Installing water meters: part 1 of 2

Rules for installing a water meter for a dwelling

Recently, companies involved in providing residential buildings with water oblige residents to install a meter outside the house, and sometimes the land itself. To place a water meter outside the house, the owners must equip a specialized well.Water supply companies argue this need by limiting the ability to use additional natural resources in an illegal way, by laying parallel paths for water flow.

note

Despite the requirements of water supply companies to install water meters in specially equipped wells, the punishment for failure to comply with this request will be illegal. The obligation to install meters outside the home is nowhere regulated by law, and therefore is not mandatory.

There is a rich jurisprudence on the issue of installing water meters outside the home. Many proceedings are aimed at clarifying the legality of the requirement to install such a meter. In almost all cases, actions by water supply companies that forcibly tried to force citizens to install a water meter outside the home were found to be illegal. Such a verdict of the court entails a fine.

Thus, water meters not on the territory of the house should be installed at the request of the owners. In this case, the meter is taken in the standard order for accounting by the water supply company.

Important fact

If the appliance is self-installed, it must be certified, which gives grounds for legality for its installation both inside and outside the home.

All meters must be installed close to the water source. When installing the meter outside the home, the following order must be observed:

• dig a hole for a future well. The dimensions of the pit must be clarified with the employees of the water supply company;
• the walls of the dug pit must be insulated, as well as made more resistant to weather changes;
• the bottom of the dug hole must be leveled.The most common option is concrete masonry;
• after arranging the pit, it is necessary to build a special crane into the pipeline, which is installed in front of the meter;
• after these actions, the counter itself is installed;
• after installing the meter, an employee of the residential water supply company will seal the well by installing a cover on it.

At the same time, without a seal on such a meter outside the house, the company providing water supplies to the house will not take into account the readings of the device. Therefore, payment for such costs is not accepted. However, if the meter is installed and accepted for accounting, but not sealed, this situation entails proceedings, corrections and sometimes fines.

Who is authorized to install meters?

1. Homeowners associations, management companies or DEZs are responsible for installing meters in apartment buildings. It is necessary to write an application with a request to install and register a water meter.

   These organizations do not always carry out the technical part of the installation of devices, recommending trusted companies, but you need to start the design with them.

2. In new buildings, meters are installed by the developer at the construction stage, as prescribed by the above law. If the house or cottage is built independently, then for permission to insert water meters into the water supply system, you must contact the local branch of the water utility or the Directorate of a Single Customer (DEZ).
3. In private sector homes, permission and registration is carried out by the local water utility or DEZ. Most often, they themselves do the whole complex of works.
4. This issue in municipal apartments is resolved through municipalities, prefectures, administrations of districts and city districts, that is, in state authorities that are the landlord. The application is submitted to the department in charge of public services. They also recommend companies that can perform installation work.
5. And finally, there is a universal way that almost everyone can use. Construction and repair organizations involved in the installation of measuring equipment will independently perform the entire procedure.

   After installing the meter, the owner will only have to call a specialist from the utility service involved in water supply to seal the meter, conclude a service contract and re-register the personal account from standard accounting to accounting according to the water meter.

If utilities refuse for any reason to permit the installation and registration of a water metering device, request a refusal in writing and contact the Prosecutor's Office or the Antimonopoly Committee.

In 2010, the issuance of licenses (“SRO permits”) was canceled, so any organization or private specialist in this field can insert a meter. You need to make sure that the installer is reliable and competent, look for reviews about him on the Internet, use the recommendations of friends and acquaintances.

Everything you would like to know about installing water meters can be found here.

