Flow Rule Alarm Handling

Modified on Wed, 13 Nov at 1:46 PM

Note: Flow Rule Alarms are established by setting a Flow Rule. Flow Rules are assigned to a Pipe, most likely a main, in the NLP's Hydraulic tree.

Flow Rule Alarm Summary Table

Flow Rule	Rule Function	Possible Causes	Standard Action	Automatic Action	Resolution
Unscheduled Flow (Allowed Idle Flow)	When Measured Flow > Unscheduled Flow Limit & Expected flow = 0. Disable Flow Rule (All Alarms) to eliminate this alarm. The Unscheduled Flow alert is enabled for all enabled flow rules.	A valve is stuck open. A pipe is leaking. Unauthorized use of water.	1. The NLP will show an "Unscheduled Flow" alert in the Flow section on the dashboard, turning the Hydraulics icon red. 2. Any users subscribed to a "Flow Rule State Change" will receive a notice. 3. The alarm will be logged as an error.	1. Standard Action items noted PLUS close of a N/O Master Valve if assigned to the flow rule.	1. Resolve unscheduled flow issue. 2. Clear alarm state in Hydraulics menu under the corresponding flow rule.
Flow Deviation - Flow Too High	Possible Values: High Deviation = 1-300% Disable Flow Rule (All Alarms) or set deviation values to 0 to disable this alarm.	The valve is stuck open or won’t fully close. A pipe is leaking. The sprinkler nozzle is missing, or the header is broken.	1. The NLP will show a "Flow Too High" alert in the Flow section on the dashboard, turning the icon red. 2. Any users subscribed to a "Flow Rule State Change" will receive a notice. 3. The alarm will be logged as an error.	1. The station that triggered the flow deviation will immediately be put in a Verify Flow state. -For users with 1 POC per Main Pipe, irrigation will stop during this time for stations assigned to the same pipe. Stations will be put into Verify Flow state. - For users with multiple POCs or a full hydraulic tree set, only the stations downstream to the pipe section as the faulted station will be put into Verify Flow state. 2. If the station triggers the same flow deviation alert in the Verify Flow state, the station will show a flow error on the Stations > Error section as 7003 "Flow Too High". The result of the Verify flow will show as Observed Flow regardless if pass or fail. This will repeat for all stations. - For users with multiple POCs or a full hydraulic tree set, only the stations downstream to the pipe section as the faulted station will be put into Verify Flow state. 4. Any users subscribed to a Flow Rule State Change will receive a notice. 5. The alarm will be logged as an error. 6. Users can use the Action Button to “Apply Observed Flow” if the new values are accepted from the Verify Flow.	1. Resolve the station deviation issue. 2. Standard Action - Clear the alert in the Hydraulics menu under the appropriate flow rule. Stations will be allowed to run. 3. Automatic Action - You must clear the error from the stations faulted for flow deviation. You can clear this on the dashboard under Stations > Errors. Stations marked as Error will not run until the error is cleared. 4. If you suspect the alarm is too sensitive, try increasing the start, error or change delays or updating the expected flow value for the relevant stations. As this alarm references expected flow values, it is important to re-calibrate expected flow values annually by running a "Learn Flow Program".
Flow Deviation - Flow Too Low	Possible Values: Low Deviation = 1-300%. Disable Flow Rule (All Alarms) or set deviation values to 0 to disable this alarm.	The valve is stuck closed or won’t fully open. A pipe is partially blocked. The sprinkler is clogged, or the header didn't open. The Expected Flow value is set too high.	1. The NLP will show a "Flow Too Low" alert in the Hydraulics menu of the dashboard, turning the icon red. 2. Any users subscribed to a "Flow Rule State Change" will receive a notice. 3. The alarm will be logged as an error.	1. The station that triggered the flow deviation will immediately be put in a Verify Flow state. -For users with 1 POC per Main Pipe, irrigation will stop during this time for stations assigned to the same pipe. Stations will be put into Verify Flow. - For users with multiple POCs or a full hydraulic tree set, only the stations downstream to the pipe section as the faulted station will be put into Verify Flow state. 2. If the station triggers the same flow deviation alert in the Verify Flow state, the station will show a flow error on the Stations > Error section as 7002, "Flow Too Low". The result of the Verify flow will show as Observed Flow regardless if pass or fail. This will repeat for all stations. - For users with multiple POCs or a full hydraulic tree set, only the stations downstream to the pipe section as the faulted station will be put into Verify Flow state. 4. Any users subscribed to a Flow Rule State Change will receive a notice. 5. The alarm will be logged as an error. 6. Users can use the Action Button to “Apply Observed Flow” if the new values are accepted from the Verify Flow.	1. Resolve the station deviation issue. 2. Standard Action - Clear the alert in the Hydraulics menu under the appropriate flow rule. 3. Automatic Action - You must clear the error from the stations faulted for flow deviation. You can clear this on the dashboard under Stations > Errors. 4. If you suspect the alarm is too sensitive, try increasing the start, error or change delays or updating the expected flow value for the relevant stations. As this alarm references expected flow values, it is important to re-calibrate expected flow values annually by running a "Learn Flow Program".
No Flow	When Measured Flow = 0 GPM & Expected Flow is >0 GPM with an active flow sensor assigned to a flow rule. A No Flow alarm will trigger for any active flow rule. Disable the Flow Rule (all alarms) to disable this alarm.	Faulty flow sensor, sensor decoder, or true no-flow condition.	1. The NLP will show a "No Flow" alert in the Flow section on the dashboard, turning the icon red. 2. All Flow Valves will deactivate (N/C, Pump or Booster stops) or a N/O closes. 4. Any users subscribed to a "Flow Rule State Change" will receive a notice. 5. The alarm will be logged as an error.	1. All actions in "Standard Action" plus all zones will be stopped.	1. Resolve the No Flow issue. 2. Clear the alarm state in the Hydraulics menu under the corresponding flow rule. 3. If a faulty flow sensor or sensor decoder is the culpr

For a summary of Flow Rules, how they work & definitions, use this link:

Flow Rules in the NLP

For more information on building a Learned Flow program, use this link:

Build & Run a Learned Flow Program

To receive email alerts regarding a Flow Rule, enable "flow rule state change" using the following link:

Enabling Controller Email Alerts