I am an experienced installer of water meters. For all the time of work in this direction, I have installed a huge number of meters. I saw a lot of devices out of order during the year due to banal, simple mistakes. Faced the tricks of the owners of the water meters. I had to work on apartment bypasses together with the water utility inspectors. My name is Timofey Mikhailov.
Now I will tell you how to install water meters so as not to be at a loss and even save:
1) Very hot water entering the meter
In my lifetime, when I worked as a plumber on water meters, more than half of meter breakdowns occur precisely on hot water. This is due to the fact that when water is passed through a measuring device, it heats up, according to the laws of physics there is an "expansion" of the meter elements, and after the end of consumption, there is a gradual cooling. Naturally, in the metering device, due to such an impact, changes occur. And over time, the gasket separating the "wet" chamber from the "dry" chamber begins to pass through. The meter is fogging up, a strong leak is possible. What to do in this case? If the temperature of hot water entering your apartment is no more than 65 degrees, then nothing, for water meters this is "normal". If higher, then demand a decrease in temperature, firstly, the heat consumption throughout the house increases, which is reflected in utility bills. Secondly, the service life of flow meters is sharply reduced. Instead of 6 years. will serve a year, maximum two.
2) Correct installation of water meters
A lot depends on the correct installation of the meter, in spatial position:
- In any passport, it is forbidden to install the flow meter with the dial down on these devices. In this case, the attachment of the gears in the counting mechanism will not be complete, which leads to increased wear. The device will break down quickly.
- Installation of the device vertically, approved by the manufacturers. But in this case, the load on the mechanism increases, the wear is increased. The likelihood of breakage is higher. In addition, the flow meter error increases.
- The best option for installing a water meter, HORIZONTAL, is when the numbers look up at you. Why is this position the best? The fact is that at this position they have the least error, because the calibration (correctness of the flow) is checked exactly in this position. Besides. All gears in the counting mechanism and the impeller are strictly vertical, their axis "correctly" rests in the seat. This increases the life of the meter and less wear. And as a practitioner, I will say that with this position of the water meter, the number of replacements for a serviceable one is the smallest.
3) Very high pressure in the system where the water meter is installed
Very high pressure in water supply systems, not a frequent occurrence, but there are houses with a high number of storeys, more than 10. In these houses, due to the high liquid column in the risers, the liquid pressure on the first floors is higher than on the last. The developers of these high-rise buildings use a pressure reducer to eliminate this effect. This protects the mixers and counters against overload. But there are times when the gearbox stops working correctly, which leads to increased pressure in the home system. From this, the drain fittings of the toilet bowls become unusable, mixers, filtering installations break down and, of course, water meters begin to leak. With the subsequent replacement at the expense of the owner of the household. What to do? Call the plumber from the house management and demand a solution to the problem.
4) Installing a filter in front of the flow meters
If you turn to the meter's passport, then a prerequisite for a warranty case is the presence of a coarse filter in front of the meters.
But often, installers or DIYers neglect this filter element. Referring to the fact that there are already grids in the body of the water meters.
But you need to understand that this mesh is a flow divider, not a dirt trap. If it gets clogged with sludge, the device begins to count the water upward, due to acceleration in the narrowed area.
5) Interference with the water meter
In my practice, any attempt to change the readings of metering devices led to increased wear of mechanisms or even breakdown. With the most popular method, the connection between the impeller in the wet end is broken. And the counting mechanism. That during any control check was revealed by an experienced inspector. Thus, the controllers oblige the owners to replace metering devices at their own expense or impose certain sanctions.