Buying a metering device will hardly cause difficulties for anyone. The main thing is that it complies with state standards and has the appropriate documentation, but not everyone knows how to seal a gas meter.
Meanwhile, the absence of a seal or its incorrect installation is a guarantee of payment for gas according to standards, and not upon consumption. The procedure will take a little of your time, but you must admit that it is better to bother and do everything at once according to the rules, than then pay many times more, and still redo everything.
We will tell you how to seal the meter correctly, where you should contact for this, what to be guided by legislative norms and whether it is worth spoiling the "seal" for the sake of dubious savings on twisting readings.
The content of the article:
- Why seal the meter?
- Legislative acts for the installation of a seal
- How and where to apply?
- The procedure for sealing the meter
- At whose expense is the seal installed?
- How to remove or bypass a seal?
- What to do with the seal when replacing the meter?
- Conclusions and useful video on the topic
Why seal the meter?
To prevent the consumer from interfering with the operation of the IPU by stopping or slowing down the meter for unaccounted energy consumption, the device must be sealed.
The access indicator is not so easy to bypass and is still the most reliable protection against unauthorized user influence.
Despite the sealing, people manage to slow down the readings of devices using various means. However, the law does not prohibit resource suppliers from developing and installing seals that prevent various methods of theft.
Installation of the indicator or re-sealing occurs in the following cases:
- during the initial commissioning of the IPU;
- disruption of the old indicator, its deliberate damage, disabling the magnetic, accident;
- replacing the old counter;
- dismantling the seal for some reason by an employee of the resource supplying organization.
In any case, this procedure is necessary and obligatory for everyone who does not want to pay according to the regulations.
Legislative acts for the installation of a seal
Obligations to install meters for energy consumption are determinedFZ N 261 (23.11.2009 revised on 26.07.2019)in article 13, paragraph 1. At the same time, the requirements of the article do not apply to objects of a dilapidated, emergency type, where the gas consumption is less than 2 cubic meters. per hour, MKD with wear from 70% and not included in the capital construction program, as well as subject to demolition and reconstruction.
According to Article 9 of the Federal Law of June 26, 2008 No. N 102-FZ "On ensuring the uniformity of measurements", meters should be equipped with limiters to prevent invisible interference in their work, leading to distortion of readings.
Various types of seals can be installed on the gas meter. On the new one, there are at least 2 of them, factory and installed during commissioning by employees of the gas service. Their presence is required
For gas appliances, this is as much as 2 seals, which is indicated in PP No. 549 - factory indicator and installed by the supplier at the point where the IPU is connected to the gas pipeline. Only with the safety of both and from the day of installation of the second, the meter readings are recorded.
How and where to apply?
Gas meter installation has the right to be performed by an organization with appropriate accreditation. However, only a supplier of resources can put seals and, therefore, put the device into operation.
This can be done on different days, but it should be borne in mind that only after the conclusion of the resource accounting agreement will the reading on the IPU begin.
You can apply for sealing during a personal visit to the resource supplying organization, but if you do not want / cannot come to the office of the company, you just need to call there. The specialist who responded to your application must leave his address, contact phone number, clarify the date of installation of the meter, and also agree on the date / time of docking at the facility.
In addition, you can be called within 3 days on the phone number you left to agree on a different date, if the work organizations are busy or they have an urgent call to another object. However, the new date must be no later than 15 days after receipt of the application.
Please note that the meter must be put into operation and, accordingly, sealed no later than a month after its installation.
If the specialist does not show up at the agreed time, or new terms are offered over 15 days after the application, the meter can be considered put into operation from the moment of submission of a written application for sealing, according to Government Decree No. 354.
That is why personal attendance at the office is the most preferable. You will have on hand a document confirming the application; when you call you, the specialists will issue it at the facility (unless otherwise provided by the rules of the organization). However, the application procedure is possible only after the installation of the device.
Consider what documents and subscriber data are needed to seal the gas meter and put it into operation:
- Personal information of the future user - full name, passport data, phone number. If the applicant is a legal entity, then you will also need to indicate the name of the organization and the place of its registration, as well as the phone number of the company.
- Proposed and agreed date for commissioning of the device.
- Type of IPU, as well as its serial number and the place in which it is installed (or it is supposed to be installed with simultaneous sealing).
- If the meter is installed, then information about the organization that carried out the installation.
- Readings on the meter when installing it.
- The date of verification according to the check interval from the last factory mark.
