Where is the water meter installed? Installing water meters in an apartment or house yourself: is it possible and how should it be done? Rules for installing water meters

After the publication of the law of July 1, 2013, every consumer is obliged to install a device that takes into account water flow in the premises he owns. The sooner the apartment owner installs a meter in it, the less he will have to overpay for water, the cheaper the installation procedure will cost him. And the overpayment is significant: the minimum average consumption established by the water utility is 5.5 cubic meters per person per month, but in reality a maximum of three cubic meters is used. And the installation of a meter by a licensed contractor is becoming more expensive, because the demand for such work is growing. Currently, the “issue price” ranges from 5-6 to 9 thousand rubles for two meters (hot and cold water) and their installation. After installing the meter, the costs are recouped within one to one and a half years. In some cases, costs can be reduced by installing water meters yourself, if this is permitted by the water supply organization.

1. Obtain permission from the housing organization for independent installation; after that, take written specifications and a list of models that can be purchased. If you cannot obtain permission, you can get acquainted with information about licensed contractors and choose one of them.
2. Buy water meters and all the necessary equipment.
3. Install them independently or with the help of hired specialists into the water supply system of an apartment or house.
4. Call a water utility representative to seal them.
5. Receive a commissioning certificate, a technical passport and a certificate of inspection of devices.
6. Conclude an act on payment by meters with the housing organization.

Purchase of water measuring devices

• The number of meters depends on the number of risers in the room. In houses where heating is carried out using columns, one device on the pipe supplying water to the house is sufficient. Most often, a city apartment needs at least two devices: one for a riser with cold water and one for hot water. And in an apartment with a Soviet layout: two risers in the bathroom; two for the kitchen, one for the toilet, you will need 5 appliances. These expenses will not pay off even in a few years! Therefore, you can wait to install a meter in such an apartment.
• Water meters for cold water are distinguished by a blue stripe and operate in the temperature range from +5 to +40 degrees. Devices for hot water are marked in red and can withstand temperatures up to 130 degrees.
• Purchased devices, along with a technical passport, must be submitted for verification to the control panel of the water utility or city to make sure that the meter is winding correctly. This procedure is free and is marked with an instrumentation seal and a stamp in the passport. The serial number of the product must match the data in the passport, otherwise there will be problems with the acceptance of the work by the water supplier.
• For domestic use, you can choose inexpensive mechanical water meters of single-string and multi-jet types. It is better to choose meters made according to the “dry circuit”; they are a little more expensive, but will not allow the device to be contaminated with water impurities. The most popular models are ETKETW-15.2 (Modularis-safemag), “Heat metering-1”, devices from Siemens (more expensive). There are models with a reed switch insert for automatic transmission of readings, which is not yet relevant and only increases costs.
• Additional parts required for installation: shut-off valve; adapter coupling; cleaning filter; check valve; rubber gaskets; union nuts - “American”, fittings, sealant and plumbing paste.

Water meters installation diagram

1. Choosing a location. General principle: insertion is carried out no further than 20 cm from the entrance of the pipe into the room (from the floor or wall). This rule excludes the drainage of water to the side without taking it into account. In a city apartment with one riser, the meter is installed in the toilet next to the toilet. You can install it in the bathroom if the pipes run to the toilet along the floor.

In private houses, water meters are installed at the point where the pipe enters the premises. The water well, if any, must be equipped with a sealed cover.

1. Arrangement order of components

Before starting work, arrange all the parts in the order required for assembly:

1. Stopcock it must hold the water pressure and shut off its supply to the room. Therefore, it is better to have a brass option; for modern pipes you can use a plastic lock.

1. Check valve. It is purchased independently; water suppliers pay special attention to its availability and do not accept water meters without it. This valve prevents the measuring system from rewinding readings. If there is no liquid in the water supply, if the taps are open, air is sucked in and puts pressure on the system from the back side.

