SAMAR STATE UNIVERSITY

Arteche Blvd., Catbalogan City, Philippines 6700

College of Engineering

Experiment No. 3
Water Flow Measurement by Bucket Method

I. Background

Flow is classified into open channel flow and closed conduit flow. Open channel flow
conditions occur whenever the flowing stream has a free or unconstrained surface that
is open to the atmosphere. In hydraulics, a pipe is any closed conduit that carries water
under pressure. The filled conduit may be square, rectangular, or any other shape, but
is usually round. If flow is occurring in a conduit but does not completely fill it, the
flow is not considered pipe or closed conduit flow, but is classified as open channel
flow.

Most devices measure flow indirectly. Flow measuring devices are commonly classified
into those that sense or measure velocity and those that measure pressure or head. The
head or velocity is measured, and then charts, tables, or equations are used to obtain
the discharge.

The bucket method is a simple way of measuring flow in very small streams using
household items. The entire flow is diverted into a bucket or barrel and the time for
the container to fill is recorded. The flow rate is obtained simply by dividing the
volume of the container by the filling time. Flows of up to 20 liters per second can be
measured using a 200-litre oil barrel. It requires a stopwatch, a large bucket, and
preferably two to three people.

𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑡
𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒 =
𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙

II. Objective/s

To measure a basic water flow discharge using the bucket method.

III. Apparatus

(a) bucket/pail, (b) water source, (c) stop watch.

IV. Procedure

1. Measure the volume of the bucket or container.

2. Find a location along the stream that has a waterfall. If none can be found, a
waterfall can be constructed using a water hose.
3. With a stopwatch, time how long it takes the waterfall to fill the bucket with
water. Start the stopwatch simultaneously with the start of the bucket being

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 SAMAR STATE UNIVERSITY
Arteche Blvd., Catbalogan City, Philippines 6700
College of Engineering

filled and stop the stopwatch when the bucket full. The bucket should not be
filled by holding it below the surface of the stream because it is not the true flow
rate.
4. Record the time it takes to fill the bucket.
5. Repeat steps two and three about five times and take the average. It is a good
idea to do a few trial runs before recording any data so that one can get a feel
for the timing and measurements required.
6. Only eliminate data if major problems arise such as debris from the stream
interfering with the flow.
7. The flow rate is the volume of the bucket divided by the average time it took to
fill the bucket.

V. Sample Videos

Land to House Adventure 13 - Creek Flow Rate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuOklAqxZf4

Water Flow Rate Measuring with a Bucket

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXy7O8RPBS4

VI. Drawing

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 SAMAR STATE UNIVERSITY
Arteche Blvd., Catbalogan City, Philippines 6700
College of Engineering

VII. Observation and Computation

Time Bucket Volume

Trial Number
(seconds) (liter)
1 8.84 14.841
2 9.01 14.841
3 8.76 14.841
4 8.67 14.841
5 8.12 14.841
Average 8.68 14.841

Average Flow Rate = 1.71 liters per second

VIII. Result

The average time is 8.68 seconds, the volume of the used bucket is 14.841 liters,
and the computed average flow rate is 1.71 liters per second.

IX. Conclusion

The bucket method is a simple way of measuring flow in very small streams
using household items. The entire flow is diverted into a bucket or barrel and the time
for the container to fill is recorded. According to the observed data and the result the
pipe has a discharge of 1.71 liters per second where it takes an average of 8.69 seconds
to filled the bucket with a volume of 14.841 liters. Therefore, the pipe releases enough
amount of water to supply households as well as agricultural purposes including rice
fields.

Note: Video presentation of activity conducted will be submitted together with the written report.

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 SAMAR STATE UNIVERSITY
Arteche Blvd., Catbalogan City, Philippines 6700
College of Engineering

Evaluation Criteria:

Content 30%
Organization 20%
Originality 20%
Application 20%
Timeliness 10%
Total 100%

Performed by:

TARA RUZZLIN P. MAHINAY

BSCE – 3B
Date Performed: May 1, 2021

Presented to:

HEBE M. CUENCO-UY, MECE

Faculty

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