Everyone who uses the services of a centralized water utility faces the issue of installing cold and hot water meters. The very question of the need to install them does not cause much discussion. Counters provide real cost savings. It remains only to install them correctly, so that in the future there will be no difficulties.
Is it mandatory to set the counter
The installation and sealing procedure of water meters is regulated by the Federal Law "On Water Supply and Sanitation". According to the law, the installation itself is not required. Only the owner decides how much he needs it. A prerequisite is only the availability of technical capabilities for installation.
When you need to seal water meters
A water meter is a device for metering used water. All instruments for accounting for resources must have a seal. This is done to prevent unauthorized use of the resource and interference with the meter. Installing a water meter without sealing is pointless. In this case, the calculation of the consumed water will still occur in accordance with the standards. Therefore, it is important to seal water meters.
A seal is a small washer of an established pattern. Using a wire through a special loop on the device, it is securely fixed on the pipe and on both sides of the meter. This ensures the reliability of the transmitted data for regulatory authorities.
You need to seal water meters in four cases:
- Initial installation of the device.
- Verification
- Instrument repair.
- The destruction of the seal.
Who should seal the water meters
The law in this regard gives a definite answer. Sealing can only be done by specialized agencies. They are required to have valid accreditation and a license to perform this kind of work. Usually this is a management company or a water utility that is engaged in water supply at home. Verification of meters can be done by a third-party company. This procedure is carried out at regular intervals. This is due to the fact that over time, instruments may begin to give incorrect readings. The law establishes various cross-checking intervals for hot and cold water meters. For a hot water meter, the maximum period is 4 years. For a cold counter - 6 years.
In this case, it is necessary to carefully study the technical passport of the water meter. Often the verification period, according to its documentation, is less than the maximum. You also need to pay attention to when this period begins to count. It can go either from the date of manufacture or from the date of installation.
As we see, only an authorized specialist of a specialized organization has the right to seal the meter. Nevertheless, the question is often asked about how to seal water meters on their own. This is prohibited. Such actions should be officially recorded.
Sealing procedure
It all starts with the owner submitting an application to an authorized organization. This is done either in writing or in the form of an application on the institution’s website. The application form is quite variable, it may contain the following items:
- Applicant details and telephone number for communication.
- The reason for the sealing (initial installation, repair, calibration, replacement).
- Registration number of the device and place of its installation.
- Indications at the time of installation and the date of the next verification.
You must also specify who will install. After this, the date of arrival of the specialist is agreed. The law provides for this 15 days from the date of application. If during this time the specialist did not come, then the owner has the right to pay for water supply according to the testimony of the meter.
The Commissioner checks the operation of the device, the correctness of its installation, the availability of documentation. After that makes sealing. The installation process itself does not take more than 10 minutes. It is fixed with a sealer. Accordingly, it is only possible to seal water meters there, where they are already installed.
The act of commissioning the device in two copies is signed. It indicates the registration data of the water meter and the number of the seal. One of the copies remains with the owner. The second is stored in an authorized organization. After that, the owner can pay for water supply services according to the indicators of the water meter.
Sealing cost
The law stipulates that authorized organizations must seal water meters for free. There are no fees for commissioning metering devices. There is no reason to demand payment for commercial registration services.
The fee will be charged when the violation of the seal occurred due to the fault of the owner. Any damage not related to repairs or emergency situations is considered as such. In this case, it does not matter if this happened through the fault of the owner or third parties. Payment for re-sealing will be borne by the owner of the premises. Its size is from 1000 to 2000 rubles, depending on the rates of organizations in this region.
It is also necessary to say about sealing in case of verification. The procedure itself involves removing the device to carry out the necessary actions. In this case, the integrity of the seal is necessarily violated, and it is again necessary to seal the water meters. Government Decision No. 354 states that this procedure is mandatory and is carried out at the expense of the customer.
Sanctions for breach of seal
Damage to fillings and illegal use of a water resource is punishable. It varies depending on the severity of the violation:
- in case of intentional damage, a warning is issued or a fine is imposed, the amount is 100-300 rubles for individuals and 300-500 rubles for legal entities;
- upon the theft of water resources in the amount of not more than 1 thousand rubles, a fine of five times the amount of the stolen is provided, or administrative arrest for up to 15 days, or up to 10 hours of correctional labor;
- when embezzlement in the amount of 1 to 2.5 thousand rubles, a fine of five times is prescribed, or administrative arrest for a period of 10 to 15 days, or up to 50 hours of correctional labor;
- when embezzlement in the amount exceeding 2.5 thousand rubles, liability shall be incurred in accordance with Art. 158 of the Criminal Code.
It should be noted that payment for consumed resources in case of damage to the seal is based on the average tariff. It is multiplied by the number of days from the moment the seal was damaged or the date of the last verification.