1. Assembly of parts
   • You need to screw the filter onto the shut-off valve, counting the turns and noting when the filter position is with the lid down. After determining the required number of turns, the filter is unscrewed back and a linen tow cord is wound onto the threads so as to close the groove. The wound tow is covered with plumbing paste and the filter is screwed onto the tap. If you choose silicone sealant as insulation, then when it dries, it may lose its plasticity and burst from the inside,
   • An “American” with a seal is screwed onto the filter, after which a counter is built in. On this side, the connection is sealed with a rubber ring, and for a hot water device it is better not to use tow and other available sealants - you need to choose a harder and more inflexible paronite gasket, selected according to size.
   • The meter on the other side is connected to the check valve using a second pipe and a nut with a gasket. Please note: with the American filter, they are connected to the filter from the tip of the arrow, and with the check valve - from the end of the arrow. The resulting design looks like this: the faucet handle, the cleaning filter sump, and the water meter dial are located at the top.

1. Inserting the assembled structure into a pipe

Metal pipes present particular difficulties; they require a metal saw and a thread-cutting device. To make the work easier, you can replace the fragment of the pipe on which the meter is mounted with metal-plastic or polypropylene.

• Block the flow of water to the riser.
• Measure the resulting structure from the tap to the check valve. Place this section on the main pipe, starting from the old tap into the room along the flow.
• Cut off this section of the pipe, placing a container under the cut to drain the liquid. Unscrew the old tap, and if this fails, cut it out and make a new thread. When replacing a metal fragment with propylene, the cuts at the points of transition from metal to plastic are connected with fittings.
• The structure is screwed to the supply pipe, then the check valve is unscrewed from the water meter and inserted into the thread of the receiving pipe. The “American” valve is again connected to the water measuring device. Installation is complete.
• All that remains is to check the installed system. This must be done carefully, gradually opening the tap, so as not to damage the meter with strong water pressure. An inspection is carried out to see if there is a leak and whether the device is working. We must once again pay attention to the arrows: on all parts they should point in the direction opposite to the shut-off valve.
• If everything is in order, you can invite a specialist to seal the meter.

Putting the meter into operation

The summoned representative of the water utility must appear within three days. He checks that the meter is installed correctly; its certification and instrumentation stamp in the technical passport. Then he puts a seal on the entire water meter assembly. An act of acceptance of the system into operation is drawn up and primary indications are included in it.

Technical documentation of water measuring instruments consists of the following documents:

1. Agreement for installation of the device.
2. Technical passport (it is better to make a photocopy for the water utility and for the apartment owner).
3. Certificate of conformity.
4. Commissioning certificate (drawn up on site at the time of placing the seal)
5. Certificate of verification (at the time of sealing, two verifications were noted in the technical passport: one factory and one instrumentation)
6. Agreement on payment for water supply according to the meter (drawn up at the housing organization).

After all the formalities, the owner of the meter has the right to pay for the actual consumption of water resources and recoup the costs of installing water measuring devices

Rules for operating water meters

1. The seal must not be removed to repair or clean the device. You need to call a specialist who is obliged to do this for free.
2. If the seal is broken, immediately notify the water supply office and call a specialist: you will have to pay for a secondary seal. But it is better to choose such expenses than a fine or payment for the entire time since the last inspection.
3. The cold water meter is checked once every four years, and the hot water meter is checked once every six years. These scheduled checks are mandatory, during which time payment is based on the average statistical minimum consumption.

At the end of 2009, our country adopted a law on energy saving, obliging all owners of buildings, structures, residential buildings, as well as individual apartments and premises in multi-apartment buildings, to ensure accounting of water coming from water supply networks.

The feasibility of installing water meters

Installing water meters requires funds; nothing is being done for free now, but the law does not provide for funding for these activities from the budget. The costs required to install water meters are borne by the building owners. The Russian government considered that the savings received after installing metering devices would cover the costs of their installation.

