The Basics of Using a Weir Box

For water management operations looking for consistently accurate measurements, one of the most common tools is a weir plate. In some situations, it’s easier for your weir plate to be located in a self-contained environment, which is the main purpose of a weir box.

A weir box contains both the weir plate and the weir pool in one enclosure, providing for an ultra-convenient flow measurement solution. If you’ve never used a weir box before, it can be a good idea to learn more about this tool and its numerous advantages. Read about using a weir box in your water management system and find out how you can purchase this tool from a trusted manufacturer.

Sizing and Flow Conditioning

The very first thing that you should consider when using a weir box is the amount of flow that you expect to experience in your system. What size weir pool is right for your system? Will your flow be constant or intermittent? Answering these questions will help you to decide what size weir box you need.

A similar issue to consider is the energy level of your flow. If you expect high velocity flow that may cause surface turbulence, you need to make sure that your weir box includes a baffle plate, which will help to minimize surface turbulence and improve the overall accuracy of your readings.

Weir Plate

Another crucial factor in the usefulness of your weir box is how your weir plate will be mounted. Generally, a weir plate that is located in a weir box will be mounted to a bulkhead. This will make sure that it is secure and cannot be moved by energetic flow. Additionally, your weir plate should be mounted perpendicular to the flow for maximum efficiency.

You will also need to decide what notch shape you will use with your weir plate. While most weir plates will have a v-shaped notch, you could also choose a rectangular or trapezoidal notch. The notch that you choose will largely depend on the needs of your water management system.

Flow Connection

The final issue that you will need to decide before installing your weir box is how your box will receive the flow in your system. The most common way for your weir box to receive flow will be with a piped connection. An inlet capable of being hooked to a pipe will be installed into the side of your weir box, allowing your weir box to receive the flow. Piped connections are generally used in an industrial situation.

When a piped connection isn’t an option, you can choose free spilling flow. With this setup, flow will spill from above into your weir box. Free spilling flow is a good choice when measuring flow in a natural channel.

Install a Weir Box

Weir boxes are an extremely useful tool if you want easy access to your flow measuring device. If you’re thinking about installing a weir box in your water management system, you need to shop with Tracom, FRP.

The friendly staff at Tracom can tell you about all the products in our exciting catalogue and can let you know if a weir box is the right option for your system. Contact us today.