The choice of a water meter depends on your individual needs and installation conditions. Here are some factors to consider:
- Pipe sizes and types: You need a meter that fits your piping system.
- Measurement accuracy: Some water meters are more accurate than others. Determine how much accuracy you need.
- Measurement range: Ensure the meter can measure a sufficient volume of water for your needs.
- Price: There are meters available at different price points. Determine how much you are willing to spend.
- Installation: Some meters require special installation or professional mounting. Consider this when choosing a meter.
- Compatibility with existing systems: If you already have a meter, ensure the new one can be compatible with your current water accounting system.
- Technical support and maintenance: Choose a meter that has good technical support and can be easily serviced.
Types of Water Meters
- Mechanical meters with a mechanical display that records water consumption in cubic meters.
- Mechanical meters with a sensor that transmits a signal.
- Electronic meters capable of remote readings.
- Digital intelligent meters with either a mechanical or electronic display (known as capsule and modular meters).
Besides, water meters are also classified based on their operational characteristics. For example, the impulse meter, which is almost indistinguishable from a regular meter but has a circular needle indicator on the display providing information about the fluid consumption.
The amount of liquid passing through the meter corresponds to one full circle of the needle. By counting the number of full rotations of the needle and multiplying them by the volume of fluid passing through the meter, it becomes possible to calculate the amount of liquid consumed over a specific period.
Apartment Water Meters
Meeting these requirements is the most crucial condition, mandatory for all water meters. The process of choosing, installing, and sealing water meters should be undertaken once all technical and functional parameters of the devices have been clarified.
Ideally, before buying a water meter, you should consult with local utility experts or the Water Board about which meters are allowed to be installed. As practice shows, the permitted equipment is available in smaller volumes compared to the total market.
Currently, mechanical water meters distinguish themselves as the undisputed leaders, primarily because they are practical, reliable, and relatively inexpensive.
Installing Water Meters
Typically, the installation of a water meter involves:
- Preparation: Preliminary check of the installation site, determination of necessary tools and materials.
- Water supply shutdown: Before installing the meter, the water supply should be temporarily disconnected to prevent water leakage.
- Removing the old meter: If installing a new meter, remove the old one and prepare the site for the new installation.
- Installing the new meter: Install the new meter in accordance with the manufacturer’s rules and recommendations.
- Reconnecting water supply: After installation, restore the water supply and check for leaks.
- Testing the meter: Ensure the meter correctly displays the amount of water used.
- Finalizing installation: After successful installation, record the initial readings of the meter and sign documents confirming the installation.
Using the photo guide below, you can easily install the meter yourself.
If you do not want to install it yourself, you can call a specialist who will come to your home and install the meter. Afterward, the required documentation is filled out, and a contract is signed, according to which the specialist installs the water meter and handles its subsequent technical maintenance.
When installing an intelligent meter, the contract should include a clause on remote reading of indicators.
Protecting and Sealing Meters
From the onset of using metering equipment, people have tried to bypass it. Water meters are a clear example of this. Naturally, workers of specialized services try to prevent unauthorized consumer intervention by sealing water meters. To ensure protection, manufacturers produce water meter models that are not affected by external magnetic fields due to built-in anti-magnetic protection.
Of course, the manufacturer of the water meter should be a specialized enterprise. The choice of the meter itself is made based on the following data:
- Manufacturer company;
- Warranty period;
- Installation dimensions;
- Duration of operation without verification;
- Price;
- Manufacturer’s service support.