FAQ

The housing legislation provides for cases in which it is possible to carry out the activities of management companies (MC) without a license. Lack of a license may be due to:

• exclusion of data on an apartment building (MKD) from the regional license register;
• its termination;
• cancellation of a license (Article 199 of the Housing Code (LC));

According to paragraph 3 of Art. 200 of the LC, under the indicated circumstances, the Criminal Code is still obliged to exercise its powers until:

• such responsibilities will appear in the new organization, which is selected by the general meeting of homeowners in the MKD or according to the results of the competition (part 7 of article 162 of the RF LC);
• such obligations will appear with a homeowners' association (HOA), a housing or consumer cooperative in accordance with the terms of the agreement concluded with them;
• obligations will arise in accordance with contracts in accordance with ch. 1 and 2 Art. 164 LCD;
• instead of the management company, an HOA, housing or consumer cooperative will be registered.

If your situation falls under one of the listed cases, then the UK has the right to seal and register the installed meters without a license.

Who has benefits

A water meter can be installed free of charge, depending on the benefits in force in the region of residence of citizens, to the following categories of users:

• the poor;
• participants of the Great Patriotic War of all categories;
• rear workers;
• rehabilitated;
• widows of participants of the Great Patriotic War;
• disabled people of groups 1 and 2, including families raising a child with disabilities;
• tenants of municipal apartments.

Hint: belonging to a privileged group must be documented. To do this, a copy of the relevant document is attached to the application for the installation of accounting equipment.

In addition, the regions independently grant privileges to citizens in their jurisdiction. In some subjects of the federation, the right to provide the described service free of charge is granted to pensioners by age, large families and others.For example, in Moscow, no money is taken from recipients of housing subsidies for the installation of a water meter.

Learn more about spending and benefits

When it comes to preferences for mounting a water meter, you need to understand the following:

• the management company is obliged not to take funds only for installation;
• the device itself will have to be bought by the beneficiary (from 850.0 to 2,500.0 rubles).

Hint: bill for the sealing of the device company-supplier is not eligible. By law, this event is her responsibility and is free of charge.

What documents to collect

In order to use the water meter, the device must be registered with the management company. The process is associated with the transfer to the supplier of copies of a number of documents (all first copies remain with the user). The list is:

• passport of the owner (tenant) of housing;
• document confirming the right:
  • ownership of the premises;
  • social recruitment;
• passport for the device (is part of the package);
• a document confirming the availability of benefits.

During the installation work, a number of papers are being prepared:

• installation agreement;
• technical conditions;
• act of commissioning.

Attention: sometimes the list is expanded. For example, some companies require a certificate of conformity

Statement

The application for putting the device into operation is submitted after all preliminary measures have been taken. It has no form. The document must include the following information:

• about the applicant (owner, main tenant):
  • FULL NAME.;
  • residential address - water meter installations;
  • contact number;
• purpose of the premises (residential, industrial, other);
• likely load.

Download a sample of filling out an application Hint: the application is written by the person for whom the personal account is issued. If necessary, the data is changed on the basis of documents on the change of ownership or tenant.

Water meter installation technology

When everything you need has already been purchased, read the instructions for all items. The data sheet of the meter must indicate what distance the straight section should be in front of and before the device. The installation procedure consists of the following steps.

Stage 1. First, lay out all the parts in a line so as not to get confused later: check valve, water meter, filter and stopcock

There are arrows on each part, pay attention to them - they should all point in one direction

All elements of the system

Stage 2. Next, make a "dry" connection, necessary in order to correctly calculate the turns. Screw the filter onto the faucet and count the turns, usually there are no more than five

Pay attention to which of the turns the sump is at the bottom - for example, on the fourth. Unwind everything, take a seal (you can use ordinary linen tow) and wind it around the stopcock filter

You do it like this:

• take one strand of tow, align it and make it an even cord with a thickness of no more than 1 millimeter;
• wind it on the thread so that all the grooves are closed;
• apply plumbing paste on top and tighten the stopcock (the main thing is not to overdo it so that the connection does not burst).

Stage 3. Often, American women and sealing rings come with water meters. American women (special pipes with union nuts used to connect pipes) will do, but you buy new rings.If the meter is installed for hot water, then it is better to use paronite gaskets, and if for cold, then rubber. Screw the pipe onto the filter using the same linen tow, then the counter. Other nozzle connect with check valve.

