Abstract
Due to electromagnetic flow meter inaccuracy, water utilities are experiencing decreasing
water supply billing, which in turn results in decreased revenues. The objective of this study
was to investigate how preventive maintenance practices impact electromagnetic flow meter
accuracy and it aimed to derive a service guideline for electromagnetic flow meters to maintain
maximum accuracy. In order to achieve the research objective, the literature on flow meter
preventive maintenance activities was evaluated, with an emphasis on visual inspection,
cleaning, failure diagnosis, verification, and calibration. A survey research method in the form
of an online questionnaire was used to collect data from the technical staff of various water
utilities in Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal, and the North West regions. The data collected was
analyzed using the Likert scale and a weighted average.
The data analysis revealed that the water utilities remove any dust or dirt from the flow meters'
bodies as part of cleaning preventive maintenance activities during maintenance, and they
adhere to best practices when verifying electromagnetic flow meters. It could not, however,
confirmed that the walk-around inspection, including the inspection of pipe leakage, the
inspection of the flow meter's flanges, the inspection of burn marks on the flow meter's body,
the inspection of the continuity between the transmitter's coil wires and electrode wires and the
flow meter's sensors, the inspection of water ingress on the coil wires and electrode, the
cleaning of the flow meters' in situ to prevent the development of dangerous microorganisms,
the measurement of the flow meters’ electrodes, the measurement of the flow meters’ coil, and
the diagnosis error messages check on the flow meters are performed by the water utilities
during maintenance.
The data analysis also indicated that the organization's maintenance procedures result in
electromagnetic flow meter inaccuracies, which increase the cost of reactive maintenance.
These findings will assist the water utilities operating teams in maximizing performance by
carrying out all preventative maintenance tasks on the electromagnetic flow meters as well as
ensuring that the electromagnetic flow meters provide a satisfactory return on investment.