Farmers either with their own well or paying a fee to the council will tell you that water is not cheap and unknown leaks can prove to be very costly and difficult to locate.

Valuable time can be lost checking for and looking for leaks on the system. Monitoring water usage and locating leaks on the farm is made easy with the addition of a water meter.

Whether water is sourced from the mains or through a farm well, this idea lets you have full control of the water used on the farm.

The photograph shows a water supply entering a meter on the left which allows the farmer to view usage and flow rates.

From the meter, the water flows through four outlets as the farm is zoned into four separate sections.

If a high volume of water is detected on the meter, all valves can be closed and the usage monitored as each valve is turned back on. This allows the farmer to determine if a leak exists and if one is detected, which part of the farm contains the leak.

This cheap system reduces both labour and lost water. This meter was purchased secondhand for under €50.