What is a water meter? How to choose a water meter? And how can you save on the consumption of utilities? You can find answers to these and many other questions in this article.
What is a water meter?
The meter, or water meter, has recently become more and more in demand thanks to the reform of housing and communal services. With its help, the account of actually used water, both hot and cold, is carried out. For a month, this will help save about 100-500 rubles. When installing metering devices, the savings are tangible. It should also be remembered that the tariff must be paid only for those who are registered in the apartment.
Currently in the Russian market, domestic manufacturers are doing an excellent job with the manufacture of measuring instruments, and the percentage of imports is small. Many manufacturers still use imported components for the manufacture of metering devices, in most cases they are imported from European countries: Germany, Italy, France, etc.
Classification
So, before choosing a water meter, you need to dwell on the varieties of these devices. Present on the market todaya large number of water meters. They are classified according to the principle of action:
- Mechanical (vane and turbine).
- Vortex.
- Electromagnetic.
- Ultrasonic.
In addition, these devices can be volatile and non-volatile. In the first case, the device operates from the mains, and a battery is provided in the floor structure, which is a safety (additional) power source.
If you do not know which water meter to choose, it is important to know that mechanical meters are also divided into two types - for hot or cold water. Their fundamental difference from each other is the material from which the meter elements are made (bearings, impeller). The cold water meter can be used up to a temperature of +40°C, hot - no more than +130-150°C. A meter designed for hot water can also be used for cold water.
Also, water meters are divided into industrial (for water metering in apartment buildings, large industrial premises, nominal diameter 25-400 mm) and household (for a private house, apartment, nominal diameter of the meter - 15-25 mm).
How to choose a water meter with a tachometer?
A tachometer is a mechanism in which the flow of water, by means of mechanical pressure, activates the blades of an impeller or turbine, thereby rotating them. Then the rotation is transferred to the counting element, which registers the volume of the consumed liquid.
Tachometric water meters are divided among themselves depending on the design features. There are turbine, multi-jet and single-jet. There are also combined metering devices, which simultaneously combine turbine and vane water meters, located in parallel. With a small pressure, the volume of water is taken into account by a vane device, with an increase in pressure, a pipeline with a vane water meter is blocked using a special valve, and water is taken into account by a turbine meter.
Water meters: how to choose? Consumer Reviews
When choosing a metering device, the fundamental factor is its cost. Low cost cannot guarantee high quality, but buying an overly expensive meter is also not always justified.
Companies and professionals praise electronic equipment, in other words, foreign-made smart appliances. They have numerous advantages, but they also have one and only drawback - this is the price. Such water meters, even with a small pressure of water, show reliable readings, and they also perfectly cope with high pressure in the plumbing system. This is a universal device used for both cold and hot water flows, while their installation does not depend on the horizontal or vertical arrangement of pipelines. And most importantly, taking an electronic water meter for metrological verification will not be particularly difficult, for this the upper part is removed, and all the connecting parts will remain in place.place. It is this feature of these devices that is often noted in consumer reviews.
Cost
So, smart water meters are preferable today. How to choose? Price - how much will it hit your pocket? Firms such as Zenner and Siemens have become brands of such metering devices, their cost ranges from 1000 to 4000 rubles.
In Russia, mechanical devices are most often assembled using foreign components. Their price ranges from 300 to 800 rubles. As you have noticed, the cost of such counters is much less, in addition, they are presented in large quantities in stores.
Features of choice
Before choosing a water meter for an apartment and purchasing it, you need to pay special attention to the date of the period between verifications indicated in the passport, it indicates its durability. The meter can lie on the counter for a long time, and the date remains the same. It was found that the verification period for mechanical meters is 5 years, for electronic meters - 10 years.
In addition, before choosing a water meter, it is important to take into account such an indicator as the throughput of the device, in other words, its performance, which is measured in m3/hour.
When installing a meter in a dwelling, it is imperative to coordinate this action with the management company. Not every equipment will fit here, check outrecommended counters. Since during the check the device chosen independently may not be accepted, and the readings from it will not be taken into account when paying utility bills.
Operation and maintenance
Once you have decided on the choice of model, you need to call specialists who will install the device. Next, it must be registered and sealed, for this you need to call representatives of the city water utility.
The average service life of water meters is 12 years. At the same time, after 4-6 years, the meter must be verified. This procedure is very important, because over the years of continuous operation, the accuracy of the readings is significantly reduced.
There are quite a few reasons for incorrect readings. Among them, the most common is hard water and slagging of pipelines. When slag accumulates in the pipelines, the pressure in them becomes higher, the opening of the device becomes difficult, and its spinner begins to rotate much faster. As a result, the readings become significantly higher than the actual water consumption. To prevent this problem, it will be enough to purchase a coarse filter.
Installation rules
Now you know how to choose the right water meter. But in order for its readings to be true and for it to function smoothly for many years, the installation must adhere to the following rules:
- You can only install the metering device in the fieldcompletion of welding and other work to prepare the installation nest.
- The direction of the arrow, which is located on the side of the water meter, must match the direction of fluid flow.
- The water meter is mounted upwards with the counting device.
