Installation of cold and hot water meters by oneself in an apartment and a private house

Each water user from a central water supply system can have a separate meter, whether he is an apartment resident or a private house. In the absence of a counter, special coefficients are applied, which significantly increase the payment for water. But many citizens and before the law entered into force established such a counter, because it really saves money.

Higher coefficients for those who did not want to put the meters, will be just directed at financing the installation of meters for people with disabilities. In addition, the counters do not need to install and residents of emergency homes.

If you are not completely sure about the economic feasibility of installing a counter, you can make small arithmetic calculations. So, if the apartment is officially registered 4 people, and lives 2, then in the expediency of installing a counter do not doubt. In this case, the average amount of water for each person is paid. If a month uses 5 cubic meters of water, then you will have to pay 20 or more. Even if the real number of living people coincides with the number of registered ones, it is usually necessary to pay about 20-25% less. Of course, this is with the economical use of the resource.

The option of living more people than prescribed can be unprofitable.

The layout of the apartment is displayed on the amount to pay for water. In some high-rise buildings with a Soviet layout for the bathroom there are 2 separate pipes of cold and hot water, 2 more for the kitchen, and 1 for the toilet. The meter is installed on each pipe, in which case it is necessary to mount 5 counters for 1 apartment at once. Of course, this option is not cost-effective and will never pay for itself.

Many homes have a common meter installed on the highway. The principle of charging is in this case the following. From the amount of water consumed by the common water meter, the volume used by apartment owners with individual meters is subtracted, and the rest of the water is divided among the other consumers at home. This is not quite a fair option, because someone spends more water, and someone less. In this case, your own water meter is the best alternative.

Owners of private households need to think carefully that it is more profitable for them. After all, many summer water from the central water supply garden plots, small gardens. In this period, the counter will calculate a fairly large payment.

But in the rest of the month there will be significant savings.

The variety of water meters today is very large, and it is not so easy to choose a suitable inhabitant among them. Specialists recommend buying turbine mechanical devices. There are also electronic counters, but they cost more and often break down. And if repair of such a counter is impossible, then its replacement is required, and this means passing the installation procedure first, including walking through the state institutions.

Absolutely all meters differ in their design, adapted only for cold or hot water. For this they are marked in blue and red, so you can not get lost here.

When the meter is installed and sealed, the owner of the home is responsible for its operability.

Do not buy expensive models, because they all consider the amount of water in the same way. When making a purchase, you need to pay attention to the equipment. Along with the main unit there must be a filter, connecting elements with nipples, nuts, gaskets and a valve. Chasing the cheapness, some citizens buy kits in the markets, which then turn out to be incomplete. Therefore, it is recommended to contact only trusted stores.

Attention is drawn to the product's passport. It must necessarily be printed, with the stamp of the manufacturer and serial number, which coincides with the number on the product. Without such a passport, it will be difficult to pass a state audit.

The installation of the counter is carried out by special organizations. The cost of their services is different and depends on such criteria:

1. Model of the device.
2. Installation method.
3. Features of installation.

Depending on them, the cost of installation varies from 1.5 to 4 thousand rubles. For legal entities, the price will be higher by about a thousand rubles. Some categories of citizens can count on discounts( pensioners, invalids, servicemen), or even completely free installation( residents of municipal houses receiving subsidies and others).

As often it is necessary to mount not one counter, many prefer to carry out this procedure independently. And it's not strange, because there is nothing complicated in it. Much more time and headache goes to getting permits from government agencies.

Many of them quite naturally raise the question of whether it is possible to install a water meter for one pipe. Most often prefer to put a counter only for hot water, which is used less than the number at the standard rate. On cold water it is not installed, because it costs much less, and installing a counter on it can not pay off soon. This option is quite possible, because there are no prohibiting regulations in most regions.

The standard installation diagram consists of:

1. Locking elements.
2. Cleaning Filter.
3. Counter.
4. The reverse tap.

On how and in what order these elements are mounted, the condition of the work site, the pipe section, the presence of free space and so on is affected.

This sequence is used for horizontal and vertical sections. In the latter case, water runs from the top down, so the valve is mounted directly in front of the meter. This is provided for by regulatory documents, because the impeller of the device should always be in the water.