To date, the installation deadline for metering devices has expired, despite the fact that they have been postponed several times. Nevertheless, the equipment of apartments, and especially individual houses, remains at a low level. The reasons for this situation are obvious:

1. Lack of production capacity to produce a sufficient number of metering devices at the time of adoption of the law;
2. Difficulty in installation and commissioning (at the initial stage, only organizations engaged in construction activities had the ability to install water meters);
3. Lack of penalties for citizens who do not comply with the law.

Payback of the meter - Photo 03

The installation of a meter in itself is not a water saving measure. It’s just that with it we stop thoughtlessly pouring water, forgetting to turn off the tap, or not repairing a leaking toilet flush tank for months. Thus, the overall consumption of drinking water is reduced and utility bills are reduced. The cost of installing water meters pays off for quite a long time, but given the reduction in payments for sewerage, saving 20-30 rubles per month per person is not difficult.

The payback of a hot water meter occurs even faster due to the high cost of thermal energy. And the installation of individual metering devices on credit for up to 5 years at the Central Bank refinancing rate, which is the responsibility of the energy supply organization, actually becomes free.

Legal regulations affecting the process of installing metering devices

For owners who do not want to equip their premises with meters, the law provides for sanctions in the form of forced installation of water meters by the energy supply organization. But this provision of the law does not yet work, since the mass installation of metering devices has led to a decrease in the income of organizations supplying water to settlements, since the state limits the growth of tariffs.

Laws are constantly being improved; for example, since 2011, independent installation of water meters for individual houses and apartments has been allowed. Since 2015, changes to the “Rules for Setting Standards for Public Utilities” have come into force, putting rubles on the pockets of careless owners. Most regions of the country already have increased standards for water consumed without meters.

Costs for water supply and sanitation for owners who ignore the law will increase every 6 months and, in addition to inflationary price increases, will increase 1.6 times over 2 years.

Rules for installing water meters

It is quite easy to install water meters in your apartment. If the installation of a common house meter requires an organization carrying out this type of activity and a special project that is carried out in accordance with building codes and regulations, then an individual water meter is installed based on the instructions specified in the device’s passport. Rules for installing water meters in apartments have not yet been developed by anyone and, most likely, they will never appear, but there are certain points in the regulatory documents that must be observed.

• Water meters must not be installed in hard-to-reach places, and the reading scale must be visible to the naked eye.
• It is necessary to observe the lengths of straight sections of pipes after and before the device specified in the passport.
• Some devices are supplied with connecting pipes, the installation of which eliminates the issue of straight sections.

Water meter installation diagram

The simplest diagram for installing a water meter in an apartment looks like this:

To provide water during repairs or verification of the meter, a bypass with a shut-off device can be provided in the circuit. It is much cheaper to make a pipe of the appropriate length and insert it instead of the meter. Sometimes a check valve is installed after the meter, but such a device is necessary when there is a reserve tank in the apartment. On some meter models, the manufacturer installs a mesh filter. Then the filter (No. 2) can be excluded from the circuit. The wiring diagram shows ball valves as disconnecting devices. The use of valves instead of them, of course, is allowed, but less resistance and the absence of rubber gaskets increase the pressure of water flowing from the tap and simplify operation.

Features of selection, verification and replacement of water meters

The choice of a water meter is made based on its consumption, and the size of the connecting pipes of the device is most often smaller than the cross-section of the pipes into which it cuts, but a water meter is usually installed in the apartment in accordance with the diameter of the water supply. Water meters from various manufacturers are now on sale.

The question immediately arises - what kind of water meters to install? When choosing the cheapest one, you can make a mistake. Warranty period and operating time, duration of the calibration interval, ease of installation - these are additional criteria that must be taken into account. The manufacturing time of the meter is also important, because the longer it sits on the store counter, the sooner you will have to carry out the next verification.

The calibration interval for cold water meters is usually 6 years. Water meters for hot water metering last 4 years until the next verification. But there are manufacturers who produce water meters with other calibration intervals.

