The water supply system in any apartment in an urban environment should be equipped with a device for monitoring and recording water consumption. If you accidentally break a seal on a water meter, what should I do with the device without the necessary protection? The meter must not only be installed, but also registered with the appropriate authority. For commissioning the design, it is important to have a special conclusion. This document should contain information about the installation of a water meter in the apartment, which was implemented. The result of the inspection is indicated in a special act, where there is information about the presence of a protective seal. It serves as a restriction of access to the details of the meter, the readings of which are strictly prohibited by the relevant law.
Why seal on the counter
Before you figure out what to do, the seal on the water meter is broken, where to tell how to reseal the meter, it is important to understand why you need it in the apartment at all. In accordance with the law, the use of those devices that are measured with accuracy officially confirmed by the relevant authorities is allowed. For this purpose, there should be a seal on each water meter.
The integrity of the installed protective seal is a confirmation of the absence of accidental or intentional extraneous interference. It indicates the accuracy of the readings of the water meter, which should not go around the sealed device. Sealing a counter that is mechanically damaged or replaced must be performed without fail.
Water meter seal
After the installation of water meters in the apartment, they must be registered by representatives of the relevant organizations. An act drawn up in advance must contain the data of the water meter. A seal is a lead stamp attached to a thin thread.
What to do if the seal on the water meter is broken after installation of the device due to carelessness and inability to use it? In this case, you should not refuse to use a counter, which allows you to save finances. The main function of the seal is to protect the connecting fitting from unauthorized unscrewing. If there is a violation of its integrity, then do not immediately get upset about the possible penalties.
Register a new device
In Moscow, Chelyabinsk, Kirov and other cities of Russia, water meters should be sealed by special services. If a seal was broken on a water meter, what should I do? In Moscow or another city where a person lives, control the metering devices by specialists from the Housing Office or the water utility. A seal torn from the counter by negligence or intentionally requires re-registration of the device. The procedure is performed for one of the following reasons:
- End of life of the unit.
- The failure of the device.
- Replacement of individual parts of the system.
- Failure of ball valve.
- Counter damage.
- There was an accident in the water supply system.
- Housing purchased in the secondary market.
After a written notification by the user of the meter to the management company, the special services will re-seal the device if the inspection shows that one of the above cases occurs.
Combating the illegal use of water
The broken protection of the meter or its absence is the illegal operation of the water supply system.The level of fraud in this area has recently increased significantly, so the services are actively fighting offenders. If you accidentally broke a seal on a hot water meter, what should you do so as not to fall under suspicion of special services?
The revealed fact of unauthorized removal of the seal, use of water bypassing the meter or unauthorized connection requires the preparation of the corresponding act on unauthorized insertion into the water supply. Each homeowner chooses a method of connecting to a water supply, which can be illegal. In the case of illegal water savings, it will be impossible to exclude large financial losses.
Management Notice
Damage to the seal of the water meter can occur for various reasons, i.e. due to negligence or inexperience. The protection of the device may be impaired, for example, by a small child. In this situation, it is better to immediately report the incident to the appropriate body of the management company. Specialists can be attracted from a private company if it was she who installed the water meter.
Timely informing the management company indicating the reason for the failure of the seal excludes any sanctions by this body. Specialists just seal the meter again. Notification of the relevant authority will avoid unnecessary waste of money.
Written statement
It is enough for the user of the water meter on which the seal was broken to write a statement about this to the governing body. This will avoid a fine imposed individually. The application must be submitted in a timely manner indicating the exact date and time of the event. It should indicate the reason for the failure of the seal.
An easy way to notify the management company is to send a registered letter. Using a paid service, it is better to keep a check indicating the sending of a registered letter. The check will allow to avoid additional explanations when presenting claims by inspectors imposing a monetary penalty. The written request should indicate the time when the specialist will be able to replace the seal, having analyzed the problem.
Documents for meter inspection
Before the specialist’s visit, all documents on the counter should be prepared. It is necessary to submit:
- passport for the equipment used;
- instrument seal certificate;
- certificate of acceptance of the meter into operation;
- unit verification certificates.
The operation of an unsealed device may be serviceable, but the owner is not entitled to make a payment for water based on his testimony. In the future, this threatens with a fine and recalculation of payment for services. Perhaps it was no coincidence that they broke the seal on the water meter, what should I do? In Chelyabinsk, Moscow, Tula or another city in Russia should provide the services of craftsmen working in a management company. They quickly dismantle the device if the water supply system in the apartment requires urgent repair.
Recalculation conditions after seal failure
Intervention in the operation of the device is unacceptable if the seal was accidentally broken on a cold water meter, which is absolutely impossible, from a legal point of view this is considered an offense. The user of the device planning to carry out repairs requiring removal of the seal when dismantling the structure must inform the management company.
The seal consists in the presence of a special lead brand installed on a thin fishing line. In order to recalculate the payment for the use of water at a tariff, it is important to carry out the following:
- Mount a water meter.
- Seal the unit.
- Register metering device.
If this is not done, then charges for the use of water will be charged according to the general tariff.
Who should be entrusted with sealing the meter?
When installing and registering the meter, the wizard should remind you where to go if you accidentally break the seal on the water meter, that you cannot do it yourself, otherwise the meter will not work. To register it is necessary to collect all documents. They must be issued by the organization performing this type of installation.
Before starting work, the specialist must check whether the counter is installed correctly and whether it is intact. After sealing, the employee must give the owner of the apartment a package of documents, which is required for registration of the water meter. The most important thing is that the company issues an act of sealing.
Illegal insertion into the pipeline
When a seal was broken on a water meter, what should I do? Kirov, Moscow, Chelyabinsk, Tula or Syzran - in any Russian region, the specialists of the management company may begin to suspect users of theft of water if they do not inform about the incident in a timely manner. Violators often “rewind” the readings of counters using magnets.
In the event of a deliberate breakdown of a protective seal on a control instrument for accounting for water supply, the Housing Code of the Russian Federation comes into force, namely, Art. 19 p. 2. If the investigation conducted by the police proved that it was not accidental but intentional damage to the seals of the meter, then the owner will face significant fines. If a seal was broken on a water meter, what is forbidden to do, fines are imposed on individuals and legal entities. In the first case, the amount of the primary penalty will be 10-15 thousand rubles, and in the second - 20-30 thousand rubles.
If unauthorized use of water has occurred for a long period, then the specialists of the management company will charge the payment at the average rate. Sometimes there are cases where specialists do not have the opportunity to establish the exact period of time when the meter worked without a seal. In this case, charges will be made based on the standard daily water consumption per tenant over the past 6 months. The calculations depend on the total number of people living in the apartment with the offender: the larger the number of family members, the higher the amount of payment.
Crashing into a piped water system is important after notifying the appropriate service in the region of residence. The owner should wait until the end of the process of consideration of the application on the failure of protection from the meter legally by the Management Company. However, it is necessary to collect a full package of documents for the dismantling of the meter. If the management company allows this, then the corresponding decision can be found in 30 days.