Any Experience use the FortrezZ Water Flow Meter with Vera controller?

[bconradsmith]

I’m kinda new at this, but I’m trying to find out if anyone has experience using the FortrezZ flow meter with a Vera Plus controller? From my basic research, this seems like the flow meter I’m wanting to monitor water usage in my vacation rental that’s on a well and cistern. However, I’m concerned that it won’t work with the Vera platform.

While their documentation seems quite thorough, it seems to make a few assumptions that I might be missing as somewhat of a newb.
Here’s a link to their manual if that helps.

Flow+Meter+Technical+Manual.pdf

[jcolter]

I’d be interested to know if anyone has this working with Vera as well.

[leedavidr]

I recently called Fortrezz on this device, and they indicated that there isn’t a proper plugin for this device for Vera but there is one for SmartThings. Then I found a plugin on the Vera App section. I downloaded that App and another App was downloaded with it–Data Yours. However, the Apps caused my Vera to hang up and basically incapacitated it. I couldn’t even uninstall the apps and had to have Vera remotely access my controller to remove it. The Vera tech also downloaded the App on his local controller, and it caused the same issue. I had already ordered the Fortrezz flow meter by this point. In addition, integlikewhoa, a frequent poster on here, indicated that he had previously purchased and installed the flow meter at his house, and that he is able to get basic data from the meter on his Homeseer controller despite the lack of a specific plugin for it. I am hopeful that I will also be able to get basic data like flow rate and length of time of water flow from the meter on my VeraPlus to use to shut off water using an automated shutoff valve in conjunction with this meter. I will be using the meter as whole house flow detection system, though I will also use flood detectors to detect actual leakage as a backup system as well. This meter will be physically installed in early to mid June at my secondary residence in AZ, and I should know more then if you wish to wait that long.

Most of this discussion is chronicled in the following thread:

http://forum.micasaverde.com/index.php/topic,49014.0.html

[leedavidr]

As indicated in the thread link above in Irrigation Control, the Fortrzz flow meter appears to be physically working fine but is not giving me flow rates with my Vera Plus which is what I wanted. Vera Customer Service is currently working on this. I have included it on Vera as a generic zwave device.

[BryanKHubbard]

Any update on the integration of Fortrezz flow meter and Vera? Looking at switching from SmartThings to Vera.

[leedavidr]

No progress I know of on this front. There was a rudimentary plug in which worked to count gallons and tell you if you were using water at the time, but never gave flow rates, etc. like you see on SmartThings. However, the plug in to my knowledge was never updated for the firmware update a year ago and so that firmware update has rendered the plug in and in turn the meter useless. The odd thing about all of this is that Ezlo who bought Vera also bought Fortrezz who makes the aforementioned flow meter. I still have the useless flow meter attached to my system and the techs apparently don’t consider it a priority to fix. I have basically given up trying and have instead relied up flow detectors at places in the house near water lines to detect any water leakage and to send commands to shut off my Fortrezz Water valve (which does work on the new firmware like it did on the old firmware and without a plug in) when leaks are detected.

[BryanKHubbard]

I am in the same boat. I assume you are using a bolt on ultrasonic glow meter. Which one do you find works best?

[leedavidr]

I am not certain that I understand your comment.