Among various items of expenditures in the family budget, payment of housing and communal services for many Russians remains one of the most significant. Therefore, in order not to pay overstated rates and save a little, everywhere in apartments and cottages water metering devices are now being installed, which should be regularly checked.
Be sure to observe the deadline for checking the cold and hot water meters - this will allow you to identify problems in their work on time.
In this article, we will tell you how to check water meters, about the calibration intervals, as well as what users expect for failure to meet deadlines.
Legislative regulation of verifications
All issues related to the installation, inspection and commissioning of in-house water meters are regulated by RF Government Resolution No. 354 of 05/06/2011 with the latest amendments. According to it, the owner of the housing is solely responsible for the performance of the water meters in the apartment.
Any measuring device does not last forever. Gradually, the accuracy of his measurements begins to fall. And it doesn’t matter here - a household appliance is a meter, a common house apparatus or laboratory equipment.
In all cases, under current Russian legislation, such technical equipment is subject to certification and regular verification (testing) of correct operation.
If there are no meters for the volume of water consumed, then the calculation of the service is carried out according to consumption standards, which are greatly overstated. Without water meters, you often have to pay two, three times more
The decrease in measurement accuracy in water meters is due to:
- breakdowns and wear of the internal elements - the impeller and the counting mechanism;
- poor quality water with a high content of salts and metals;
- ingress of contaminants into the pipes - sand, rust, etc .;
- damage to the device as a result of external mechanical influences;
- drying mechanisms inside due to prolonged shutdown of water supply;
- use in the manufacture of the device of low-quality or defective parts.
There are many factors that influence the accuracy of measurements. Even the presence of a magnet near the counter affects the correctness of its functioning. However, the law requires verification only after the inter-calibration life of the water meter established by the manufacturer has expired.
At the same time, if the water meter completely stops working, has cracks in the body or leaks, then it should be replaced immediately. It is impossible to wait until the next test according to the technical passport.
If a master comes from the housing office and sees a broken accounting device, then fines and charges in the receipts will follow not on the fact of consumption, but on the standards.
Each water meter has its own calibration interval. Domestic hot water appliances are usually designed for 4 years, and analogues for cold water for 6 years. However, on sale you can also find Russian and foreign models with periods between tests of up to 15 years
The manufacturer of the water meter sets the calibration interval. The law regulates only the requirement of serviceability of the meter. While it is working, the calculation of the consumed water goes along it.
But if the meter is broken or the time period indicated in the data sheet has expired from the last test, then the management company or the HOA will start charging for the resource according to the standards.
The consumption rate for hot water supply in the Russian Federation is set at 4.75, and cold - 6.93 cubic meters per person / month. But in reality, everyone living in an apartment usually consumes about 1-3 cubic meters of hot and cold water combined during the indicated period.
The actual overpayment at the rate is ultimately obtained two to three times. And so every month. There are reasons for installing the meter and maintaining it in good condition.
Water Meter Test Algorithm
In order for the calculation of water consumption to be carried out on the meter, it is necessary to put it into operation. That is, the relevant act from the employee of the utility service provider should be on hand. Without this document, the readings of the device are not taken into account, the calculation is in accordance with the standards.
The act of commissioning is signed both during the initial installation of the meter, and during re-installation after verification
When approaching the verification period should:
- Submit an application for removal of the water meter to the organization serving the apartment.
- After dismantling the device, give it for testing to a specialized company that has the appropriate license.
- In a day or two, get the certificate of verification and serviceability of the verified water meter, as well as the meter itself back.
- Again, submit an application to the Housing Office for the installation of the meter and obtain from the plumber an act on the commissioning of the meter.
- Transfer copies of both documents to the service company.
After that, the calculation of water consumption starts again on the meter.
The nuances of the procedure
First important point - installation and dismantling of meters can be carried out independently or by invitation of specialists from a third-party organization (not from the Housing Office).
The law establishes only the need to obtain an act of input, which is exclusively entitled to be signed by a representative of the organization managing the house.