You must have a photocopy of the IPU passport and, if the device is not new, an act of the last verification.
The procedure for sealing the meter
So, a specialist from a gas supplying organization came to you for the procedure for putting the meter into operation.
Even if an employee of the gas service showed up exactly at the agreed time, before letting him into your house, be sure to check the certificate confirming his work in the gas service
First of all, he checks the documentation for the metering device, the absence of distortions and the correctness of the installation, the operability and the possibility of the mode of functionality at low combustion. If something is wrong, he writes you a refusal indicating the reasons, if everything is fine, installs seals and numbered control and protective stickers, information from which is entered into the acceptance certificate.
Also, a specialist can put an anti-magnetic seal, the law does not prohibit such actions. The anti-magnetic tape has a capsule, which, when interacting with a magnet (a popular method of braking a metering device), is violated and immediately indicates an attempt at unauthorized exposure.
The legality of installing anti-magnetic indicators is spelled out in NS. 81(11) Government Decree No. 354.
After the completion of all procedures, an act is drawn up in 2 copies, one remains with the organization, the second with the consumer. The act must be carefully studied before signing. Among other information, it contains information about the place of installation of the security seals and the date of the next verification.
At whose expense is the seal installed?
"Seal" on the IPU is established in the interests of the supplier, that is, the resource supplying organization. On the other hand, companies do not oblige to put seals on consumers' meters, and their presence is mandatory by law.
Initially, when the device is put into operation, the organization puts them free of charge to its subscribers, but the subsequent sealing is paid by the client according to a separately concluded contract. This point is also noted in Government Decree No. 549, item 22 "b".
After carrying out the procedure for installing security seals, be sure to check their integrity before signing the certificate of acceptance of the specialist's work.
The cost of sealing after repair, reinstallation or gas meter replacement set by the supplier, and there are no uniform prices. It may fluctuate depending on the consumables used, the controller's transportation costs and other nuances, but usually does not exceed 300-400 rubles.
How to remove or bypass a seal?
On the Internet there are many bad advice from the craftsmen of bypassing the "seals" of the IPU. We do not recommend doing this for several reasons.
This procedure is not as simple as it seems at first glance, it is very easy to damage the filling. And even if you succeed, the resource supplying organization can easily pay attention to underestimated consumption indicators and carry out an unscheduled check. And the traces of intrusion into the work of the counter will be almost 100% visible.
According to the above-mentioned RF Resolution No. 549, if the seal is damaged, the subscriber pays compensation, the amount of which varies depending on how it was revealed.
The most severe monetary penalty is provided for the operation of an anti-magnetic tape. In different situations, it ranges from 3 thousand rubles to 30 thousand
So, in paragraph 25 it is indicated that if the consumer has notified the supplier of this on the day of the discovery of the malfunction, they will be paid according to general standards from the date of the declaration of damage to the next after the installation of a new one fillings of the day.
If the damage is discovered by gas company employees during a routine inspection, compensation will be calculated according to the same standards, but from the day of the last check until the installation of a new fillings. Since inspections are carried out every six months, in accordance with PP No. 549, it is more profitable to immediately contact the service organization and inform them that you have problems with the integrity of the indicator.
In addition, you may be charged a fine for damaging the "seal", according to Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation Article 19.2. The amount, however, is small - from 100 to 300 rubles. But if the deliberate destruction of the indicator is proven, the penalty can be much higher.
What to do with the seal when replacing the meter?
If you are going to change the meter or when sending it to the laboratory for verification, do not rush to dismantle the device, even if all the terms have already expired.
Before signing the act for unsealing, be sure to check the correctness of the specified data, that is, the condition of the seal, its integrity and the last readings of the gas meter
Replacement in case of violation of its functionality or simply choosing another model carried out by specialists from the organization with which the subscriber has an agreement. In this case, the last readings are taken and the integrity of all seals is checked. For this procedure, it will also be necessary to draw up a statement and sign an inspection certificate.
The re-sealing procedure is carried out in the same way as the primary one. In this case, do not forget to take a receipt for payment of the sealing.
Conclusions and useful video on the topic
That is why you should not try to deceive metering devices:
The procedure for sealing the heat meter is very important for every consumer. It is one of the main parts of putting the device into operation and the starting point at the moment of paying for resources according to its indicators. As you can see, this is not at all difficult as it seems and not so expensive.
Share in the comments with our readers how your gas meter was sealed and what difficulties you encountered. And also, ask questions - we will try to answer in detail even the most difficult of them.
