FAQ's

Almost certainly. It suits the 12 V diaphragm pumps used in water-fed pole systems — Shurflo, Flojet, Aquatec and similar — up to 20 A peak. A typical 100 psi pump draws well under half that, so there's plenty of headroom. If you're running something unusual, send us the model and we'll confirm.

No. The FlowOne is the controller. It comes with the fused battery cable, the pump cable with a plug-in connector, and a Quick Start Guide — everything needed to wire it into a system you already have.

Not at all. The FlowOne is complete out of the box: flow control, auto calibration, dead-end shut-off, battery monitoring, timers and water usage all work on their own. The Click™ and Sense™ modules are optional extras you can add whenever you like — the expansion ports are already there.

Add them whenever you want. Plug a module in with the controller switched off, turn it back on, and the FlowOne picks it up. Nothing needs sending back and no settings are lost.

Yes. Add an ethernet Y-splitter cable (sold separately) and the whole family runs at once.

Yes — input is 12–30 V DC. One thing to know: the battery percentage display is calibrated for a standard 12 V lead-acid leisure battery, so on 24 V it will read as if charging. Switch the display to volts (Battery → Show Bat as %, off) and the reading is accurate on any supported voltage.

Yes, as long as the pack is within 12–30 V. Use the volts display rather than percentage, since the percentage curve is based on lead-acid discharge, and set your low-battery warning voltage to suit your pack's cut-off.

It's splash-resistant, not submersible. It's built to live around wet work — a soaking from spray or wet hands is fine — but don't mount it where it will sit in standing water or take a direct jet.

The unit is 175 × 92 × 57 mm and weighs 0.58 kg, with four 3.5 mm mounting holes in the flanges. It suits van installs, trolleys and static tank setups. For a backpack, check you have a flat panel that size to mount it on.

One controller drives one pump. But it stores two independent profiles (Mode 1 and Mode 2), each with its own flow rate and dead-end setting — ideal when two cleaners share a van and like different settings, or when you swap between poles. Two people working two poles at once need two controllers and two pumps.

Only the battery end. With battery terminals gives you a 100 cm lead with terminals ready to bolt onto your battery posts. XT60 only is a 75 cm lead with no terminals, for joining to an existing power lead. Both include the 15 A inline fuse, and both come with the same 50 cm pump cable.

The supplied leads are 75 cm or 100 cm on the battery side and 50 cm to the pump. If you need more, our 1 m XT60 extension cable (12 AWG) plugs into either side, and you can use one on each.

Yes — never run it unfused. The 15 A inline fuse in the battery lead protects your wiring and is designed to blow before the controller's internal 20 A fuse.

No. The physical power switch cuts the controller completely, so standby drain is zero. There's no sleep mode quietly sipping current overnight.

Yes — designed and assembled in the UK by Rootek Designs, and UKCA and RoHS compliant. It comes with a 12-month warranty and support direct from the people who built it.

No. It's two plugs and a fuse. The battery cable connects to Power Input, the pump cable to Pump Output, both with XT60 connectors that only go in one way. The pump cable joins your pump's wires with the connector provided — match red to red and black to black. Most people are wired in and calibrated within minutes.

Somewhere you can see the screen and reach the buttons, out of standing water — a van wall, a bulkhead or a trolley panel. Fix it through the four 3.5 mm mounting holes, which have vibration-resistant grommets to protect the controller on rough ground.

Red to positive, black to negative. The XT60 connectors are polarised and can't be plugged in backwards, and the controller is reverse-polarity protected, but always double-check at the battery end — get it the wrong way round there and the pump simply won't run.

It's up to you — the FlowOne works either way. It senses pressure by watching the pump's current draw, so it doesn't need the switch. Many users bypass it and let the FlowOne handle shut-off, which is gentler and quieter. If you do leave it connected, we recommend bypassing it while you run Auto Calibration so the controller sees the true picture of your system.

Don't run two controllers into one pump at the same time. If you want to keep the old one on the shelf as a spare, fine — but wire only one to the pump at a time.