Unfortunately, re-testing meters rarely gives positive results. Having paid a considerable amount for verification, you may be denied further use. You can check the accuracy of the device yourself. Having simultaneously fully opened all the taps in the apartment and filled the containers with water, carefully count the spilled volume and compare it with the readings of your meter. If the error is above 2%, then the meter most likely will not pass verification, and it is better to buy and install a new one.

Choosing a location and technology for installing water meters with your own hands

The installation location of the water meter in an individual residential building must be agreed with the supplier. Installing a water meter in an apartment does not require such approval. Usually it is placed immediately after the shut-off device on the riser (in the diagram this is the valve in front of the filter). The technology for installing water meters is quite simple. When buying a meter, purchase taps, a filter, bends, couplings, lock nuts, and sections of pipes with threads of the required sizes. Putting it all together using FUM or linen tape is not difficult for a man.

It is even easier to install water meters yourself when using metal-plastic pipes and fittings. But it will not be possible to embed a meter into a polypropylene water supply without a welding machine.

Please note that the valve on the riser is a common property of the house; you have already paid for its repair and maintenance using a monthly receipt from the management company. If a closed valve allows water to pass through, then there is no need to turn off the common tap on the riser. It is enough to submit a request to the service organization about the need for repairs.

Putting the meter into operation and sealing it

To register a water meter, you must submit an application to the management company, attach to it a water meter installation diagram (a drawing on a piece of paper is enough) and a photocopy of the device’s passport. Agree on the arrival time of a technician who will check the correct installation and install seals on the meter and the bypass shut-off device (if there is one). Breaking the seals automatically deprives you of the right to use a water meter to record its consumption.

The signed act of commissioning a water meter imposes some responsibilities on you. Every month it is necessary to transmit meter readings to the operating organization. The deadlines for data transfer are strict, but if there are no readings, problems will not arise for 3 months. During this period, invoices will be presented based on average monthly consumption. Then the calculation will proceed according to the standard.

In addition, it will be necessary to allow employees of the management company to check the meter. Such checks are carried out no more than once every 6 months, but refusal to do so may result in the loss of the opportunity to pay for your water consumption using the meter, and the management company will have the right to charge you water consumption according to the standard.

Some cases from practice

Special attention should be paid to the points of the rules by cunning people who make taps into the water supply system in addition to the metering device. The water supplier, in case of detection of illegal withdrawal, has the right to make a calculation based on the maximum water flow through such a pipe. The time taken into account in the calculation does not exceed 6 months, but the amount of the fine even through a pipe with a diameter of 15 mm can be 100 thousand rubles or more.

The use of metering devices does not solve the problem of water leaks into the sewer system through faulty toilet shut-off valves or torn faucet gaskets. The fact is that water meters have a sensitivity threshold of 1% of the nominal flow. An apartment water meter DN 15 mm can pass through up to 15 liters of water per hour, and the meter dial will not move. There are many cases when a single pensioner, who uses 5-6 m³ of water per month according to the meter, has 10-11 m³ of it drained into the sewer every month through a leaking toilet.

Currently, management companies only have the right to inspect the condition of equipment inside apartments, but cannot fine negligent owners or force them to repair faulty sanitary fixtures. Management companies are forced to cover the difference between the general house meter and the sum of the apartment meters, which arises when there are a large number of small leaks from their income. This difference in some houses reaches 35-40% of total consumption. The Government of the Russian Federation urgently needs to make changes to the “Rules...”, allowing management organizations to register apartment leaks and collect the corresponding amounts from apartment owners.

You can install a water meter:

• on one's own. After installation, be sure to contact the management company so that its employees seal the meters and issue a commissioning certificate. The management company has the right to refuse to register your meters if it considers that the technical requirements during their installation were violated;
• with the involvement of a specialized organization. You can choose it yourself or ask your management company for a recommendation. After installation, the organization must issue you a commissioning certificate and other documents for the meters. Please contact the management company with these documents to draw up a contract for meter payments.

You can view the contacts of your management company on the portal.

