Where to submit documents for verification of water meters: sequence and deadlines

Why do you need to check your meters?

Checking water meters

Verification of meters is a mandatory procedure, which is enshrined in federal legislation and government regulations. By failing to comply with this, the apartment owner is deprived of the opportunity to pay for water according to water meter readings. Starting from the next month, which follows the month of mandatory verification, charges will be made according to the standards (the first 3 months take into account the average meter readings for the last 6 months).

The task of checking a water meter without removing it is to identify measurement errors in the device, if any. Based on the results, either the satisfactory technical condition of the old meter is confirmed, or the old device is replaced with a new one.

Methods for checking water meters

Verification, according to current legislation, is a mandatory procedure. This means that the question of the voluntariness of verification is removed by itself. Didn't pass the metrological tests in the prescribed manner? Then pay for cubic meters of water consumption, drainage and irrigation according to the standard for each person living in the premises.

After the date of overdue verification, calculations are automatically made based on average per capita consumption. From this moment on, the meter readings will no longer have anything to do with the numbers on the receipt (6 m³ of cold and 3 m³ of hot water per person per month and not a liter less).

Methods for passing mandatory metrological control have also been determined. The following options are available to choose from:

1. The owner independently removes the meter and takes it to the metrology laboratory. Verification can take several to 10 days, so a temporary insert is installed in place of the device, and water consumption is calculated according to the standard. It is prohibited to break or install seals yourself, so a representative of the management company is invited. Payment for such a service ranges from 250 to 600 rubles;

2. A specialist calls to your home and checks the water meter. In turn, it can be done in two ways: with or without removing the device. The cost of the procedure is 600–1200 rubles. It must be said that consumers themselves can initiate an unscheduled verification of the device. This need arises when there is a suspicion that the water meter is overestimating water consumption.

When is it carried out?

The calibration interval depends on the model of the metering device. The frequency of verification is indicated in the technical data sheet of the device. You can find out the date of the next verification in the receipt for payment for housing and utility services. The procedure must be carried out in advance, before the verification date. It is recommended to take care of this a month or a month and a half before the deadline in order to have time to submit the documents.

The inter-verification period is different for hot and cold water meters. A device installed on a cold water supply system is checked once every six years, a meter installed on a hot water supply system - once every 4 years.

If you wish, you can check your meters more often. If seals or verification marks are broken, the readings have changed dramatically with normal water consumption, the procedure must be carried out as soon as possible, without waiting for the next date.

There are no fines or water shutoffs for failure to timely test metering devices. The only risk of delay is the calculation of payment for water according to standards. If you're lucky, the management company may not immediately switch to calculating according to the standards, but if the meter does not pass verification, then a recalculation will be made for the entire overdue period.

Much depends on the management company. There are known cases of litigation with the management company, when for all overdue months payments were accrued according to the standard, even if the device passed the tests, or the entire excessive consumption of water by the house for the month was recorded on this meter.

Check by a specialist without dismantling the device

This is a very convenient method, especially if the time is right to send the device for verification. To call a specialist to your home, it is advisable not to wait until the end of the verification period, but to write an application to the metrological service. At the specified time, the technician will come to your home with the appropriate equipment (spray installation-flow meter) and conduct a check according to the following algorithm:

1. Installation of the measuring device to the opening of the shower hose.
2. Preparing scales and containers for measuring water consumption.
3. Checking the water meter: whether its wheel is spinning if all the taps are closed.
4. Recording the initial parameters of the device.
5. Drawing water into a container and then recording the device readings. This test is carried out using cold and hot water.
6. Carrying out the necessary calculations, calculating the average error value of the water meter.

Important! The procedure should be performed several times at different pressures. The standard percentage of error ranges from 2-10%. If the error obtained during the calculations falls within the specified range, the device is in working order. If the error value is larger, the meter must be replaced.

Certification of the result

At the end of the check, the technician issues a certificate to the owner stating that the device is in good working order. The document must be presented to the management company. You cannot miss the inspection time. Otherwise, the management company may present you with a water bill based on the notorious average data.

The advantages of such a check:

• Affordable price. In any case, it will cost much less than completely dismantling the device.
• If the house has an old pipeline, it will not be damaged. Dismantling the meter is no small test for old pipes.
• Saving time, and at the same time, energy and nerves.

Important! The downside is that the diagnosis is quite approximate. It is quite possible that some parts of the meter are worn out, and soon the breakdown will fully manifest itself. In this case, you will have to pay both for verification of the old one and for the purchase of a new meter.

Where to contact

Verification of metering devices without removal is carried out by representatives of specialized metrology companies. The company must be accredited. You can choose any company you want.

When deciding on a company, you should do it carefully so as not to fall for the tricks of scammers. It is necessary to be suspicious of anyone who persistently imposes their services.

The check can only be performed by an engineer or metrology technician. Students and other persons are not allowed to perform the procedure. In addition, verification of metering devices without removal can only be performed by a company that uses special portable devices.