Connection of a branch pipe with a non-return valve

Attach the entire structure to the water meter. You will get the following:

• shut-off valve switch “looks” up;
• the dial of the counter is also up;
• filter sump - the same;
• impeller - down.

Stage 4. All elements are connected, now they need to be cut into the pipeline, having previously blocked the water.

Measure how long the structure is. Measure the same distance on the pipe from the joint. Cut off the required area, after substituting the basin (perhaps the water will flow, although not under pressure).

Stage 5. Attach the structure to the supply pipe. Some problems may arise here. If the pipeline is metal, then you will need to cut the thread, but that's not all

The most important thing is to measure the distance correctly, because it is not plastic and will not bend. It is advisable to replace the entire area with polypropylene pipes, then special fittings will be required to connect plastic to metal

The meter crashes into the highway

Is it possible to install a water meter on your own - what does the law say about this

The ability to install a water meter on your own is not stipulated separately by law, the law only obliges all citizens of the Russian Federation to have them available.

At the same time, all water meters must comply with the requirements of the standards and be included in the list of approved installations in apartments.However, specialists from authorized organizations will offer the owner of the apartment certified water meters, with which there will be no problems.

Until 2012, in order to install a meter on a pipe, it was necessary to apply to the territorial housing department with a statement - the rules for installing water meters in an apartment did not provide otherwise. Now everything is possible connect by hand.

Install the counter by representatives of the management campaign - the procedure for registration

Nowadays, it is allowed to independently install a water meter in an apartment. But if you still decide to install the meter by the representatives of the company, then you will need to perform the following steps:

1. Submit an application to the housing and communal office of the affiliation. Here they should offer a choice of a list of specialized organizations that install water meters for water in apartments
2. Next, you need to sign an agreement with the contractors for the production of work on the installation of a water meter in the apartment and their further maintenance
3. Upon completion of installation work in the apartment, an act of acceptance of the equipment and its commissioning is drawn up.
4. Simultaneously with the preparation of the act, the water meter is sealed.
5. An agreement is concluded with the operating organization on the use of these devices for calculating payment for the used water.

Install free of charge - to whom the law provides free installation of the fixture

It should be noted that according to the law, a certain group of citizens can install a water meter for free.

This service can be used free of charge:

• citizens with a total income below the subsistence level;
• participants in the Second World War;
• disabled citizens belonging to the first and second groups;
• citizens raising children with disabilities.

Place in the house for the counter

It is desirable that the water meter be as close as possible to the input of the pipeline itself in the room. When such a meter is put into operation, a specialist from the water utility will see if it is still possible to somehow crash into the pipe itself up to the meter. In practice, there are no questions if the water meter is installed in the toilet near the toilet, even if the stopcock is half a meter back. If the pipes run along the floor in the room, then the installation of the meter will also be approved, because in which case it will be almost impossible to hide the traces of work on the pipes.

The situation is stricter when checking a private house. Here the rule must be observed: installation must take place at a distance of no more than 20 cm from the outlet of such a supply pipe. If there is a well on the territory of the house, it is necessary that it be capital and with a lockable lid, otherwise it will also be sealed.

Technical features during installation:

1. If there is a fire drain in the room where the meter will be installed, it is necessary to install a valve on the bypass pipe. When a specialist from the water utility comes, he will seal it too.
2. Rarely, but it happens that the DHW system works on a two-pipe system. For such an apartment, when installing a meter specifically for hot water, you will need to buy a bypass valve for a circular pipe. Otherwise, the counter will constantly wind too much.
3. The temperature regime of the air in the room where the meter will be installed should not be lower than + 5 degrees Celsius. Such a temperature issue may arise if the installation is carried out in an unheated and cold basement of a private house.At the same time, the issue must be resolved with the water utility, it may be easier and cheaper to insulate the pipe in the basement, and put the meter in the toilet itself.

