Cold water meter. Lifetime

The legislative framework

According to the Housing Code, GOST and a number of legislative acts, citizens of the Russian Federation undertake to maintain water meters in good condition, periodically checking them and, in case of breakdown, replacing them. The device is replaced if its expiration date has expired or it has failed earlier.

Who pays for the verification and purchase of a new water meter?

The verification is carried out at the expense of the property owners and on their initiative. In some territorial divisions, metering devices are checked free of charge. The new meter is paid in full by the owner of the premises.

Attention! If the inspector detects a malfunction of the water meter during verification, further readings taken from it will not be accepted when calculating the amount of the utility service. A failed device is unprofitable for the owner to use due to inaccurate measurements.

Operating requirements

Every citizen must:

• use only those meters that are in working condition;
• bear responsibility for any changes he makes to the design in order to reduce performance.

How long will a water meter last?

Owners of square meters in the private sector and apartment buildings use metering devices. However, the service life of water meters in apartments and cottages is not unlimited. During operation, moving and rubbing parts wear out and metrological indicators become inaccurate. To control measurements, the water meter is verified.

During operation, moving and rubbing parts wear out and metrological indicators become inaccurate.

Legislation on water meters in the housing of citizens of the Russian Federation

What is the service life of water meters in apartments and houses?

Water meters are the main device for metering water entering citizens’ homes through pipelines. Based on the indicators from the water meter display, utility bills are generated and calculated.

If such a metering device is not available in the apartment or private house of a particular citizen, then the latter harms, first of all, himself, because in this case, the calculation of the amount to be paid for the water supplied to his home is carried out according to the average in the Russian Federation, which is often higher than that amount what the citizen himself consumes.

The Housing Code of the Russian Federation, some Federal laws and GOST advise Russian citizens to maintain water meters in proper condition and systematically check them for stable operation, and also, if necessary, replace them.

More precisely, the current legislation of the Russian Federation states that:

1. The water meter must be replaced if:

• based on the results of a qualified inspection, the metering device was found unsuitable for use;
• the technical documentation attached to the water meter determined the need to replace it due to its expired service life (in such a situation, it is permissible to check the device for normal operation and, if this is proven, the meter can not be changed for a certain period);
• the homeowner decided to change the water meter for his own reasons (repairs, redevelopment, etc.).

What is included in the concept of period of use and interval between verifications?

The service life is indicated in the technical data sheet. It does not matter when the water meter was installed. After the period specified in the documents, the device must be sent for verification.

Warranty period from the manufacturer

The warranty period is indicated in the technical passport. According to GOST, it is 1.5 years from the date of issue. Manufacturers may provide a longer warranty period. If the storage and operating conditions are met, the water meter can be sent to a service center for repair if a breakdown occurs.

Standard service life of water meters

The shelf life of DHW and cold water devices is the same - 12 years. After this time, the device must be dismantled and replaced with a new one.

Attention! This rule applies only to standard vane meters. Some models of other types can last up to 20 years.

Check interval for water meters

The intervals between calibrations of hot and cold water supply meters are 4 and 6 years, respectively. If verification is not carried out during this period, the device will be officially deregistered. A device in which inaccuracies are identified during inspection must be replaced, regardless of whether its service life has expired or not.

The service life of the meters is 12 years.

Control and expiration date

The shelf life of a water meter is limited by the accuracy of its readings. Requirements for device parameters and testing activities are established by the following regulations:

1. Federal Law (FZ) No. 102, on a unified approach to measurements, which came into force on June 26, 2008.
2. Federal Law No. 261, which established the requirements for energy saving and energy efficiency of all interested parties, came into force on November 23, 2008.
3. Government Decree (PP) of the Russian Federation No. 354 on the rules for the provision of utility services, which came into force on May 6, 2011, as amended on March 27, 2018.

In accordance with the requirements of governing documents, representatives of management companies have the right to conduct external inspections of measuring instruments quarterly to identify:

• sealing violations,
• malfunctions for which a visual inspection is sufficient to detect,
• identifying signs of consumer interference in the operation of the mechanism,
• preventing attempts to obtain water bypassing the water meter.