As a rule, there is nothing difficult to install a water meter. But in some cases you can not do without the help of a specialist. Such a case may be the presence of 2-tubular DHW or fire hydrant, greatly complicating the installation process. A specialist can be summoned from a local water utility or a private organization, which is available in all major cities.

If you decide to use the services of a specialist for the installation, you should carefully select. The fact that the contractor can be trusted, say the following facts:

1. License for activities. If it is, then we can assume that the contractor's employees have the required skills and have special tools.
2. Warranty. Qualified contractors must provide a guarantee for the work carried out, under which they undertake to do a free repair in case of failure of the system.
3. Documentation. Documents must be provided about the work performed, namely an act or contract, after which service is to be carried out.

Contractor holding a valid license, responsible for the correctness of all works. If necessary, the client can demand full fulfillment of his obligations from the company. The reference to them guarantees fast and correct installation of the water meter in accordance with the law.

After completing all the works on the installation of the meter, an acceptance certificate is issued. It lists all the data about the device, the water user and the installation specialists. The document is signed by all participants. In addition to it, the owner of the dwelling remains:

1. Technical passport of the meter.
2. The act of checking the counter. It also indicates the date of the future device check.

To check the device, it must be removed and taken to a special company. This procedure is carried out once every 4-6 years.

Before installing the meter yourself, we recommend you to watch the following video. In it you will learn about the basic principles of installation.

The self-installation of the meter consists of the following steps.

There are three such requirements:

• According to the first, the meter must be protected from various debris and large particles that are in the water. To do this, a coarse filter is installed before it, increasing the working life of the device. In addition, the meter must be on the list of allowed to use.
• According to the second requirement, it is necessary to install a check valve after the device so that no one can let the air into the water pipe, thus purging the filter.
• The last requirement is a sealed counter, which is carried out by the employees of the water canal. They also check the correctness of all the works.

The device should be placed closest to the entrance of the pipeline into the room. An experienced technician can quickly determine the location of the installation. Solve this issue in an apartment easier than in a private house. As a rule, in the apartment the standard place of installation is a toilet. But in the house the meter should be located more than 20 cm from the outlet of the pipeline from the surface. Special requirements are imposed in the presence of a water well, which is also sealed.

Before installing the meter, a filter is connected to it, then a non-return valve. Without the latter, the water meter can not be put into operation. It is necessary to check the availability of fasteners, nuts, seals and special tools. Also, the tightness of all pipes is checked, the reliability of the shut-off valve is checked.

The installation process largely depends on the condition of the water pipe and pipe materials. Much easier if it is plastic or polypropylene pipes, which are easily cut and connected with a special soldering iron. In this case the installation consists of the following steps:

• at a pre-marked location, the pipe is cut and the meter is connected. In this case a water meter with a blue mark is placed on a cold pipe, with a red one on a hot pipe. Used a tow for sealing connections;
• measure the position of the return thread;
• excess parts of pipes are thrown out, make a thread or mount a fitting. The soldering iron is joined by plastic sections;
• from the meter disconnect the check valve and screw it to the pre-prepared end of the pipe;
• finally connect all the counter elements;
• is unscrewed by a pre-closed faucet with water to check for leaks.

If there is no leakage of water, the appliance was installed successfully. It is only necessary to seal it by a specialist of a water canal. As a rule, after an application the specialist comes within a few days and quickly makes up an act. To do this, the client must prepare the installation documentation, the device's passport in advance. The responsible employee records in the certificate the testimony of the water meter, carries out sealing and makes a contract for maintenance. From that moment the customer is already beginning to pay for the water on the meter.

In some cases, there are problems with the water pipe or the meter itself after its installation:

1. Poor water pressure. The reason for this may be filter clogging. It is impossible to clean it independently, because you need to rip off the seal. For this, a water utility specialist is called.
2. Accidental failure of the seal. If you accidentally broke the seal, then you need to report to the Vodokanal on the same day. For a new seal you will need to pay a small amount. But if a specialist during the planned inspection finds a stall, then this threatens a large fine.
3. High water consumption. Some users notice that the meter counts an unreasonably high water flow. In this case, the customer has the right to an unscheduled free system check.

Thus, a water meter is a necessary device in apartments and private houses to save money. You can install it yourself, by obtaining the necessary permits and by doing thorough preparatory work.