Service life of hot and cold water meters

What are they?

Using a flow meter implies independent monitoring of deadlines:

1. 
   Warranty period. During this time, you can replace or repair a faulty device free of charge.
   For meters in apartments, the period is 1.5 years from the date of use, provided the standard diameter is 8-50 and the throughput is not higher than 202.5 thousand cubic meters.

2. Interverification period . On average, every 4 years for DHW and 6 years for cold water, it is necessary to test the device, check the accuracy of the readings, and the correctness of the data reflection.
3. Operating time. The time period at the end of which the meter must be replaced is specified in the product data sheet. Can be used for decades.

What verification periods are established by law?

The legislation of the Russian Federation obliges citizens to maintain the working condition of metering devices, carry out regular checks and timely replacement if problems are detected. Thus, the inter-check interval regulated by Federal legislation is:

• 5 years – for devices that measure cold water;
• 4 years – for devices that measure hot water.

The mandatory status of verification is confirmed by a number of regulatory and legislative acts:

• Government Decree of 2004 “On improving the accounting system”;
• Federal Law N102-ФЗ, which came into force in 2008.
• Government Decree of 2006 on the “Rules for the provision of public services to the population.”

The importance of verification is caused not only by legal requirements. It is needed for detected deviations in measurements that can lead to incorrect calculation of consumption volume and, accordingly, a change in the cost of services for a particular apartment. Moreover, the price of water can be not only lower than the tariff (if the meter turns less than required), but also more.

The law does not allow residents to independently inspect the premises. If the procedure is not carried out within the prescribed time frame, the consumer is considered a violator and will be punished. The maximum shelf life is dictated by the manufacturer for each model separately. It is this that serves as a guide during installation.

The legislative framework

The legal recommended service life of a vane flow meter is 12 years. This is stated in GOST R 50601-93 along with the standards and requirements for this equipment. Warranty service for impeller products is provided for 18 months. For other devices, the service life is set by the manufacturer .

Resolution No. 354 describes the rules for providing the population with public utilities, the rights of consumers, and their responsibilities, including:

1. Repair or replacement of the meter when a breakdown is detected or the service life has expired.
2. Carrying out verifications within the time established by law and by the manufacturer.
3. Opening access to inspection staff for verification.

Attention. Some manufacturers make meters not according to the state standard, but according to specifications - their own technical conditions.
They may not contain requirements that are inconvenient for the manufacturer, so this should be clarified before purchasing.

Meter verification

The average service life of a water meter is 8–12 years. Models from foreign manufacturers can have a service life of up to 16 years. When purchasing such a device, you need to make sure that its installation is included in the state register.

To avoid mistakes and additional costs, it is better to choose meters after consulting with housing and communal services specialists or the management company.

After installation and sealing, the device must undergo regular verification, which will confirm its serviceability or reveal its unsuitability. The owner of the apartment must control the timely completion of the inspection.

Law on the timing of verification

The timing of verification and details of the process are specified in Federal Law of the Russian Federation No. 102 “On ensuring the uniformity of measurements.” The following standards are outlined there:

• Cold water meters must be checked once every 6 years.
• Hot water meters are verified every 4 years.

We recommend: Vinegar against scale in the iron: clean the device inside and out

Verification procedure

Housing and communal services employees or specialists from private companies who have received a license to conduct such checks have the right to check meters.

There are 2 ways to test a water meter:

• Without removing the meter. In this case, the technician comes to the apartment, where, using special accessories, he checks the serviceability of the meter. If the water meter is in working condition, it is sealed again, after which a commissioning report is drawn up.
• The counter is taken to the laboratory. With this method, specialists remove the meter, and during the study, the owner pays for water consumption based on the average consumption for the last six months.

To verify the meter, you must submit an application to the management services (a sample document is provided on site). At the set time, the technician dismantles the water meter for testing in the laboratory or checks the device at home. The verification results are indicated in a report drawn up by a utility employee.

The verification is considered completed when the test report is submitted to the Unified Settlement and Information Center of the given region of residence.

If experts recognize the meter as faulty, it is removed from the register. Until a new water meter is installed, the consumer must pay for water consumption according to the norm, taking into account the number of registered residents.

Period of use of the cold water supply meter

Devices that meet state standards can operate for 16 years.