The meanings of the numbers and their decoding

There are eight numbers on the dial of the counter, 5 of which are black and 3 are red. The red ones indicate the number of liters used. They should not be considered, since payment for consumed water is made in cubic meters. That is, we are only interested in black numbers indicating the number of cubic meters of water used by us during the reporting period.

Next, you need to proceed as follows:

• Write the required numbers in a notebook or notebook in the order in which they are shown on the device.
• Round up the last figure if the number of liters is more than 500.
• Multiply the value obtained by the established tariff for paying for water and enter the resulting value into the paybook. Now you can go to the nearest bank branch to pay for the consumed water.

Please note: before shooting water meter readings, make sure that the pipes in the house do not have leaks, and that the faucets in the bathroom and in the kitchen provide constipation of water at a normal level. If all sources of water consumption in the house are turned off, and the meter continues to “wind up the numbers”, even at a minimum speed, then there is a leak in the home network that needs to be identified and fixed to prevent payment for unused water.If all sources of water consumption in the house are turned off, and the meter continues to “wind up the numbers”, even at a minimum speed, then there is a leak in the home network that needs to be identified and fixed to prevent payment for unused water

If all sources of water consumption in the house are turned off, and the meter continues to “wind up the numbers”, even at a minimum speed, then there is a leak in the home network that needs to be identified and fixed to prevent payment for unused water.

You can check the correct operation of hot and cold water meters as follows:

Having closed all the taps in the house, pay attention to the counters. They should be in a fixed position, and their readings should remain unchanged. After that, you need to take a pan with a volume of 10 liters and fill it with water to the brim.

This manipulation should be done five times, thus gaining 50 liters. Then again check the readings with the actual calculation of water. They should increase by exactly 50 liters. If there are discrepancies in the actual and nominal readings, the meters should be checked with the appropriate organization for possible problems and malfunctions.

After that, you need to take a pan with a volume of 10 liters and fill it with water to the brim. This manipulation should be done five times, thus gaining 50 liters. Then again check the readings with the actual calculation of water. They should increase by exactly 50 liters. If there are discrepancies in the actual and nominal readings, the meters should be checked by the appropriate organization for possible problems and malfunctions.

How to take readings from five-roller counters

On some counters, the integer part is represented by a roller scale, and the fractional part by three or four pointer scales.

Such counters are called "with a combined-roller digital scale" or five-roller. If you have a five-roller counter, you take the whole part of the readings from the roller numbers, and the fractional part from the arrows.

One arrow scale shows hundreds of liters consumed, the other tens, the third units. To get the value of the fractional part, you need to multiply the value of hundreds of liters by a factor of 0.1, multiply the value of tens by a factor of 0.01 and multiply the units by 0.001. Then add up the results of the calculations.

In our example, it will look like this: 7 * 0.1 + 5 * 0.01 + 9 * 0.001 \u003d 0.759 cubic meters.

We add the fractional part of the readings to the integer: 6 + 0.759. We get the water consumption according to the meter 6.759.

Since we write only integer values ​​​​on the receipt, your choice is to round the fractional part according to mathematical rules or ignore the fractional part.

In the first case, you get 7, in the second 6 cubic meters. Don't worry about unaccounted liters if you choose the non-rounding option. The spent part of the cubic meter will be paid by you in the next period.

Just like for eight-roller counters, when you first give readings, the entire figure from the counter goes to the receipt: 7 or 6, depending on whether you will round the fractional part or not.

Next month, we write down the difference in the new and past values ​​​​in the receipt: 5 (12 - 7) or 6 cubic meters (12 - 6) of water.

The main supplier of five-roller counters in Russia is the German manufacturer Zenner.

How to take readings from counters with an electronic scoreboard

Counters with an electronic digital panel are less common than others.They are more expensive, require electrical power, and do not have significant advantages over roller ones.

However, if you have a meter with electronic indication, rewrite the whole number of cubes on the receipt. Round the numbers after the decimal point according to mathematical rules or ignore.

