Content
- Legal nuances
- Features of installation and maintenance
- Accessories and tools
- Mounting technology
The constant increase in tariffs for housing and communal services, including water supply, makes paying bills for many tenants and owners of residential real estate an unbearable burden. The volumes of consumption regulated by regulatory documents do not reflect the actual consumption of cold and hot water and other resources, and are calculated with an overestimation of indicators. As a result, you have to overpay a significant amount on a monthly basis. Installation of a water meter will allow you to control its consumption, avoid unreasonable expenses and save part of the budget. In addition, the legislative act adopted on July 1, 2013 stipulates the availability of this device without fail.
The installation of a device for metering water consumption can be entrusted to specialists in this field or performed independently. Too specific skills and knowledge are not required for such work, the main thing is to correctly connect it to the water supply network.
Legal nuances
Legislative acts do not prohibit the installation of a water meter by homeowners, so it is quite possible to install it yourself, without resorting to the help of a management company.
However, you should pay attention to the following nuances:
- With the independent installation of water metering devices, liability for damages in the event of pipe breaks will fall on the owners of the apartment, so it is important to correctly perform all the technological operations.
- For work, it will be necessary to temporarily shut off water supply in the entire riser, which must be agreed in advance.
- To purchase a meter to control water consumption should be in companies licensed to trade such equipment.
- At the time of purchase, check the availability of a certificate of conformity and a technical passport in which the dates of issue and next inspection must be correctly marked, as well as the warranty period operation.
When you independently purchase and install a device for accounting for water consumption, it is advisable to find out in advance list of models that are suitable for their characteristics and are allowed to be used company. Then, the counters, along with technical passports, are handed over for verification to the instrumentation service of the water utility, as well as to a privately licensed company or city institution.
Features of installation and maintenance
When installing a device with which water consumption is measured, it is necessary:
- make available the installation site for regular data capture;
- to exclude the possibility of connecting between the meter and the riser risers and any plumbing fixtures that allow unauthorized use of cold or hot water;
- to provide the possibility of dismantling necessary for regular verification of the meter in order to verify its proper functioning.
The temperature in the room of the apartment where it is supposed to be installed should not be lower than +5 ° C, and in some regions installation of a non-return valve is required, which excludes fraud with equipment.
The final stage, guaranteeing the correct meter reading, is its sealing. This procedure is performed by one of the representatives of the management company.
Accessories and tools
To install a device that takes into account the flow of water, you will need:
Stopcock
With its help, they block the pipes and prevent flooding of the apartment, so it is advisable to choose durable, reliable and high-quality fittings. The best option ─ ball valves made of brass or other durable metal. The handle can be lever type or in the form of a “butterfly”. The choice of a particular design is made in accordance with their own preferences.
Advice! Ball valves can only be in one of two positions: open or closed. If you want to partially limit the water supply, then install valve type valves.
Coarse filter
The simplest model is a short piece of pipe with an oblique outlet, where there is a grid for trapping large particles of debris. Such a filter protects the meter from contamination and prevents its breakdown, but requires regular cleaning. So that the particles of suspended matter do not fall into the pipeline, the part for their capture have a settling tank down. More complex models are equipped with a manometer and have a self-cleaning function.
Mechanical filters can be straight or oblique. The former are installed in horizontal pipelines, while the latter are installed in both horizontal and vertical pipelines.
Advice! To simplify installation, you can use shut-off valves, which are already equipped with a coarse filter.
Metering devices
The most popular counter is mechanical. It is characterized by simplicity of construction and maintenance, reliable and durable.
Mechanical counters differ in the purpose and color of the markings: with blue they are used to account for cold water, and with red ─ for hot water. You can also purchase a universal model with a gray cover.
In order for the meter to correctly show the actual water flow, you should purchase certified devices and check when purchasing the number on the product with the specified data in the technical passport.
Check valve
Prevents back flow of water through the pipeline. The valve can be either a separate part or integrated into the meter. In this case, the installation diagram is simplified.
In addition to components, fasteners and other parts for the installation of a device that takes into account the flow of water, you will need:
- standard set of wrenches or adjustable wrench;
- scissors for cutting plastic pipes;
- Bulgarian;
- gas key;
- devices for threading.
To ensure tightness, a sealant is needed, which can be used as tow, fum tape or linen.
Mounting technology
Before proceeding with the installation of cold and hot water meters, you must familiarize yourself with all the attached descriptions and instructions. Then the parts are laid out in one line, according to the installation diagram.
The arrows on each element, indicating the movement of the flow through the pipeline, should be directed to one side
Installation of a device designed to account for water flow is carried out in several stages.
Dry mix
It is necessary for counting the number of turns and is performed as follows:
- carefully screw the filter onto the stopcock, noting on which of the turns the part is located downward by a sump;
- disassemble the connection and wrap the selected sealant on the filter thread so as to close the groove with it;
- spread the paste on the tow or flax and twist the filter, making sure that the connecting unit does not burst.
Advice! Do not replace the sanitary paste with silicone sealant, as it may deform when dried.
Assembly parts
Typically, counters are equipped with nozzles with union nuts for connecting to pipes and rings made of rubber or paronite. Assembly is performed as follows:
- with the help of a sealant and paste, screw a nozzle onto the filter;
- attach the counter using one of the gaskets;
- fasten the check valve to the second nozzle;
- attach the structure obtained as a result of these actions to the meter for water flow through the gasket.
At the same time, the handle of the stopcock and filter sump should be located on top, and the counter should be with the impeller down and the dial up.
Advice! When installing a water meter on your own, damage to the instrumentation seal should be avoided, since in this case the device data will not be recognized as valid.
Pipe inlet
To replace the stopcock, first you need to turn off the water supply not only in the apartment, but in the entire riser. It is impossible to do it yourself, so you have to turn to the management company and call its representative. Then you need to do the following:
- measure the length of the structure;
- set this value aside to the internal network, measuring from the junction of the old tap with the main pipe;
- cut off part of the pipe and unscrew the old tap;
- connect the structure to the main pipe.
Advice! If the old faucet cannot be unscrewed, it will have to be carefully cut, and then a new thread is cut in the remaining pipe section.
Difficulties may arise when connecting the structure of the water meter and other parts to the internal pipe. If metal pipes were used for its installation, then before cutting the thread you will need to accurately calculate the length of the section. In this case, it is advisable to dismantle the inner pipeline or part thereof, and replace the metal pipes with propylene or metal-plastic ones.
Checking system functionality
It is carried out at the end of installation work, for which it is necessary:
- turn on the water supply;
- open the tap slowly, observing whether a leak will appear.
If leakage is not observed and the meter for calculating water consumption is considered correct, then contact the management company and call its representative. At the agreed time, he must carefully inspect all connections, check operation, seal the meter and then make a mandatory note in the technical passport. Sometimes the filter is subjected to sealing.
To check the water consumption meter, it is regularly handed over to one of the special institutions: for cold ─ every 4 years, and for hot ─ after 6 years.