Documents for the procedure

To undergo the procedure for checking water meters without removal, a specialist must provide a technical passport. It indicates the date of the initial factory verification, from which the dates of all subsequent checks are calculated, indicating the name of the specialist and the certifying seal. This document contains information about any manipulations with the metering device. They even advise you to make a copy of this document.

If the technical passport is lost, it is almost impossible to carry out the test. There is a possibility that it will be carried out upon submission of the latest verification report. Otherwise, you will have to install a new measuring device.

How water meters are verified at home: further steps

If your water meter is in working order, we will issue documents confirming the diagnostics performed. They must be provided to the management company and the verification period must be extended for further operation of the water meter. You can find out the address of the organization in your area in the corresponding section of our website.

If serious problems are detected in the operation of the device, it must be replaced. Our specialists can immediately perform the replacement - they have the meters and all the necessary equipment with them. In this case, there is no charge for verification.

Verification procedure

Checking with a special device

First you need to call and leave a request. On the appointed day, a technician will come with special equipment packed in a blue or black suitcase and perform an inspection without dismantling the meters.

Names of popular testing instruments:

• Test-VS;
• VPU Energo-M.

The equipment is installed on the mixer using hoses. The device consists of a measuring controller, a flow transducer and a computer that converts and calculates all data.

First, an external inspection of the meters is carried out. Then the error of the metering device is determined. Checking water meters without removing them will take 5-20 minutes. If deviations in the operation of the meter from the specified parameters are detected, the device will be replaced with a new one.

To minimize the possibility of the meter being declared inoperable, it is recommended that you check it yourself visually before concluding a contract. You need to make sure there is no:

• mechanical damage;
• water or condensation under glass;
• corrosion in the place where the counting mechanism connects to the body;
• uneven movement of the impeller of the counting mechanism;
• fixed position of the right drum of the counting mechanism when the water tap is open.

If at least one of these signs is present, there is no point in carrying out tests - the meter must be replaced.

How much does it cost to check a water meter?

Checking water meters at home without removing them is not included in the services for maintaining and repairing the property of the house or other services, so it is paid separately by the owner of the apartment.

State tariffs are not provided. The service is provided by private companies that can set any prices. The agreement between the parties regarding the cost is formalized in a contract.

On average, the cost of checking water meters is 500 rubles, but it can vary in one direction or another, depending on the model of the device and the company that will perform the check.

What to do after the procedure

The fact of testing is documented by a verification report (in 3 copies), a certificate of verification of meters. Additionally, you need to receive an agreement, a copy of state accreditation, and a receipt of payment. A verification mark can also be applied to the meter; sometimes it replaces the certificate. The inspector returns the device passports.

One copy of the act is submitted to the management company (housing association/housing cooperative or Vodokanal, depending on who is paying for utilities) to update the information and restore the payment procedure if a transition has been made to payment according to standards.

If the document is issued in one copy, then copies are provided to the company. The original documents must be kept by the property owner.

Is it possible to carry out the verification yourself?

You can do the verification yourself using available tools. But it is performed only for the purpose of monitoring the parameters of the device for oneself and has no legal force, since a certificate certified by an accredited company must be obtained upon the fact of testing.

How to check the water meter at home yourself?

In principle, this can be done, but such a check will not have legal force. It is advisable if the verification period has not yet expired, but you have a sneaking suspicion that the device is “lying.” To check, prepare 2 measuring buckets: 10 and 25 liters.

Important! If metrologists check the correct operation of the meter at different water pressures, then we will do the same.

Follow this algorithm:

1. Record the water meter readings for cold and hot water.
2. Let the water flow in a thin stream and fill a ten-liter bucket. Record the new readings from the device again.
3. Using 25-liter containers, fill 1000 liters of water at medium pressure. Dial continuously, no need to close the tap. It is possible that you will need an assistant. Did you dial it? Now record the readings from the device again.
4. It remains to use 1000 liters, or, as people say, “cube”. Proceed according to the same principle as in the case of 1000 liters, only now turn on the tap completely. Write down the indicators again.

So, you have used 1110 liters of water. All that remains is to determine by simple calculations what flow rate the device recorded. If the error is in the range from 2 to 10, then the device can be used.

Important! If the water meter works correctly, then at low pressure it slightly undercounts the liters. With medium pressure the calculation is correct, but with strong pressure it slightly exaggerates the readings.

Now you know how to check water meters at home. The following information is for those who have had their water meter tested. There can be no talk of any payment according to the standards. While the water meter is removed, you pay according to the average water consumption for the last 3 months. If they want to force something else on you, it is illegal.

Trust, but believe. What do owners of individual water meters need to remember today in “People's Economy”.

But first, the latest news on exchange rates: dollar - 32.09, euro - 40.28.