Yes. Above 13.0 V the display shows Char in percentage mode, telling you the battery is on charge. There's no need to unplug or disconnect anything.

Those are the expansion ports for the FlowOne modules. They're ethernet-style sockets — leave the blanks in place until you fit a module.

We'd advise against permanent exposure. It's splash-resistant, so working in drizzle and getting sprayed is fine, but a controller left out in a downpour or stored wet will not last as long as one mounted under cover.

Yes, do it — it's the one job that makes everything else work. It teaches the controller how your specific pump, pole and hose behave, so dead-end shut-off happens at exactly the right point. It takes about two minutes and you only do it once, unless your system changes.

Because a coiled hose and a collapsed pole flow differently from your working setup. Calibrating with the kit as you actually use it gives the controller a true reading, so shut-off is accurate on the job rather than just on the driveway.

The screen shows DE FAULT — Run Auto Calibration and the pump stays paused. Without calibration the controller has no reference for what your pump's normal running current looks like, so it can't tell flowing from dead-ended.

Any time the system changes: a new or rebuilt pump, a different pole, a big change in hose length or diameter, or new jets. It's also the first thing to try if dead-end behaviour ever feels off.

No. Calibration steps the pump through its power range and waits at each step until the reading settles, so the bar moves in jumps rather than smoothly. Typically it takes one to two minutes. Leave the tap open and don't press anything.

No — it's a power scale from 1 to 99, not a flow rate in litres. Think of it like a volume dial: 50 is about half. The right number depends on your pump, jets and pole, so set it where the glass rinses nicely and leave it. If you want litres, calibrate the water usage tracker (Menu → Home Display → Auto Cal Flow) and the FlowOne will count actual litres used.

Almost certainly not. Auto Calibration sets the important ones for you, and the defaults suit the vast majority of systems. Advanced settings are there for the rare setup that needs tuning — and for us to walk you through if you ever call for support.

That's completely normal — it's the micro dead-end check. The controller gives the pump a brief, low-power nudge to feel whether the line is open yet, so it can restart the instant you open your tap. It uses almost no power and can't build pressure. If you'd prefer it less frequent, change Advanced → DE Rate to Slow or Plod.

Two things are happening, both by design. The controller restarts gently with a soft-start ramp rather than slamming the pump on, and the pressure change from opening your valve has to travel back down the hose. With a long hose run — especially soft hose in hot weather — that alone takes a noticeable few seconds. Before changing anything, check your DE Rate isn't set to a slow setting.

That's exactly what the FlowOne Click™ module does: a quick press pauses or resumes, and a long press switches between your two flow modes — so you can jump to high flow for extra rinsing power and drop back again, from wherever you're working.

They're two complete profiles, each storing its own flow rate and dead-end setting. Hold Back for about a second to swap. Use them for two cleaners sharing a van, two different poles, or a normal rate and a 'rinse boost' rate.

That's normal voltage sag under load — every battery does it. The FlowOne smooths the reading so it doesn't jump about, but a dip while pumping is expected. To see the true resting voltage, pause the pump for a moment.

Nothing wrong. If the system sits dead-ended for a long time — a lunch break, or a tap left closed — the controller stops checking altogether and parks itself to save your battery. Press any button to wake it. You can change the timeout, or switch it off, in Advanced → Auto Pause.

air means the pump is running but not loaded, which usually points to an airlock — it normally clears as the pump primes, and Dead End → Prime Pump will help. P.S means the pump is switched on but drawing no power, typically because its own pressure switch has cut in, or a pump connection has come adrift.

The work timer, job timer, water usage and amp-hours all reset when you switch off — they're per-session figures. The lifetime counters do carry over: Sys hours (total controller running time) and Pump hours (total pump running time) are on page 3 of the Info screen, and pump hours can be reset when you fit a new pump.

As accurate as your calibration. Run Auto Cal Flow and catch exactly 500 ml in a jug, and it'll be close. It's calculated from your calibrated flow rate rather than measured by a flow meter, so if you later change your flow rate a lot or fit different jets, recalibrate. You can also tweak the stored figure by hand under Home Display → Usage ml/min until it reads just right.