In addition, it is envisaged to verify the operation of meters against reference indicators in the laboratory by authorized metrological services. The frequency of mandatory testing of the cold water meter is 5 years, the hot water meter is every 4 years.

Attention! It is allowed to use different models of meters if their characteristics comply with established standards. The shelf life of a water meter depends on the model and ranges from 10 to 12 years.

What factors influence the shelf life of devices?

Factors contributing to water meter failure are listed in the table:

In what cases should you contact the company that installed the metering devices?

It is necessary to report a malfunction of the water meter if it:

• began to spin slower or, conversely, faster;
• constantly rewinds the readings, preventing the correct indication of water consumption data.

The owner of the apartment will be able to accurately determine the cause of the malfunction only with the help of a specialist.

What to do after the meter is declared faulty?

In this case, you should notify the housing office about the breakdown and call a repairman. The cost of the work will vary depending on whether an inspection or complete replacement of the equipment is required.

"National Economy" found out how homeowners who forgot to check their water meters are punished

Your time is up. How homeowners who forget to check their water meters are punished. Details a little later, first about the warranty periods of individual metering devices.

16 years of service. Of all the home meters, electric meters can work longer than others without failure. Without requiring verification - this is what control over the accuracy of readings is called. 16 years here, however, is the maximum term. Depending on the filling, and the consumed kilowatts are counted by induction and electronic devices, the calibration interval can be reduced to 6 years. And when buying a new meter, you need to look at when it was manufactured. Information in the technical passport. It is from this period, and not from the date of purchase, not from the date of installation, that the suitability of the device is considered. If it is the property of the homeowner, it is his direct responsibility to monitor the verification deadlines. But many electricity meters are still managed by resource organizations. Unlike the water ones. Here the entire responsibility is on us. Once every 6 years, at least, you need to call specialists to check the cold water meter. Once every 4 years - hot.

“Because our hot water is supplied with overheating, the use of the materials that exist, and everything also depends on the purification of the water and the gradients that are used. Therefore, such an interval was established. It was installed naturally through the endurance tests that were carried out, and with the capabilities that exist. Of course, for the most part, everything depends on the purity of the water,” says Deputy General Director of the Federal Budgetary Institution “Rostest Moscow”.

And even if the water passed through the meter without serious consequences for it, only specialists can confirm this. Violating verification deadlines is more expensive for yourself. Employees of management companies have a better memory than many apartment owners - they have a record of when your meter turned on. And if the device is overdue, water bills immediately begin to rise.

“Then we received a fine for not completing this inspection on time. The fine is five thousand rubles,” says Ekaterina Kovalchuk.

Ekaterina Kovalchuk learned about penalties for failure to timely check cold and hot water meters from the management company when she asked for clarification as to why her utility bills suddenly tripled.

“I don’t understand where they get such huge numbers. I searched on the Internet for what they could charge such a fine. I haven't found a single reason for this. I believe they have no right to collect this fine from us,” says Ekaterina Kovalchuk.

In fact, explains lawyer Igor Zverev, the bill issued is not a fine at all. Moreover, the law does not provide for penalties at all for failure to verify metering devices. However, management companies are inventive. And if the meters are overdue, they enter their readings in the water consumption column.

“In fact, they charge other volumes of water that are inflated. They are deceiving the consumer. But they hide behind this simply by the abstract word fine. They cannot fine,” warns Igor Zverev, a lawyer at the Society for the Protection of Consumer Rights.

In the absence of verification, water volumes, as practice shows, can really be anything. In the case of a receipt from one of the residents of Moscow, the volume of consumption was overestimated by 20 times. The residents of this apartment consumed an average of one and a half thousand liters of hot water per month. And they were given 30 thousand.

As we found out in the unified settlement center, according to the readings of the common house meter. When asked on what basis, the ERC employee referred to the rules of the contract, which is signed when installing meters. But the Management Company named a different law. City government decree number 77.

Interesting: How long does Hot Smoked Mackerel last in the refrigerator?

Lawyer Dmitry Gordeev says such references are pure deceit. Moreover, general household consumption is also paid for by residents. For example, in the form of expenses for maintaining a home. But calculations for meters that have not passed verification are made differently.

