Frequently Asked Questions about Fiberglass Products
Tracom flumes are built to industry and ASTM standards. Not all flumes are strong enough to be operated without external support. To determine if your flume needs external support, contact us in the office by phone or email.
Choosing the best flume is something Tracom and our representatives are here to help with! Give us a call or email and we’ll get you the information you need to make the right choice for your application!
Tracom submits detailed drawings, specifications, and installation instructions with every order. If the installation instructions leave you with any more questions, our office will be happy to answer them on the phone or by email. We also have skilled representatives located all over North America and in some areas internationally to help with hands-on situations.
Our shipping and receiving is handled by Mary Ann Cronley. You can call in or use the email address on your oder acknowledgment to get shipping updates on your order.
Tracom was founded by a group of water industry experts with the goal to bring a reliable, customer facing product to the water and waste-water markets. Since 1986, Tracom has succeeded in providing better products and services to the marketplace. Tracom is still owned and operated by the same people who started it. We haven’t forgotten our roots!
- Fiberglass flumes have several advantages over other material flumes.
- Fiberglass doesn’t rust like metal.
- Fiberglass doesn’t rot like wood.
- Fiberglass doesn’t corrode like concrete.
- Fiberglass is lightweight.
- Fiberglass provides a firm shape that won’t distort your flow readings
Tracom uses two main materials to make our flumes. 30% of our flume is glass. The glass is mixed into general-purpose polyester resin. The mixture cures into a hard, rugged, and durable material.
Tracom sells Cutthroat flumes. Tracom sells 18″X1″, 18″X2″, 18″X4″, 18″X8″, 36″X2″, 36″X4″, 36″X8″, 36″X16″, 54″X3″, 54″X6″, 54″X12″, 54″X24″, 108″X12″, 108″X24″, 108″X48″, and 108″X72″ Cutthroat flumes. The size refers to the length by the throat width.
Tracom sells Montana flumes. Montana flumes come in the same sizes as our Parshall flumes. This ranges from 1″ to 144″ Parshall flumes. The size refers to the width at the throat of the Parshall flume.
Tracom sells RBC flumes. We make 50mm, 75mm, 100mm, 150mm, and 200mm RBC flumes. The size refers to the throat width.
Tracom sells HL style flumes. We make 3.0’HL and 4.0’HL flumes. The size refers to the height of the flume.
Tracom sells HS style flumes. We make 0.4’HS, 0.6’HS, 0.8’HS, and 1.0’HS flumes. The size refers to the height of the flume.
Tracom sells H style flumes. We make 0.5’H, 0.75’H, 1.0’H, 1.5’H, 2.0’H, 2.5’H, 3.0’H, and 4.5’H flumes. The size refers to the height of the flume.
Tracom sells Palmer-Bowlus flumes. We make 4″, 6″, 8″, 10″, 12″, 18″, 21″, 24″, 27″, 30″, 33″, 36″, 42″, 48″, 54″, 60″, 72″, 84″, 96″, and 108″ Palmer-Bowlus flumes. The size is determined by the width of the interior of the flume.
There are various metering options for our many different flumes. The most common types of open channel flow metering devices are Ultrasonic flow meters (Measures flow from above, once calibrated), Bubblers (Reads water pressure changes), or Staff Gauges (Measuring depth of flow with measurement increments).
Tracom offers a full 2-year warranty that covers manufacturer defects and other issues found, apart from general wear-and-tear usage.
Our fiberglass Packaged Metering Manholes provide a perfect, all-in-one solution for measuring open channel flow settings. Any flume chosen is integrally glassed into a custom-built manhole with many different options for the manhole and flume, including lights, outlets, intermediate platforms, bubble and sample tubes, and ultrasonic mounting brackets, just to name a few.
Primarily, sediment and sewage can effect weir accuracy. Sewage can block up the bottom of the weir plate, which can in turn alter how well the weir measures.
Flumes are good for many situations and are mostly resistant to blockage and backup, but certain flumes may not be as accurate as others. On the other hand, weirs are good for measures very accurately, but due to the plate used to measure, sediment and other materials in the flow may become backed up in under the v-notch.
We can provide an assortment of options to help make the most out of our flumes, including Bubble and Sample tubes, Staff Gauges (In 1/10’-1/100’, cm-mm, and MGD options), 8” and 12” diameter Stilling Wells (attached or detached), Submerged probe cavities, Stainless steel ultrasonic mounting brackets (Fixed or Adjustable Position), Probe Holder and Probe well, and Pipe stub sizes from 2” to 42” (Custom sizes may be discussed)
End adapters are installed onto certain flumes to connect to existing pipes where the flow will occur from, and help maintain a laminar level of flow throughout the flume.
A Montana flume is essentially a shortened Parshall flume. It removes the throat and discharge section of the Parshall, allowing the same measurement options as a Parshall, at more than half the length. The downside is that a free-flow drop is recommended, as pipe stubs cannot be installed onto a Montana.