Another particularly interesting nuance - water consumption on the days when calibration takes place. After removing the water meter, a hose is installed in its place. And the calculation for the days when the verification was carried out will be conducted according to the standards.
After the water meter will be installed by the housing department employee and the corresponding document issued, its testimonies will again be taken into account when generating bills for water consumption.
To track the illegal connection to the water supply, the master from the housing office must constantly come to the apartment and look at the pipes with his own eyes
In practice, usually it looks like this: the homeowner takes the meter and gives it for verification, and then invites the employee of the management company to install and seal it to obtain the necessary certificate.
Or the device simply changes without any checks for a new one, and then the ZhEK employee is called to sign the same act.
Checking the water meter at home
In addition to transferring the water meter for testing to a specialized company, it can also be trusted directly in the apartment. Similar tests are carried out on special compact equipment that the performer brings with him.
It doesn’t matter whether verification is carried out in the organization or right in the apartment, in both cases a single act is issued about it. The main thing is that the inspector has a license to carry out this type of service
If you give the meter to the company for verification, then such a test will cost 1.5–2 times cheaper. For calling a specialist, you will have to pay extra money.
The cost of verification in different Russian cities ranges from 500–2000 rubles. Plus money for dismantling and reinstalling the meter in place. In this case, the call of the Zhekovsky master to sign the act of commissioning should be free. If the Housing Office requires money for this procedure, then it is illegal.
However, a new household water meter alone costs about 500–1000 rubles in a store. If the model is electronic with automatic data transfer to the management company, then it will cost more. But an ordinary mechanical water meter costs just in the region of five hundred rubles.
About how the verification of meters at home, read in this material.
Therefore, many homeowners, when approaching the timing of verification, often simply change the measuring device to a new one without any double-checking on the measurement accuracy. So, often, it’s cheaper.
Counter verification intervals
The frequency of verification for each water meter is set by the manufacturer independently. To do this, he performs a certain set of tests and coordinates everything in the State Standard of the Russian Federation.
There are meters on sale with an intertesting period of 4 years and 10-15 years. When choosing a meter, this figure in the technical passport should be looked at. The longer the time period is indicated there, the less often you will have to check and, if necessary, change the measuring equipment.
The calibration interval starts from the moment of the last calibration of the water meter. Not from the date of installation or sale, but from the day of the last test
When buying a water meter, it is extremely important to watch when it has been calibrated. Initially, it is made by the manufacturer of the meter even at the factory. All subsequent tests must also be entered in the device passport.
If you take and install a counter with an almost expired inter-calibration period, then you will have to change it again soon. And this again is the cost of the device and installation work.
Consequences in case of violation of the deadlines
Do not initially wait for the end of this period. It is better to carry out verification in a month or two and not worry about the large charges in receipts for cold and hot water supply. At the same time, one must also remember about water disposal, it is also calculated by the volume of water consumed.
If the meter verification period has expired, then water consumption is calculated by:
- the average rate of water consumption of the apartment over the past six months;
- established norms of water consumption per person;
- the number of people living in the apartment.
According to the law, when the owner of the housing stops supplying data from the water meter, the managing organization has no right to charge according to the standards for three months.
The state provides for this three-month period in case of temporary problems with the payer with money or banal non-consumption of water for a couple of months. If the data feed starts again, then the receipt simply recalculates everything.
Verify the household water measuring instruments of the homeowner is required by law. Moreover, this should be done in a timely manner and with the signing of all necessary acts. Without documents with signatures, then it will be impossible to prove anything to the management company
But after three months of lack of data from the meter, the management company has every right to start charging according to average standards.
If you are leaving home for three months or more, it is recommended that you notify the housing office about it and cut off the water supply. Otherwise, an unpleasant surprise in the form of a receipt for housing services may await you upon your return.
Checking water meters - what to look for:
Checking the water meter - what is it and why:
How is verification at home:
You must always fulfill your obligations. The regular calibration of water meters is one of such obligations of the owner of the housing connected to the water supply.
If the trials are delayed, specially or simply forgetting about them, then penalties from the management company will inevitably follow. According to the law, they will be completely right, it is not worth pulling with a check.
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