Nowadays, the rules for installing water meters in an apartment are a rather pressing issue, because since 2013 in Russia the installation of such devices is mandatory, and every consumer should acquire such devices. True, many have decided for a long time to use them, because with their help you can provide yourself with good savings, which instantly affects the budget.
Considering the fact that with the introduction of this requirement, various plumbing companies raised the cost of their services in this area rather strongly, many wanted to save money and install completely independently, but for this you first need to learn the rules for installing water meters in the apartment, because if they don’t met, no one will seal this device and, accordingly, will not take indicators. Thus, many experts say that the installation procedure itself is far from as laborious and tedious as walking to all relevant authorities.
Features of private houses
If you live in a certain part of a private house, then in this case special rules for installing water meters in the apartment are provided for you. In particular, many are wondering whether the refusal of various companies that deal with sealing water meters in the event that the water meter is not installed at the point where the insert is made into the main water supply is legitimate.
In order to understand exactly where you want to install the meter, you need to correctly understand the current rules and building codes.
In accordance with current legislation, meters at hot or cold water inlets must be installed near the outer wall of the building in an easily accessible and convenient room with natural or artificial lighting, as well as an air temperature of more than +5 aboutC. At the same time, it is worth noting that in a separate note of this paragraph it is said that if meters cannot be installed inside the building, the rules for installing water meters in apartments provide for the possibility of installing them outside the building in special wells.
Where can I put them?
In this regard, we can note several conditions that must be met by the location of the counter:
- it should be located near the outer wall of the building in any room that can always be accessed;
- in this place there should be natural or artificial lighting;
- ambient temperature should not be less than 5 degrees.
Only if in such conditions it is not possible to place the meter inside the building, it can be placed in a special well. It is worth noting that the place of arrangement of such specialized wells is not regulated in any way, as a result of which the management company has no right to oblige you to equip the well directly at the insertion point.
The rules for installing water meters, providing for their mandatory filling, are confirmed by court decisions, which entered into force in 2010.
Among other things, the current legislation imposes the risk of accidental destruction of property, as well as the responsibility for its maintenance on the owner, that is, the safety and appropriate conditions for the use of such meters are entirely the responsibility of their owners.
Multi-story houses
Residents of multi-storey buildings often encounter another problem - this is the installation of a common house meter. Many people do not know whether the rules for installing water meters provide for the possibility of requiring the management company to install a common house meter, if at the moment water meters are already installed in each apartment.
In fact, by law, even if each apartment has a separate counter for hot and cold water, the management company may indeed require, and even must install a separate communal meter, that is, such requirements are quite reasonable.
How to choose the right counters
In the vast majority of cases, experts recommend the use of turbine mechanical devices, since this is the most optimal option. Many people prefer to install electronic meters, but do not forget that electronics breaks down, and in addition to costs meter replacement water in the apartment also provides for additional bureaucratic formalities, and at that time the rules for installing water meters in the apartment with your own hands can change.
Counters for hot and cold water have different designs, and these differences are noticeable even visually, so it will be quite simple to make a choice. Such products are marked with red (hot) and blue (cold) belts. If you decide to put, for example, an inappropriate counter on a cold pipe, there will be no problem, but you must understand the fact that the cost of such a device is an order of magnitude greater. If you decide to put a cold meter on a hot pipe, then in that case it will simply not be allowed to operate.
It’s best to buy standard apartment water meters without trying to chase after some exceptional options. The rules for installing water meters in the apartment with your own hands provide for mandatory certification, and if such a device is sold, then this procedure has passed. After checking and sealing these devices, it is not you who is responsible for them (unless, of course, you accidentally break them).
What to look for
In the process of acquiring a meter, you must make sure that you are provided with a fully equipped device, since the rules for installing water meters in the apartment (SNIP) have certain requirements for these elements. In particular, the kit must contain a special strainer, two fasteners with nipples, gaskets and union nuts, as well as a special check valve. There are situations when unscrupulous sellers unkempt these devices, after which they begin to sell components separately, and therefore it is better to buy such devices only in specialized stores.
Another important point that you definitely need to look at when choosing your own meter is a passport, which should be printed exclusively in a printing way, affixed with a factory stamp, and also have the same serial numbers in the passport and product. The counter, to which the standard xeroxed document is attached, can be taken for verification even if all the requirements and standards are met, but at the same time you will have to pay a certain fee.
