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Marsh McBirney Flow Meter: Flo‑Tote Open Channel Water Sensors and Reliable Replacements
Quick Answer: You can get a direct replacement for a failed Marsh McBirney Flo‑Tote sensor without a 12‑week wait. Silver Automation Instruments supplies open channel flow meters with 4‑20 mA, HART, and RS485 output that fit the same flumes and weirs. Send us your flume type, channel width, and the flow range in m³/h and we will propose a plug‑compatible instrument within 24 hours.
What fails on the Flo‑Tote and when it is time to replace it
The Flo‑Tote electromagnetic velocity sensor logs velocity and depth in open channels, but long submersion in raw sewage or stormwater does two things. The electrodes foul, the signal drifts, and the epoxy seal often cracks after 3 to 5 years. Once water reaches the internal board, calibration is no longer possible. We have seen this on a wastewater site in Ho Chi Minh City where a Flo‑Tote II read 0.18 m/s in a dry channel. The customer sent us a photo of the sensor body and we confirmed a swollen housing. Repair was not economical.
What Silver Instruments offers for Flo‑Tote users
We do not sell refurbished Flo‑Tote sensors because the failure rate does not justify the cost. Instead we supply a new submersible velocity‑area flow meter with a titanium electrode and an IP68 polyurethane cable. The sensor measures velocity from 0.02 m/s to 6.00 m/s. Depth is measured by a built‑in 0‑3 m level transmitter with an accuracy of ±0.5 % of full scale. Output signals are 4‑20 mA, with HART 7 as standard. The same datalogger you used with the Flo‑Tote can accept the signal.
Why a direct form‑fit replacement is not always the best path
Some engineers search for a Flo‑Tote 3 with the same mounting bracket. Here is the thing. The flow computer in the control room often supports Modbus RTU already. So we skip the proprietary protocol and wire the transmitter directly to a PLC via RS485. A water utility in Queensland did exactly this in August 2024. They removed the old Flo‑Tote electronics, kept the existing stainless steel mounting band, and installed our sensor with a NEMA 4X junction box. They saved two days of rewiring and the total cost was below AUD 2,800.
What you must measure before sending us a request
Most engineers skip this part and later the quotes get delayed. Measure the exact throat width of your Parshall flume or V‑notch weir angle. Note the minimum and maximum flow you expect, in m³/h or L/s. Tell us the suspended solids concentration if you have it. A paint manufacturer in Thailand gave us a TSS of
Installation details that stop measurement errors
Do not mount the velocity sensor downstream of a drop structure. The air bubbles cause a velocity spike. We recommend 10 times the channel width of straight run upstream. For a 600 mm wide rectangular channel, you need 6 metres of straight section. Secure the sensor with a stainless steel scissor ring clamp, not a plastic cable tie. A food processing plant in Guatemala lost a sensor because the cable tie snapped during a storm.
How to integrate with SCADA and legacy loggers
Our transmitter outputs 4‑20 mA for velocity and a separate 4‑20 mA for depth. If your existing Marsh McBirney Flo‑Tote logger accepts 0‑5 VDC, we add a 250 Ω precision resistor in the junction box. In practice, this takes 15 minutes to wire. For sites that want digital data, we add an RS485 to Ethernet converter and you can poll both parameters via Modbus TCP. We use a static IP and an MQTT broker for cloud logging. A copper mine in Zambia set this up in two hours with our remote support.
FAQ
Can you repair a water‑damaged Flo‑Tote sensor? We do not offer repair because the epoxy body cannot be resealed to IP68 reliably. We recommend a new sensor with a 2‑year warranty.
How fast can you ship to Australia? We ship via DHL Express from Nanjing. Typical delivery to Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane is 5 to 7 working days.
What if my channel is a trapezoidal irrigation ditch? The velocity‑area method works if you enter the cross‑section geometry into the flow computer. We can pre‑configure the transmitter for your channel shape at no extra cost.
Do you supply full turnkey systems with a datalogger? Yes. We supply a NEMA 4X panel with a paperless recorder, a 4G modem, and pre‑wired terminal blocks. You just connect power and the sensor.
Which brands do you reference against? Our open channel flow meter is a proven alternative to Marsh McBirney Flo‑Tote, ISCO 2100, and Hach FH950. Send us the model number you currently use.
Get a specific quote
Send us your flume type, channel width, minimum and maximum flow, and water composition. We return a datasheet with a price and a CAD outline drawing. Email [email protected] or call +86-135-1213-1526. Whatsapp is 86-135-12131526. You can also reach us on WeChat at +86 13512131526. Silver Automation Instruments is based in Nanjing, China, with a support office in Australia.