After the meters are put into operation, starting from the 1st day of the next month, you will be able to pay for water supply and sewerage according to the readings of the meters.

After a certain time, it will be necessary to check the water meters to make sure that they are working correctly.

2. How to install electricity meters?

The owner of an apartment or house independently decides whether to install water meters with his own hands, or whether to use the services of professionals. There is no legal prohibition on installing appliances yourself. Only preliminary verification of the device and its sealing after installation are mandatory. Otherwise, the device indicators will not be taken into account.

You can often find a list of situations in which installing water meters is beneficial or, on the contrary, economically infeasible. In particular, the following data is provided: when the same number of people live in an apartment as are registered, the savings in paying for water supply after installing meters will be about 20-30%.

Unfavorable situations include housing more people than registered, as well as an unsuccessful water supply scheme. When introducing separate flows into the kitchen and bathroom into the apartment, you will need to install four meters (two for hot water supply pipelines and two for cold pipes). If there is a separate supply of fluid to the toilet (this is also common in old-plan houses), five meters will be needed.

By and large, all these arguments are not so significant, since their installation is mandatory, which means it will have to be done in any case.

Counter selection

There are several options for water flow metering devices on the market. The rules for installing water meters in an apartment with your own hands do not include an exact indication of the type of devices, so the choice remains with the homeowner.

Regardless of the design and operating principle, be sure to take into account the following features of the devices:

• recommended location of the meter (there are models for vertical and horizontal pipelines, as well as universal products that can be mounted in any position),
• the diameter of the connecting pipes, which must correspond to the diameter of the pipeline (the most common models are DN15),
• permissible temperature of the environment (theoretically, meters for hot water can be installed on cold pipelines, the main thing is that the water temperature does not exceed the permissible value, that is, models for hot water supply pipes must be selected with special care.

All water consumption meters can be divided into two categories: non-volatile and connected networks. The first include the simplest and most reliable mechanical products that have an impeller. As the flow passes, the blades rotate and the number of revolutions is counted.

Volatile meters can be of the following types depending on the principle of operation:

• vortex (the device counts vortices formed when the flow passes through a special element installed inside),
• electromagnetic ones to determine flow rate affect the flow with electromagnetic waves (models are highly sensitive to the composition of water),
• ultrasonic ones use vibrations to determine flow.

If the counting mechanism is isolated from the water flow by a special partition, such models are called “dry”.

Products with non-insulated counting mechanisms are “wet”.

The procedure for installing water meters in an apartment is the same for all models.

The meter must be purchased in a store, not on the market, and when purchasing, not only pay attention to the presence of a passport, but also carefully check the number indicated in the document with the number on the meter itself. This check will allow you to ensure that you are purchasing a certified device that is fit for use.

Choosing an installation location

Before installing water meters in an apartment, you need to know that the following requirements are imposed on the installation site of the meters, which are common for both private houses and apartments:

• temperature above 5° C,
• availability of lighting (natural or using lighting fixtures),
• accessibility for inspection, maintenance and repair.

In any case, the meter should be installed as close as possible to the entry point, but for apartments the rules are somewhat more flexible. Usually the metering device is installed in the toilet, and if the communications are inconveniently located (under the floor), installation in the bathroom is allowed.

Installation of a water meter in a private house is required no further than 20 cm from the input. If a well is installed, its lid is equipped with locks and sealed after the meter is sealed. Opening is permitted only in exceptional cases - in case of fire or accident.

Preparing for installation

Experts who know how to install water meters in an apartment recommend, first of all, check the package contents of the purchased device and prepare the necessary materials and tools. First of all, experts advise purchasing gaskets (rubber for cold pipelines, paronite for hot ones). You may also need plumbing tow and special sealing pastes. As an alternative, synthetic threads that already have silicone lubricant can be used.

The set of tools required largely depends on the type of pipes available. Please note that you will have to cut out a certain area, so you will need a hacksaw or an appropriate tool for plastic.