Give it a couple of seconds. Settings are saved automatically a moment after you stop adjusting them, so flicking the power switch instantly after a change can catch it just before the save.

Generally quieter. The FlowOne uses high-frequency PWM, which avoids the whine some controllers produce, and it soft-starts rather than banging the pump on and off.

Up to 1 km in open air. Buildings, vans and dense obstructions cut that down significantly, but for normal domestic and commercial work you'll usually be in range everywhere on site.

Yes — it takes a 12 V A23-type battery, and one is included. They're inexpensive and available in any supermarket or hardware shop when it eventually needs replacing.

Indirectly, and it's better than it sounds. A long press switches between Mode 1 and Mode 2, so if you set Mode 2 to a higher flow rate you have full rinse power on demand at the press of a button, then back to your normal rate.

Deliberately. A running pump generates electrical noise that would corrupt a TDS reading, so the Sense™ module takes its measurement when the pump pauses or dead-ends. Close your tap for a second and you'll see the reading refresh.

For spot-free work most cleaners want single figures. The exact number depends on your filtration and your glass, but the useful part is the trend — when your TDS starts climbing, your resin or filters are nearing the end of their life. Set TDS Stop and the controller will pause the pump before poor water reaches the glass.

Modules are detected when the controller powers up. Switch the FlowOne off, plug the module in, then switch it back on.

Choose the option to suit: the sensor has 12 mm push-fit ends for 12 mm OD plastic pipe, or take the 1/2" hose option, which includes hosetail adapters and stainless steel clips.

It's our hot water and frost control module, coming soon. It gives a switched signal to run your heater whenever the controller is on, plus a frost-stat mode: set a trigger temperature and, when the reading falls to it, the FlowOne runs the pump and fires the heater, then switches both off once it's warm enough again. Keep an eye on rootek-designs.co.uk for the launch.

The controller has no valid calibration data. Run Menu → Dead End → Auto Calibrate and it will clear.

The dead-end trip point is set too sensitive for your system, or something is restricting flow — a partly closed valve, a kinked hose, or a blocked jet. Check the obvious first, then re-run Auto Calibrate with the pole fully extended. If it persists, raise the Dead End setting a little.

Check for a kinked or trapped hose first, then check DE Rate isn't set to a slow setting. Remember a long hose run naturally delays the pressure change reaching the pump. If it's still stubborn, re-run Auto Calibrate — and only then raise Recover DE, by the smallest amount that gets it resuming reliably.

Check the 15 A inline fuse in the battery lead first; it's designed to blow before anything else. Then check your battery voltage and that the XT60 is fully home. If the inline fuse and battery are both good, the internal 20 A fuse may have gone — get in touch and we'll talk you through it.

No, the opposite: it's protecting your battery. Below 10.5 V for ten seconds the controller pauses the pump to prevent a deep discharge that would shorten your battery's life. Charge it before continuing.

Above 13.0 V the percentage display reads Char for charging. If you're on a higher-voltage battery, that's why it never changes — switch to the volts display (Battery → Show Bat as %, off), which reads correctly on any supported voltage.

The flow calibration hasn't been done, or was cut short. Run Menu → Home Display → Auto Cal Flow, catch exactly 500 ml, and press Up the moment the jug is full.

Yes. Advanced → Load Defaults restores the factory settings after a confirmation screen, then restarts the controller. Run Auto Calibrate afterwards and you're back to a known-good state. It doesn't reset your lifetime hour counters.

Two things fix the majority of problems: switch the controller off and on again, and run a fresh Auto Calibrate. If neither helps, call or email us — we build these ourselves, so you'll be talking to someone who knows the product.

12 months. If something goes wrong, contact us with your order details and we'll sort it out.

Email contact@rootek-designs.co.uk or call (UK +44) 07810 34 23 07. Tell us what the screen is showing and what your setup is — pump, battery, pole, hose length — and we'll get to the answer quickly.

Yes — spare battery and pump cables, the 1 m XT60 extension, and fuses are all available. Get in touch for anything you need.