Crane
In the predominant majority of cases, it is customary to equip water meters with a special shut-off valve, which is distinguished by the presence of an eye with an opening on the outgoing pipe intended for sealing. Without this, you can turn off the tap at any time, disconnect the pipe, collect at least an entire water tank, then reconnect it and the meter will continue to show zero flow.If a plastic pipeline is used at welded joints, then in this case the rules for installing water meters in an apartment in Moscow and other cities provide for the possibility of installing a tap without sealing, but only an authorized inspector of the city water supply channel must decide on the possibility of such installation.
If the stopcock is complete, then be sure to ensure that it is not siluminic, since such products can suddenly collapse, and the nearest point where you can block the lashing water in this situation is mainly located in the basement or even a well which is on another street. That is why it is best to use a metal-plastic stopcock.
In addition, although the rules for installing water meters in an apartment in the Moscow Region do not provide for this, it is best to buy a second, standard shut-off valve. Such a device is installed on the flushing tank immediately after the drain, and if in the future you want to make repairs in the kitchen or in the bathroom, you can still use the toilet.
Technical Subtleties
First of all, it is worth mentioning that if a fire drainage is provided for in the room where the water meters will be installed, then in this case a valve must be installed on the bypass pipe, which will also be sealed with a water channel in the future, which means that you also need to consider Rules for installing water meters in the apartment. Chelyabinsk and other large cities by law provide for the installation of such valves by the fire department, but they must be notified in advance. However, it is worth saying that to install such valves it is not necessary to obtain any permissions, therefore, instead of an application, you can simply buy a valve for your own money and install it yourself.
Another point concerns two-pipe hot water supply schemes. In apartments it’s quite difficult to meet this, and all residents of such buildings are mostly aware of what the elevator unit in the room is like. To put such a device in such an apartment, the rules for installing water meters in the apartment (Yekaterinburg is no exception) provide for the additional purchase of a bypass valve for the circulation pipe, since otherwise the meter starts to constantly wind the volume. In other words, you yourself will suffer more if you do not get such a valve.
Among other things, do not forget that the rules for installing water meters in an apartment in St. Petersburg, like other cities, provide for maintaining the temperature at a level above +5 aboutC. In multi-storey buildings, there are basically no problems with this, but if, for example, the water meter is installed in some unheated basement, you will need to somehow solve this issue with the water utility. It is likely that it will be cheaper to simply completely wipe and insulate the pipe in the basement, and still place the meter in the toilet.
Checking and sealing
The rules for installing water meters in a communal apartment provide for the mandatory verification of such devices before their direct installation. When buying, it is not necessary to check for zeros at all indicators and require verification, since the initial readings are taken into account when putting such a device into operation, and if it turns out to be faulty, then you will be obliged to provide an expert opinion on this subject with which you can go to the store and demand your money back. In the overwhelming majority of cases, no troubles arise in resolving such issues, because the seller will then be able to get a replacement from the supplier in the same way.
For verification, the meter must be taken to the service of instrumentation, which is of three types:
- from the housing office;
- centralized city or district;
- owned by a water utility;
- licensed private company.
How much is it
Regardless of where you decide to go, the verification procedure is absolutely free, which is indicated in the current legislation regarding water and gas meters.
You can find out the rules for installing a cold or hot water meter, as well as determine the place of delivery of the device in ZhEK. If they tell you that they don’t have such information, you can go straight to the chief engineer, because he is obliged to know these nuances, which is written in his job description.
How and where to take it
Submission of the meter for verification is carried out with a factory passport. After carrying out this procedure, the corresponding stamp of this instrument is left on it, and the necessary passport columns are completely filled out. At the same time, it is worth noting the fact that the devices must be taken for verification, but if you bought the meter “by hand”, then most likely you will also require additional payment for the provision of a data sheet for it, as well as for drawing up the inspection certificate, therefore that the law applies only to certified devices.
In the instrumentation they will tell you about when your meters will be checked, and after installing seals on them, you should not violate it in any case. A device with a broken factory seal can be taken to the instrumentation, but without it you can’t get it accepted by the water utility. It is not necessary to immediately take away the device from verification, since no sanctions are provided for the subscriber to delay in accordance with the laws, and the only problem that can be encountered here is the loss of the counter in the warehouse.
There are some violations when the water utility is limited to a factory seal, since it practically does not suffer from this, because the average consumption rate for subscribers, even in the absence of meter verification, will be within the normal range. But at the same time, it does not hurt you to make sure that your counter does not really wind more than it should.