• If the pipes are metal, to install the assembled unit (meter with additional accessories), you need to cut a thread (stock up with the necessary tools).
• If the communications are made of plastic (polypropylene), purchase connecting fittings, scissors for cutting plastic pipes and a special soldering iron.

To tighten the connections, you can use adjustable or spanner wrenches of the appropriate diameter; it is just important not to be overzealous and not to “tighten” the threaded connections.

When checking the completeness of the meter, you can lay out all the elements on a flat surface in the direction of the water flow:

Important: When laying out the elements of the future meter block, pay attention to the arrows indicating the direction of the water. They should all point in the same direction.

Before installation begins, you will need to shut off the water supply. In a multi-storey building, the entire riser will have to be turned off, which can only be done by utility workers.

Sequence of work

1. Installing a water meter yourself begins with the so-called dry assembly. When assembling the circuit “roughly”, count the turns and note on which of the turns the circuit element takes the required position. After this, all connections are disassembled and reassembled using winding, plumbing grease and gaskets. At this time, it is important to ensure the required position for each element.

When this “chain” is placed horizontally, they “look” up:

• faucet or valve handle,
• dial (numerical panel) of the counter.

Down turn:

• impeller,
• filter sump (in this position it is easy to clean).

2. The second stage is cutting out a section of the pipeline for installation of the system. The installation diagram of a water meter in an apartment requires exact matching of the parameters, so it is important to measure the length of the assembled sequence with a minimum error and mark the corresponding distance on the existing communications. Before cutting out a section of pipeline, place a basin or pan to drain the remaining liquid in the system.

3. Installing the assembled unit onto a metal pipeline will require threading at the cut points. It is easier to work with plastic pipes - in this case it is enough to use special fittings.

When carrying out independent installation of water metering devices, it will also be important to know where to go for this and what the cost of the procedure is.

Read about kitchen siphons, their types and installation.

You will find a review of water filters at this address. And reviews from owners can help when choosing.

Checking the quality of installation

To check the quality of the meter installation, it is necessary to connect the general water supply, then smoothly turn the tap handle or valve and carefully inspect the assembled unit for leaks.

If everything works flawlessly, you can call a representative of the utility service or water utility to inspect, check and seal the meter. Only after he makes the appropriate marks in the device’s passport and issues a document confirming the fact that the meter was put into operation will you be able to pay for water supply in accordance with the readings received.

In the whole process, the difficulty, in fact, is not how exactly to install water meters in the apartment, but the process of obtaining permits and registration documents, agreeing to turn off the water supply and other organizational hassles. However, by independently installing water meters in an apartment, the cost of savings can be approximately 1500-2500 rubles for the installation of each measuring device.

Are you thinking about installing a water meter against the backdrop of regular tariff increases? Agree that it would be a good idea 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 don’t want to call a technician from the utility service for installation, but plan to do all the work yourself, but have never done this before?

We will tell you how to install water meters yourself, where to start and what rules to follow when putting them into operation. The article offers a diagram of the correct connection of water meters, discusses the 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 explained in detail which statements and other documents should be submitted to which organizations.

Installing a water meter is the first step towards rational consumption of utility resources and competent management of the family budget. After all, the amount indicated on the receipt will directly depend on the volume of cubic meters saved.

The widespread installation of metering devices also disciplines water utility workers, preventing them from uncontrollably attributing losses resulting from the operation of worn-out networks to residents.

Image gallery

You may also find useful information about existing types of meters discussed in our article:

When purchasing a product, make sure of two parameters:

1. The serial number on the water meter must match what is indicated in the passport.
2. The device must have a Gosstandart imprint on the seal.
3. The date of factory inspection must be recorded in the passport for the device.

At the time of purchasing the goods, the seller must put a store stamp and indicate the date of sale.

The best option is if there is not too long an interval between the date of factory testing of the meter and its sale

The purchased device must be checked by contacting one of the following organizations:

• housing department department;
• water utility management;
• private licensed company.

