Have you thought about installing a water meter against the background of a regular increase in tariffs? Agree that it would be nice to use it to determine the consumption of water resources and significantly reduce the cost of paying for the use of hot and cold water. You do not want to call for installation wizard from the public service, and plan to do all the work on their own, but have never done this before?
We will show you how to install water meters yourself, where to start and what rules should be followed when they are put into operation. The article proposes a scheme for the correct connection of water meters, and a step-by-step installation process with visual photographs and video tips from experienced craftsmen.
We also paid attention to the legal aspect of self-installation - we told in detail what statements and other documents and organizations should be assigned to.
The content of the article:
- The expediency of installation
- The legal aspect of self installation
- Registration and registration
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Installation of water meter yourself
- Stage # 1 - choosing a place for accommodation
- Stage # 2 - the acquisition of the necessary components
- Stage # 3 - installation and connection of a water meter
- Stage # 4 - System Health Check
- Conclusions and useful video on the topic
The expediency of installation
Installing a water meter is the first step towards rational consumption of utility resources and proper management of the family budget. After all, the volume of saved cubic meters will directly depend payment amountindicated in the receipt.
The ubiquitous installation of metering devices disciplines and workers of the water utility, not allowing them to uncontrollably blame the tenants of the losses arising from the operation of worn networks.
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Household appliances for measuring the flow of water are installed on the water pipes of apartments and private houses connected to the central water supply
For residential buildings connected to the networks of hot water supply and cold water supply, produce flow meters that determine the amount of supplied hot and cold water. When connected only to the cold water supply, devices are installed only on these lines
When connecting a residential object only to the cold-water supply, the counter is installed only on the corresponding riser. Moreover, can be used or flowmeters for cold water, or counters for hot water supply, are considered universal
For the equipment of water supply systems in the CIS countries, devices are installed on pipes with a conditional passage from 15 to 20 mm.
Water flow meters from centralized networks are installed in heated premises, where the temperature cannot drop below + 5º
HV meters are designed for operation in the temperature range from + 5 ° С to + 40 ° С. GW counters take into account water consumption in the temperature range from + 5 ° С to + 90 ° С
Water meters are located at a height of 30 cm to 1 m from the level of the finished floor. Water meter should be installed horizontally.
To install the flow meters, you should choose a place convenient for monitoring the operation of the instruments and reading the readings.
The use of household water meters
Counters for hot and cold water
Universality of hot water appliances
Standard piping diameter
Room to install the device
Technical regulations of devices
Proper installation of the water meter
Device installation specifics
The experience of people who have already installed do-it-yourself water meters shows that connecting a water meter allows save costs up to 30%, provided that the number of residents corresponds to the number registered in the house tenants.
The accepted norms of water consumption do not correspond to the volume of liquid consumed in real life.
You may be interested in information on how save water by meterconsidered in our other article.
Significantly reduce the cost of water will help installation of the metering device in the case when the number of tenants in the apartment does not match the number prescribed in this living space.
For example, if there are two households living in it, and five people are registered, the fee will be calculated from the “average” monthly consumption for each registered family member.
The installation of the flow meter allows not only to significantly reduce the item of expenditure, but also to act as a disciplining moment for the rational use of the natural resource.
Some owners in apartment buildings with centralized water supply do not want to install metering devices specifically for hot water.
And the reason for this is that the situation is close to many when, early in the morning or late in the evening, opening faucet with hot water, it takes a few minutes to lower the cooled liquid in anticipation of hot flow.
In this case, if you install the flow meter on hot water, in addition to the spent time on weary waiting for hot water will also have to overpay for cold water flowing from the tap at rates hot.
And therefore, if you systematically encounter the need for a long time to grind water - think about whether to put a water meter on it. It may be quite enough to limit oneself to a metering device for a pipe with cold water.
Installing an individual metering device is unprofitable only if there are actually more people living in the apartment than prescribed.
The legal aspect of self installation
The law does not provide categorical prohibitions on the manifestation of such independence. The main thing is to be guided by common sense and to observe the regulatory requirements and installation rules during installation.
But in most cases, they are connected by specialized organizations that have the appropriate access to perform this type of work.
Licensed organizations perform installation of metering devices, strictly following the requirements and the procedure for putting installed metering devices into operation
If you impose the services of specialized companies, know that it is illegal. The procedure for inserting into the equipped plumbing system can be done on your own.
At installation of the equipment it is worth considering a number of the moments:
- Devices purchased only from licensed companies. The device must be accompanied by a technical passport.
- Installation of equipment involves the overlapping of water supply on the riser, which is quite problematic to perform on its own.
- When installing and connecting the device, it is important to follow the water meter connection scheme and strictly follow the technology. Otherwise, if you break through the pipeline, all losses will have to be reimbursed from your wallet.
