kingdom by Halma Water Management (HWM-Water Ltd), and the company’s distributor in Hong Kong is Allied Power Technology Ltd. Allied Power has supplied over 800 sets of Permalog+ units with SMS repeaters to the region, and also has a contract with the local government to analyse the data gathered from the system.

When deployed with SMS repeaters, the Permalog+ devices can function together as a nodal network, with all data being automatically transmitted back to a ‘home station’ – in this case Allied Power’s offices. Every morning, the company receives the leakage data for each of the install sites, and makes recommendations to the WSD based on this information.

Davis Li, Managing Director, said: “We manage a huge amount of data every day, which has to be organised and presented clearly. Because the noise loggers are on busy roads for this project, there is quite a lot of interference from road noise, which can complicate our job. The main challenge of this monitoring work is to localise a leak when a correlation is simply not possible. In these situations, we usually use the Permalogs’ Aqualog function to differentiate interference and help identify the leak location.”

When in Aqualog mode, a Permalog+ logger will measure and log acoustic data at preset intervals over an extended period of time, typically at night to minimise the traffic noise. This data can then be presented graphically so trends, anomalies and incidents can be clearly identified. This effectively displays whether or not the noise is caused by a leak, since any leak noise will be consistent.

The combination of the automated leakage data transmission for general leakage alerts, and in-depth on-site analysis with Aqualog, means that leaks can be quickly identified and problems repaired before they cause major disruption or damage to Hong Kong and its residents.

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