Product Overview
The PVC Tee Series 228 is the plastic-line tee meter — a six-bladed impeller in a sealed PPS or PVDF insert set in a modified Schedule 80 PVC tee, sized 1-1/2 to 4 in. with solvent-weld socket ends (BSP or flange optional). The Schedule 80 PVC body carries NSF and IAPMO potable-water approval and handles corrosive duty, and the sensor reads ±1% of full scale from 0.5 to 30 ft/sec, IP68 / NEMA 4X for outdoor above-grade use. It sends a two-wire raw frequency up to 2000 ft to a 300-series transmitter, an FC-5000 display, or a 340 BTU transmitter for energy. Unlike the metal tees, the PVC 228 sensor is supplied as a sealed insert — Badger confirms it is effectively one-piece, so you swap the insert as a whole when it wears rather than overhauling it on the line.
Other Impeller plastic-line meters & electronics
Metal Tee 228 & 250 — bronze / SS / cast-iron tee
Irrigation PVC Tee 735 — economical 1/2 to 1 in. PVC tee
Inline Series 4000 — flow-through PVC / PVDF for corrosives & UPW
300-Series Flow Transmitters — 4–20 mA, scaled pulse or relay flow switch
340 BTU Energy Transmitters — flow × ΔT hydronic energy over BACnet / Modbus / Metasys
Key Features & Benefits
- Plastic tee for potable and corrosive lines — a Schedule 80 PVC body with NSF and IAPMO potable-water approval handles drinking water and corrosive duty a metal tee cannot
- 1-1/2 to 4 in., solvent-weld — four sizes with solvent-weld socket ends — BSP adapters, and a flange option on the 4 in. — drop into PVC plumbing
- PPS or PVDF wetted insert — choose PPS for general corrosives or PVDF for the most aggressive chemistry; the insert is the only wetted hardware
- Sealed, effectively one-piece — the PVC sensor is a sealed insert with no field-serviceable internal parts — it is swapped as a unit, not rebuilt (Badger-confirmed)
- IP68 / NEMA 4X — rated for outdoor above-grade service, 100% humidity and pollution-degree-4 environments; the IR build goes below grade
- Raw signal travels 2000 ft — the two-wire square-wave frequency carries up to 2000 ft to a transmitter, display or BTU monitor without amplification
Specifications
- Measurement principle
- Tee-mounted impeller (paddle-wheel) — a closed six-bladed forward-swept impeller in a sealed PPS or PVDF sensor insert set in a modified Schedule 80 PVC tee; an internal preamplifier and proprietary non-magnetic sensing send a frequency proportional to flow
- Service / fluids
- Potable water and corrosive liquids in plastic lines — hydronic loops, pump control and industrial process monitoring (standard sensor), or below-grade municipal and groundwater monitoring (IR)
- Accuracy
- ±1% of full scale over the recommended design flow range
- Repeatability
- ±0.3% of full scale (linearity ±0.2%)
- Flow range
- 0.5 to 30 ft/sec
- Line sizes
- 1-1/2, 2, 3 and 4 in.
- Tee / body material
- Schedule 80 PVC per ASTM D-2462 / D-2467, virgin unplasticized Type 1 PVC (cell classification 12454-B); the fittings and solvent carry NSF and IAPMO potable-water approval
- Wetted materials
- PPS or PVDF sensor insert; o-ring, shaft, impeller and bearing per the ordering matrix
- O-rings / seals
- EPDM standard; Viton or Buna-N optional
- Process / fluid temperature
- Rated 35 to 110°F (2 to 43°C), do not exceed; pressure derates with temperature per the Schedule 80 PVC curve
- Pressure rating
- Per the Schedule 80 PVC pressure / temperature derating curve and the hardware configuration — do not exceed
- End connections
- Solvent-weld socket; threaded BSP adapters; flange adapters on the 4 in.
- Signal / output
- Two-wire raw frequency (low-impedance square wave), 3.2–200 Hz, proportional to flow
- Signal transmission
- Travels up to 2000 ft (610 m) without amplification; 20 ft of shielded cable (standard) or direct-burial leads (IR)
- Electronics options
- Pairs with a 300-series transmitter (4–20 mA, pulse or relay), an FC-5000 display, or — with a matched RTD pair — the 340 BTU transmitter for energy
- Field serviceability
- The PVC tee sensor is supplied as a sealed PPS or PVDF insert and is effectively one-piece — it is replaced as a unit rather than rebuilt in the field
- Certifications
- IP68 / NEMA 4X, suitable for outdoor above-grade use (IR version below grade); NSF and IAPMO potable-water listing for the tee fittings and solvent
- Options
- IR irrigation electronics with direct-burial leads; BSP or flange adapters; special-order shaft and o-ring materials
Common Applications
- Potable-water branch metering in PVC lines (NSF / IAPMO)
- Corrosive-liquid flow in plastic piping
- Hydronic-loop, pump-control and process monitoring on plastic lines
- Below-grade municipal and groundwater monitoring — IR direct-burial electronics
- Outdoor above-grade flow where an IP68 / NEMA 4X rating is required
For metal lines the bronze / stainless / cast-iron Series 228 & 250 tee is the companion; for small-line irrigation the economical 735 PVC tee drops in.
Design & Selection Considerations
- Size the tee to the line and the body to the fluid — the tee meter ships as one preassembled piece — the sensor already set in a tee of the right size — so installation is a single plumbing connection. Choose the body for the fluid: cast bronze for water, condenser and cooling-tower service, 316 stainless for aggressive or higher-purity water, cast iron where cost rules, and Schedule 80 PVC for potable and corrosive lines. Use the input form to give us the line size, material and fluid and we’ll spec the tee and the wetted stack.
- Give it straight run — it is still a velocity meter — mounted in a tee or not, an impeller meter reads one point in the flow profile, so the same rule applies: at least 10 pipe diameters of straight run upstream and 5 downstream of any elbow, valve or pump. Use the input form to send us the pipe run around the meter location and we’ll confirm it will read true.
- Read the accuracy class against the duty — the tee meters span a range of accuracy: the metal Series 228 holds ±1% of full scale, the compact Series 250 ±1% of rate over a 60:1 turndown, and the economical 735 irrigation tee ±3% of full scale. Use the input form to tell us how tight the reading has to be and we’ll match the meter to it — billing and energy sub-metering want the rate-accurate meter; a wet-utility check tolerates the economy tee.
- Keep the fluid clean and the pipe full — as with every impeller meter the rotor wants reasonably clean water and a full pipe; grit and heavy solids wear the bearing and a partial pipe under-reads. If the water carries solids, a strainer ahead of the meter protects it.
- Pick the electronics for the signal you need — the tee sensor is a two-wire raw-pulse device; pair it with a 300-series transmitter for a 4–20 mA, scaled-pulse or relay output, an FC-5000 display for local rate / total, or the Series 380DS path for energy. Use the input form to tell us where the reading goes and we’ll match the electronics.
To size & select the right PVC Tee Series 228:
Use the input form to send your pipe size and material, the fluid with its temperature and pressure, and the flow range — with whether you need a local display, an analog or pulse output, or a Modbus / BACnet signal — and we’ll spec the insertion style or tee, the wetted materials and the electronics.
Flow Meter Application Sheet ›Talk to an engineer directly — Scott Prater, Principal · 917-580-0878 · scott@pratertechnical.com
Specifications compiled by Prater Technical Partners from Badger Meter Data Industrial impeller flow-sensor product literature.