So that the readings of the water meter installed by own forces are taken when calculating the utility payments, it is necessary that they are sealed and put on the balance of the local branch Vodokanal.
Registration and registration
Before you put the water meters in your bathroom, you need to contact the local water utility in order to get your hands on the technical requirements for the water meter. This is done by the department of approval of projects for metering.
Having received permission, you can safely buy a metering device. The rating of the best counters popular among users is given in our other article.
You may also be useful information about existing types of meters, discussed in our article: Types of water meters: overview of various types + recommendations to customers
When purchasing a product, make sure of two parameters:
- The serial number on the water meter must match what is listed in the passport.
- On the seal, the device must have an impression of the State Standard.
- In the passport to the device must be recorded the date of factory inspection.
At the time of purchase, the seller must stamp the store and indicate the date of sale.
The best option is if there is not a long interval between the date of the factory check of the metering device and its sale
The purchased device must be checked by contacting one of the organizations listed below:
- Office ZhEKA;
- management of water utilities;
- private licensed firm.
To carry out the test, the device is handed over with a technical passport. Upon completion, the passport will be stamped by the inspection organization and filled in all the relevant fields. In parallel, the date of the seal will be set.
Keep in mind that it is prohibited to damage the Kipovka sealing, otherwise it will not be accepted at the water utility. If you accidentally damaged the factory seal, the agency can still accept the device.
But, if there is no KIP seal, then the meter data is considered invalid.
For self-tapping water meter ZhEK will provide a drawing and the necessary technical conditions, which will probably be required during installation
In the plan-scheme of connection of the equipment, the sequence of installation of parts will be clearly described.
There is nothing complicated about it. Traditionally, the “festoon” looks like this: the first is the stop valve, after it is a collapsible filter, followed by the water meter itself and completes the “chain” check valve.
Installation of water meter yourself
In advance, on the day when the water meter is supposed to be inserted, it is necessary in the name of the organization serving your home, write a statement to call a plumber to temporarily shut off the water supply to the riser
Stage # 1 - choosing a place for accommodation
Choosing a place for the installation, it is necessary to assess the current state of the pipelines and determine whether there is a wiring from the risers.
Metering devices are allowed to be placed both in horizontal and vertical position..
The task of the master is to provide free access for inspection of the device.
The counter is placed as close as possible to the place of entry of the highway into the bathroom. For private houses, this parameter is 20 cm from the exit point of the pipeline.
In most cases, the meters are mounted on nozzles that divert water from the common riser, trying to place them immediately after the shut-off valves.
Most often, the device is placed near the toilet or under the sink. The distance of the straight section, which should be set aside before inserting the device, is recorded in the meter data sheet.
According to the requirements for the installation of metering devices, if the valves are old, it should be replaced with more reliable ones. Ball Valves.
For pipelines HV and GV use ball valves of various markings: for hot water - DN25, and for cold water - DN15.
The ball valve is equipped with a female thread on one side and an external one on the other; it is used to screw the coarse filter
For installation, it is better to use quality cranes from proven manufacturers that are able to withstand operating temperatures reaching 100 ° C and higher, and high operating pressure.
Stage # 2 - the acquisition of the necessary components
The number of water meters is calculated based on the number of risers located in the apartment.
To simplify the task of inserting the counter according to the scheme, you should clearly understand the purpose of each system node:
- Stopcock - "advanced" in-house pipeline. Plastic valves are cut in to overlap polypropylene pipes, and brass models for metal and metal-plastic pipes.
- Purifying filter - protects equipment from coarse suspensions and therefore needs periodic washing. Available in two versions: straight and oblique.
- Check valve - prevents rewinding the device back when a sudden stop of water supply.
The ball valve can only be in two positions: open / closed.
The half-open position of the ball valve, regardless of the type of its execution, is a sure way to the quick exit of the locking mechanism
The presence of a check valve immediately behind the metering device is a prerequisite when connecting a water meter.
Placing this device immediately after the counter allows you to prevent the possibility of starting a stream air against the movement of water, which is often used by some unscrupulous "craftsmen" when unwinding device.
Water canal inspectors always check for the presence of this valve and without it never allow the device to be put into operation.
Of the tools for the work required:
- Bulgarian (LBM);
- soldering iron;
- scissors or handsaw;
- gas and adjustable wrench;
- FUM tape or tow;
- corners and sgony;
- couplings (for transition to other size).
Drives and corners will be needed to connect the device with a water pipe. If desired, they can be replaced with flexible hoses made of rubber or rubber, the outer walls of which are covered with aluminum or nylon braid.
Included with the flow meter should go "American" and sealing rings.
"American" is a connecting socket, equipped with a cap nut, the main purpose of which is to remove the device without harm to the elements of the plumbing system
When planning to embed a meter for hot water, you will additionally need to purchase paranitic gaskets, and if a water meter is for cold, rubber seals. Tow and FUM-tape will help to ensure the tightness of the “American” connections with a check valve.