To carry out the inspection, the device is handed in along with the technical passport. Upon completion of the procedure, a stamp from the inspection organization will be added to the passport and all relevant fields will be filled in. At the same time, a date for sealing will be set.

Keep in mind that it is prohibited to damage the instrumentation seal, otherwise it will simply not be accepted at the water utility. If you accidentally damaged the factory seal, the department can still accept the device.

But, if the instrumentation seal is missing, then the meter data is considered invalid.

The equipment connection plan will clearly describe the sequence of installation of parts.

There is nothing complicated about it. Traditionally, the “garland” looks like this: the stop valve comes first, followed by a collapsible filter, followed by the water meter itself, and the check valve completes the “chain”.

Installing a water meter yourself

In advance, on the day when the water meter is supposed to be installed, you must write a statement to the organization servicing your home in order to call a plumber to temporarily shut off the water supply in the riser.

Stage #1 - choosing a location for accommodation

When choosing a location for installation, it is necessary to assess the current condition of the pipelines and determine whether there is wiring from the risers.

Metering devices can be placed in both horizontal and vertical positions.

The technician’s task is to provide free access to inspect the device.

The meter is placed as close as possible to the point where the main line enters the bathroom. For private houses, this parameter is 20 cm from the exit point of the pipeline.

In most cases, meters are mounted on pipes that drain water from a common riser, trying to place them immediately after the shut-off valves

Most often, the device is placed near the toilet or under the washbasin. The distance of the straight section, which must be set aside before inserting the device, is specified in the meter’s data sheet.

According to the requirements for installing metering devices, if the shut-off valves are old, they must be replaced with more reliable ones.

For cold water and hot water pipelines, ball valves of various markings are used: for hot water - DN25, and for cold water - DN15.

The ball valve is equipped with an internal thread on one side and an external thread on the other; it is used to screw on the coarse filter

For installation, it is better to use high-quality taps from trusted manufacturers that can withstand operating temperatures reaching 100°C and above, and high operating pressure.

Stage #2 - purchasing 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 a meter according to the diagram, you should clearly understand the purpose of each system node:

1. Stopcock– “front line” of the intra-apartment pipeline. To shut off polypropylene pipes, plastic taps are installed; for metal and metal-plastic pipes, brass models are used.
2. Cleaning filter– protects equipment from large suspended matter and therefore requires periodic washing. Available in two versions: straight and oblique.
3. Check valve– prevents the device from rewinding back when the water supply suddenly stops.

The ball valve can only be in two positions: open/closed.

The presence of a check valve immediately behind the meter is a prerequisite when connecting a water meter.

Placing this device immediately after the meter prevents the possibility of starting an air flow against the movement of water, which is often used by some unscrupulous “craftsmen” when unwinding the device.

Water utility inspectors always check the presence of this valve and never allow the device to be put into operation without it.

The tools you will need to carry out the work are:

• grinder (angle grinder);
• soldering iron;
• scissors or hacksaw;
• gas and adjustable wrench;
• FUM tape or tow;
• corners and bends;
• couplings (to change to another size).

Elbows and angles will be needed to connect the device to the 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.

The flow meter must be supplied with “American” parts and sealing rings.

“American” is a connecting fitting equipped with a union nut, the main purpose of which is to remove the device without harming the elements of the plumbing system

When planning to install a meter for hot water, you will additionally need to purchase paranitic gaskets, and if the water meter is for cold water, rubber seals. Tow and FUM tape will help ensure the tightness of the American connections with the check valve.

Stage #3 - installation and connection of the water meter

The easiest way to install a water meter is 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 part is equipped with a pipe holder.

You may also be interested in the information about and rules for conducting it, set out in our article..

But in the future, you only need to submit your meter for inspection every four years and enjoy the benefits of civilization without overpaying significant amounts.

Have you installed water meters? Tell us what difficulties you had to overcome during this process.

Perhaps you have encountered problems registering your device with a water supply organization? Your experience will be of interest to many users who are just thinking about buying meters. Leave comments in the block below this article.