The duration of operation directly depends on factors:

• build quality;
• quality of materials;
• accuracy of adherence to technology;
• conditions under which the device will be used.

Attention! Professionals recommend changing devices before the second verification.

Where is the time of use stated?

The date of manufacture, factory testing and the time after which the device should be returned to authorized organizations for accuracy control can be found in the technical data sheet of the device. The rules for operating the equipment and other necessary data are also described there.

Reference. You can restore the technical documentation of sealed equipment by contacting the manufacturer or getting a copy from the management company or the housing office. Unsealed equipment will have to be replaced if the manufacturer refuses to issue a registration certificate.

What to do if the service period has ended

The service life ends in two ways: as planned or ahead of schedule due to a detected breakdown. The planned end occurs after twelve years. In case of premature failure, you should prepare for replacement. Repair of cold or hot water meters is almost never carried out.

The technical passport warns about the end of its service life. It contains information about the date of initial verification and recommended timing for further verification. After the factory diagnostics, the first calibration period for the hot or cold water meter begins. For this reason, you should buy “younger” water meters so that they do not have time to sit in the store for a long time. The more years spent in the warehouse, the sooner the need for first maintenance will occur.

For whatever reason, the service life of water meters in an apartment , you should immediately contact the company that installed the previous water meters or any other. You cannot delay the procedure, since postponing it for a long time risks paying according to the standards.

You should not attempt installation yourself. The average citizen does not have:

1. Special tools;
2. Required experience;
3. Knowledge of the specifics of working with different types of water meters and pipes;
4. Knowledge of GOST standards.

Therefore, work done with your own hands, if the circumstances are unsuccessful, will result in costs for repairing the water supply system and, possibly, even the purchase of a new meter. In addition, you will first have to purchase tools.

List of breakdowns leading to forced replacement

You can determine if the water meter is broken visually - incorrect reflection of the actual volume, periodic or complete stops in the movement of the dial.

List of faults:

• 
  violation of tightness, accompanied by sweating of the glass;

• incorrect installation, misalignment;
• detection of a manufacturing defect;
• high water temperature, leading to melting of plastic parts;
• pressure exceeding normal;
• clogged pipes;
• unauthorized intervention by unauthorized persons.

Detection of a breakdown leads to a forced replacement of the water meter.

Actions after the end of service life

In the last month of operation, the device must be replaced with a new one, regardless of the results of the last verification. Users who miss the deadline will be forced to pay for the consumed resource according to the standards established in the region.

You should determine the service life yourself, based on the data in the technical passport.

In the last month of operation, the following actions should be performed:

1. Submit an application in the prescribed form to the management company. Additionally, provide proof of ownership.
2. Enter into an agreement with a company that installs water meters.
3. Buy a device of the established type, check the expiration date.
4. Carry out correct installation and keep the certificate of completed work.
5. Seal by inviting an employee of the management company.

Sample application to the management company:

Reasons for replacing the meter

Not all meters can live up to 6 years for various reasons, so they have to be replaced earlier. Most often, these are the two main problems for which the water meter has to be replaced even before the first verification.

1. Water quality. This serious problem leads to the fact that the water meter may fail within 2 years. The water in the city water supply system is of low quality and this affects the rapid wear of equipment that comes into contact with water.
2. Instability of pressure also affects the operation of the device; a constant interruption in pressure negatively affects the service life of the meters.

You can often observe during the day that the water pressure in the tap can change several times during the day and evening. Unfortunately, houses are not equipped with a pressure control system in the water supply, so the water pressure is always unstable. Operating a faulty device becomes unprofitable and the easiest way is to replace it with a new one.

Replacing a meter instead of checking

The consumer can refuse to verify the water meter and buy a new water meter, since the cost will be the same amount of money as the verification procedure. When the deadline for handing over the device comes, it is necessary to invite an employee who will record the readings .

After this, dismantle and replace the water meter , having in hand all the necessary documents for its operation. When the new device is registered, charges will begin according to actual readings.

It often happens that after verification the device is unsuitable for installation because faults are found, then additional costs are required to purchase a new device and install it.

The verification procedure takes about 1 month , the same amount of time an examination usually takes. If you install a new meter, then it will take only one hour to install the hot water device.

You also need to spend time purchasing the device and registering it with the HOA. For the money you have to spend on verification, you can get a new device and a warranty period for its operation for several years. Statistics show that 80% of devices are not received for verification.