From 23 thousand to 2 million 25 thousand rubles. The Ministry of Finance has published the possible amounts of insurance premiums for public transport passengers. And starting next year, any carrier (with the exception of the metro - it has a special status and taxis - there are MTPL tariffs) will be required to insure its civil liability for damage to the life, health and property of a passenger. The smallest amounts are just for damaged luggage. As for the costs for each passenger that carriers expect in this regard, the most expensive transport is sea transport. Up to 45 rubles. Then air - up to 20 rubles. For comparison, on commuter buses and long-distance trains the maximum is 2-3 rubles.

Separate the particular and the general. Already this fall, we should receive new receipts for housing and communal services payments, which will make it clear what is charged for housekeeping and what is charged for our private consumption. The rules come into force on September 1, but regions have a couple of months to start making calculations. And the now mandatory water, heat and electricity meters should help. Individual and collective. If there is no common appliance in the house, resource providers have the right to supply the one they see fit, and the residents will have to pay for it. Installment plan for 5 years is possible. For those who do not have meters in their apartment, compulsory measures are not provided. But formally, such owners still violate the law.

And law-abiding citizens, in turn, need to remember when exactly they got a water meter. The fact is that from time to time all such devices need to be checked in order to know for sure that they are counting accurately.

“Inspections can be regular or extraordinary. The next check is carried out for all counters. For hot water meters - 4 years after factory testing, for cold water meters - after 6,” said Nikolai Peshekhonov, sales director of the Voronezh water utility.

What is more valuable - time or money? Pay less? This means you need to take the water meter to the metrological service. Naturally, a master must dismantle it so that the apartment is not left without water. After all, it can take several days for the device to be checked - there is a queue.

“The error can be both a plus and a minus,” says metrology engineer at the Federal Budgetary Institution “Rostest-Moscow” Anna Nazarova.

As a rule, the meters make mistakes that are not in favor of consumers. You can check your meters right at home. Employees with special equipment will arrive.

How to understand whether verification is needed or not? In Moscow, water meters were installed en masse in 2008. Now just 4 years have passed. Those who bought it themselves need to look at the product passport. But who keeps them?

“In this case, you need to start from the commissioning act. If it is not there, then you need to contact the settlement center, where they can provide this information,” said director of the utility company Mikhail Lygo.

The easiest way is to install new water meters. It costs about 200 rubles to dismantle the meter. Verification - about 500. Installation back - again 200 rubles. The device cannot simply be screwed on - you need to issue a commissioning certificate. Another 500. Total: about one and a half thousand rubles. A new water meter costs about the same in a store.

And the worst thing is if money is spent on all this, and the device is declared unsuitable. “About 20% of the total mass is rejected,” said metrology engineer at the Federal Budgetary Institution “Rostest-Moscow” Anna Nazarova.

By the way, if you look at the readings, this water meter almost did not work. In 4 years, only 35 cubic meters of hot water ran up. This is very little. Usually - 150-200. And still the owner is obliged to carry out verification. Or the utility companies will deregister this device.

“In this case, he will pay according to the standard. The standard sets, for example, a certain amount of consumption per day. It doesn’t matter whether a person has consumed this amount or not, he will pay exactly for this standard,” said Boris Portyankin, president of the Association of Energy Service Companies and Metering Instrument Manufacturers.

If you install new water meters, the utility company is obliged to issue you documents. Where the old device ended its existence, where the new one begins. If there are more than just zeros on it, that’s normal. The red numbers indicate an error; the meter was tested at the factory. We only pay for black ones.

If there are cracks on the water meter, there is no seal, or it is damaged in some way, there is no need to carry it for inspection. You can throw it away immediately. He is not considered fit for work.

Back to barter. Unemployed Spaniards, a problem with a record level in Europe of 25%, are increasingly using labor hours as currency. Time banks are multiplying in the country - there are already about three hundred of them. For example, if you helped someone with a renovation, you topped up your account, and you can count on the services of other such depositors. Spaniards are now increasingly going to barter fairs, where they can exchange unnecessary things for fresh products. All this, however, is not know-how - a centuries-old practice that, by the way, frightens some experts. They say that this is a step backwards, that the economy is being driven into the shadows.

Water meters have replaced consumption standards with payment for the volume of actually consumed resource. Those private subscribers who paid for 9 m³ of water per resident began to pay up to 4.5 m³ per month. The benefits for most owners from using meters are obvious.

Water metering devices help supplying organizations keep records of drinking, network and waste water. As part of heat meters, they measure the flow of coolant to consumers. For practical purposes, to make it easier to distinguish water meters, color marking is used. If there is a red stripe on the body, then it is a hot water meter (WASH). Water meters for limited purposes are marked with a blue stripe. They are intended only for cold water, VSKh meters, specialists take this into account when installing products.

According to current legislation, water flow metering devices must be checked during installation and during subsequent operation at certain intervals. This norm is enshrined in Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated May 6, 2011 N 354. It also determines the payment for verification by the owner of the device. There are relevant by-laws that detail the methodology and timing of verification activities and define the powers of accredited organizations.