In our example: 25 (with liters rounding) or 24 cubic meters (without rounding).

All other rules for collecting, calculating, recording and transmitting readings for meters with an electronic display are identical to any other meters.

Manufacturers of counters with electronic display: Siemens, Betar, Sayan, Grand and others.

Install on your own or through a company?

Under current legislation, the installation of water meters is at the expense of the homeowner. That is, you must buy a meter, install it at your own expense. Representatives seal the installed water meters water utility or DEZ is free.

Self-installation procedure

Self-installation of water meters is possible. Nobody should object. You just have to do everything yourself - and install the meter, and call the representative of the Housing Office to seal it. What you need:

• purchase a meter and all the necessary details;
• agree and pay for the disconnection of the cold / hot water riser (contact the operational campaign, set the date and time);
• install a meter, turn on the water;
• call a representative of the water utility or DEZ (in different regions in different ways) to seal it, get the commissioning certificate in hand;
• go with the act and passport of the meter (there must be a serial number, a stamp of the store, the date of factory verification) to the DEZ and register the water meter.

Self-installation of water meters is not prohibited

All papers are considered, a standard contract is filled out, you sign it, on this it is considered that you pay for water according to the meter.

How to hire a good firm and what they should do

There are two ways to find a company that installs water meters: take a list in the DEZ or find it on the Internet yourself. The list will already include firms that have licenses, but obviously not all that work in this area. On the Internet, it is necessary to check the availability of a license. A copy of it must be posted on the site.

Then, in any case, you should read the standard contract that the company will conclude with you. It should contain a complete list of services. The conditions can be different - someone provides their counter, someone puts yours, someone comes with their spare parts, someone works with what the owner has. By combining the list of services provided and make a choice.

No hassle, but decent money

Previously, the contract contained a clause on service maintenance, and without it, firms did not want to install meters. Today, this item is recognized as illegal, since it is not necessary to actually service the meter, and it should not be in the clause, and if it is, you have the right to refuse these services and not pay for them.

Preparing for installation

If you have chosen a different campaign, you must leave them an application. There are two options - some firms accept applications on their website and may even offer a discount for this, while others prefer to see you in the office and sign an agreement.

First, company representatives inspect the installation site

In any case, first a campaign representative arrives (you agree on the date and time of arrival), inspects the “field of activity”, assesses the condition of the pipes, takes measurements, and often takes photos of communications. All this is necessary in order to be able to develop a meter connection diagram and quickly assemble it. Then you should call and clarify the date and time of installation of the water meter. In this conversation, you need to find out who is negotiating the shutdown of the risers with the operational campaign. Normal firms take it upon themselves.

Installation of water meters by campaign representatives

At the appointed time, a campaign representative (sometimes two) arrives and does the work. In theory, they should agree with you what and how to put, but this does not always happen. At the end of the work (usually takes about 2 hours), they give you a certificate of completion and a special paper on which the factory numbers of the metering devices are written. After that, you must call a representative of the govodokanal or DEZ to seal the meter (different organizations deal with this in different regions). The sealing of counters is a free service, you will only need to agree on the time.

In the normal condition of the pipes, the installation of water meters for professionals takes about 2 hours

In the act that you were given during installation, the initial readings of the meter must be affixed (they are different from zero, since the device is verified at the factory). With this act, a photocopy of the organization's license and your water meter's passport, you go to the DEZ, sign a standard contract.

How to register water meters

The established IPU must be executed in accordance with applicable law.To do this, you should contact the utility service provider with whom the resource supply agreement has been concluded. This role can be played by a management company or a homeowners association.

List of documents

In accordance with Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 354, the owner of a residential or commercial premises must register the meter.