“When a device has exceeded the inter-verification period, consumption standards are applied, while this consumption standard is established by a government agency and no one can come up with some kind of standard of its own, neither the managing organization nor the GUIZ with its RCC. That is, they apply the standard that was established by the state authority of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation,” says Dmitry Gordeev, leading legal adviser at the Institute of Urban Economics Foundation.

In Moscow, according to the standard, hot water consumption per month per person is almost 5 thousand liters, and for cold water - almost 7. Despite the fact that real consumption is less. But calculations according to the standards can begin only three months after the meter’s service life expires. Until this moment, according to paragraph 59 354 of the Government of the Russian Federation, all management companies in the country must use average monthly meter readings. But they thought differently - we need to demand a recalculation. And in case of refusal, contact the regional housing supervision authorities. Or to court.

And finally, a story from American Nashville. There they are vigorously discussing the robbery that took place 12 years ago. The criminal, who was never caught at one time, again reminded of himself. But now having returned what was stolen, and with interest. The other day, an unknown man handed the owner of the once damaged store an envelope and quickly disappeared. $400 and a letter of repentance were inside. The author, who did not give his name, said that under the influence of drugs he then pointed a gun at the cashier and took away $300. The current hundred from above is compensation for an unworthy act. The thief, of course, should be in prison. But this was forgiven. Moreover, the store owner regrets that he did not have time to personally thank him for the apology.

In Moscow, according to the standard, hot water consumption per month per person is almost 5 thousand liters, and for cold water - almost 7. Despite the fact that real consumption is less. But calculations according to the standards can begin only three months after the meter’s service life expires. Until this moment, according to paragraph 59 354 of the Government of the Russian Federation, all management companies in the country must use average monthly meter readings. But they thought differently - we need to demand a recalculation. And in case of refusal, contact the regional housing supervision authorities. Or to court.

What to do after the end of its service life?

Despite the full serviceability of the water meter, when the end date of its operation arrives, the device must be replaced. There are no special requirements for the model in terms of price or technical requirements - it is chosen at the discretion of the owner.

Who has the right to install new equipment?

The new device is installed:

• personally by the owner of the apartment or house;
• housing and communal services workers.

Responsibility for timely replacement of the device lies with the owner of the property. When installing new equipment, he must write a corresponding application, attaching to it copies of documents on ownership of the property and the technical passport of the device being replaced.

What needs to be done before replacing the meter?

The property owner must take the following actions:

• record and save the last readings of the old meter in advance;
• call a housing office employee to your home to inspect and confirm the integrity of the seal.

If the worker removes the old device and immediately installs the new one, he will finally put a seal on it. If you replace the device yourself, you should call a specialist to seal it, indicating a convenient date and time.

At the end of its service life, the device must be replaced.

When is an early replacement of a metering device necessary?

The water meter must be changed before the expiration of its service life if:

• it was accidentally damaged during repairs and replacement of water supply pipes;
• the meter did not pass the next verification and was declared invalid;
• The decision was made to remodel the apartment.

If a breakdown is detected during the warranty period, the device can be replaced or repaired by contacting the manufacturer.

Installation procedure for a new device

The sequence of actions is as follows:

1. The owner sends a request to the housing company.
2. An agreement is drawn up with a company that has permission to install metering devices.
3. A water meter is purchased at the company store.
4. Installation and sealing is carried out.
5. New documentation is being prepared.

Paid services

Paid services include installation of equipment by a specialist; its cost does not exceed 500 rubles. Documents for a new device are issued free of charge. Registration of the meter does not require any additional fee.

Some nuances

To avoid problems, it is recommended to purchase equipment only from specialized companies. A technical passport must be attached to the meter. It is necessary to check the production date indicated in the documents with the one printed on the product.

The need to install devices that take into account water consumption

Water meters allow you to control water consumption and pay only for the volumes consumed. In the absence of an individual metering device, the calculation is carried out according to general standards.

Features of verification

Verification is carried out after dismantling - removing the device. In this case, the specialist takes the water meter to an inspection company for examination. The check can also take place on site - at home. In the latter case, the accuracy of the analysis is not guaranteed.