Stage # 3 - installation and connection of a water meter
The easiest way to install a water meter crashing into plastic plumbing, - made of metal-plastic or polypropylene pipes. The polymer is easily cut with special scissors, the upper part of which is equipped with a sharp knife, and the lower one with a holder for the pipe.
Compound or soldering of pipeline elements, made of polymeric material, is performed by means of a soldering iron, the technology of use of which is quite simple.
Dealing with water pipes made of metal pipes, it is quite problematic to embed water meters without using special tools.
Therefore, the independent connection of metering devices on metal pipes in most cases is combined with a full or partial replacement of the intra-apartment pipeline.
All parts of the sanitary construction are connected in accordance with the scheme attached to the product and the drawing obtained in the housing office.
To simplify the assembly process, pre-lay the elements of the “garland” on a flat surface in the order you will connect them.
And in order to correctly calculate the number of turns, perform a "dry" connection. To do this, tighten the filter on the crane, parallel to this, counting the turns. Traditionally, there are no more than five.
When performing a “dry” connection, pay attention to which of the turns the sump occupies the position below. After that, unscrew the connection, and wind the seal on the grooves of the threads of the filter of the stopcock.
The threaded grooves are wrapped with a compactor, trying to drown it as much as possible into the coils, then covered with a thin layer of sanitary paste, and a stopcock is twisted on top
When tightening the stopcock, the main thing is not to overdo it, otherwise the connection may simply burst.
When assembled, the construction will look like this: the stopcock switch, the filter sump and the dial face “look” up and the impeller down.
Measuring the length of the resulting "garland", measure the worker at the place of tie-in into the pipeline the same distance.
The overlap of the riser in an apartment building should be previously coordinated with the workers of the water utility.
The sequence of actions during installation:
- The pipe, previously disconnected from the water supply, is cut. When cutting off the site, it is better to substitute a basin, since it is likely that the remaining water in the pipe will drain a little.
- A valve or ball valve with a strainer installed on it is attached to the pipeline.
- A pre-assembled unit of the water meter is connected to the cut-off valve with a filter, not forgetting to lay a rubber or paranitic gasket of the appropriate diameter.
- The arrow on the device is oriented in the direction from the cut-off valve cut into the pipeline. On the side of the sharp end of the boom impression, an “American” is screwed onto the filter, and on the tail side, a non-return valve.
- Having attached the counter to the crane, measure the exact location of the response thread.
- Cut off the excess pipe. At the end of the pipe do the thread and assemble the fitting.
- From the collected water meter, unscrew the check valve and fix it on the prepared return thread.
- After the installation is completed, the connection between the “American” and the flowmeter housing is restored.
Assembling the water metering unit, carefully follow the direction of the arrows installed on each of the components. Otteski marks in the form of arrows act as a guide, indicating the direction in which water must flow through the metering device.
It is impossible to ignore the marks indicating the direction, as in this case it is impossible to guarantee the correct operation of the equipment.
If during the assembly of the system you confuse the direction of the arrows on the instrument case, check valve and filter, then when checking the water utility worker seal metering device will not allow.
After all, only the system in which each element of the unit is correctly installed can be put into operation.
Stage # 4 - System Health Check
To verify the installation, the assembled structure is connected to the water supply. To do this, slowly open the ball valve, which cuts off from the general riser the system of intra-apartment water supply.
After starting the system, check all threaded connections for tightness and detect if there are any leaks.
The absence of leaks in the places of tie-in to the water supply system indicates that the work on the insertion and connection of the device was carried out successfully
If everything is in order, you just have to write a request and wait for the visit of the inspector of the water utility. The controller will check the connection, conduct a test run and see if the device is working.
After that, the meter will be sealed with a seal and will make an act of commissioning.
Payment according to the water meter readings will be charged from the month that follows the date of entry of the connected metering device into operation. To do this, the apartment owner only needs to submit the document in a timely manner to the ECD.
Information on how to take readings and how to correctly convey them is discussed in detail in our other article.
You may also be interested in information about timing of meter check and the rules for its implementation, set out in our article.
Conclusions and useful video on the topic
Video tips of the installation wizard:
Video version of the installation of a water meter in an apartment building:
Self-installation of the counter is a simple procedure. Its main problem is only in bureaucratic peripetias: filing applications, obtaining and approving permits.
But then in the future it is necessary only to take the metering device for testing only every four years and enjoy the benefits of civilization without overpaying significant sums.
Did you install water meters? Tell us what difficulties you had to overcome.
Perhaps you are faced with problems when registering the device in the water supply organization? Your experience will be of interest to many users who are just thinking about buying counters. Leave comments in the box under this article.