You will need to provide the following information:

1. Full information about the owner: full name, address, registration, passport details and contact phone number.
2. Date of commissioning of the IMS (installation day or the next).
3. Counter information: number, model, location.
4. Additionally, you can specify the data of the company that carries out the installation, but this is also true for work that requires licensing and appropriate permission.
5. Instrument readings. The control information will be removed by the representative of the performer.
6. Copies of technical documentation and water meter passport.
7. If the device is re-registered in connection with the verification, then a certificate confirming the operability of the mechanism is provided.

It is taken into account that the term for putting the product into operation is limited: all actions must be carried out no later than one month after the installation of the IPU.

Registration of do-it-yourself devices

The procedure for putting the device into operation for self-assembly is as follows:

1. The application and documents are transferred to the utility service provider or service company.
2. At the appointed time, a specialist or several authorized persons arrive.
3. The operability of the device is checked, the correctness of the installation, the numbers are verified.
4. The water meter is sealed, an act is drawn up that confirms the commissioning.
5. The received document is transferred to the settlement center.

The next receipt, as well as in the user's personal account (if the service organization provides access to the electronic resource), should reflect the changes.

Purely technically, installing a water meter is possible with your own hands, but sealing and registration is the prerogative of the controlling state bodies

What needs to be prepared before installation?

When choosing a suitable type of meter, it is advisable to take into account not only the characteristics declared by the manufacturer, but also real reviews left by users who managed to buy and install a specific model.

After choosing a metering device, you need to make sure that the package contains everything you need to install the metering unit.

It is also worth deciding on the place where the counter will be directly installed. For normal operation of the flowmeter, natural or artificial lighting is required, the air temperature is at least 5 °C, and service space is available.

In this case, you need to follow some rules:

• It is necessary to prepare a place for the upcoming work. It seems like a trifle, but working when something interferes is extremely inconvenient and takes more time and effort.
• If the pipes are not suitable for use, care must be taken to replace them.
• The metering device kit should include: a coarse filter, a check valve, union nuts (American) and the metering device itself. If something is missing, you must definitely buy it, otherwise the counter will not be sealed.
• When installing the meter yourself, make sure that there are gaskets (rubber or paronite), plumbing seals (tow, Fum tape);
• You should stock up on tools for working with pipes: scissors for cutting plastic pipes, an iron for forming joints, a set of keys, etc.

Let's consider each detail of the future node in more detail, why it is needed. The shut-off valve is used to regulate the flow of water. Usually ball valves are used.

They are easy to use, but quickly fail in an intermediate state between “closed” and “open”.

Before proceeding with the installation of a water flow control and measuring device, it is necessary to think over the scheme of its installation and stock up on the necessary details

The coarse filter is used to prevent large insoluble particles such as grains of sand contained in water from entering the mechanism of the device.

Filters for mechanical flow cleaning are of two types, straight and oblique (only oblique is used to install the meter).

The non-return valve serves mainly to prevent the meter reading from being unwinded, and also, in the absence of parsing, prevents the water from going in the opposite direction.

Americans, if necessary, will help to dismantle the water meter without consequences for the water supply system.

Other elements can also be installed in the water meter assembly. They are optional, but will be very helpful.

This is a shut-off valve after the check valve (so that when the meter is removed, the water does not drain to the floor), the pressure reducer is installed after the coarse filter, which stabilizes the pressure in the system and extends the life of household appliances.

Before installing water meters, it is necessary to carefully prepare the workplace and stock up on the necessary tools to carry out the entire cycle of work

Now the water meter itself:

• When buying, it is necessary to verify the identity of the numbers in the passport and their analogues stamped on the water meter.
• It is necessary to make sure that there is a certificate and a stamp in the passport with the date of factory verification.
• And it’s a good idea to take a sales receipt in the store and issue a guarantee; in case of a malfunction, if there is an act and a check, the counter must be replaced.

Try to purchase a water meter in a specialized store, and not in the market, it will be easier to replace in the event of a breakdown.

After making sure that you have everything you need, you can proceed to install the water meter.

Before purchasing a measuring device, it is necessary to carefully study its passport. It contains not only the characteristics of the technical device, but also information about the verifications carried out