DIY water meter repair

DIY water meter repair

There are water meters in every apartment, if for some reason they are not there, then this is a violation of the law and it will have to be eliminated sooner or later, that is, to install meters.

At the same time, it should be noted that the meters in the apartment are very inconvenient.

In Europe, for example, meters are not installed in apartments, but on staircases near the front door of an apartment. The inspector does not need to look for you to take readings. Replacement and repair of the meter can be carried out without the presence of the owner and see magnet for water meter ... Everything is done in a human way, but we, as usual, through one place. I mean, through the toilet or bathroom.

This is how most dwellings in the post-Soviet space are arranged - the water meter is bolted to the inlet water valve. And the location of these valves is, to put it mildly, very inconvenient. The owners suffer all the time, take the Romberg pose to take readings. Well, if you have to remove the meter, then the plumber is worth a lot of spent energy and nerves. And all because of the ill-conceived location of the water meters.

The chance to fix everything appears when the owners are planning to make repairs in the bathrooms. Then the counters can be transferred. And of course, this chance must not be missed, they must be put in a convenient place.

So what you need to know when you start repairing bathrooms, what to look for?

1. As mentioned above, this is to rearrange the water meters in a convenient place, both for the owners of the apartment and for the future plumber.

The ideal location for water meters is, of course, a niche in the wall. But in order to make a niche in the wall, the wall must have an appropriate thickness. Then a niche with a minimum size of 0.3m * 0.3m * 0.1m is cut out with a puncher and a grinder. Less is impossible, but more - please (note that the size of the niche is given for two counters). If the thickness of the wall is not enough, then you need to turn on your brains and look for options.

One option is to hide the meters in a box covering a riser with a sewer pipe, or in a box with water pipes.

When the situation is sad and there is nowhere to hide the counters, then at least place them inside the bedside table or other furniture.

2. Remember that water meters must be periodically removed and returned for inspection, therefore, access to them should be convenient.

3. Do not forget that all threaded connections can leak, and meters are no exception. We place the counters so that the dripping water on the floor flows down to a conspicuous place and gives a signal to the owners that they need to look at the counters.

4. A properly installed water meter can stand for many years without leaks, but with mechanical stress, slight shake or vibration, it can leak.

5. If the meter is leaking, then do not panic, but close the water inlet valve. Next, unscrew and remove the meter itself, remove and discard the gaskets, put new ones and install the water meter in its place.

These tips will help you to live and operate water meters correctly and safely.

What does the water meter show

Water meters are subdivided according to the principle of operation into:

• electronic
• electromagnetic
• vortex
• tachometric (mechanical)
• ultrasonic.

In apartments, as a rule, electronic or mechanical water meters are installed. The rest of their varieties are intended for industrial use.

Water meters are also subdivided into:

• non-volatile
• volatile (powered by batteries or external power supply).

Water meter SVK15

Water meters of foreign production, which are equipped with electronic control (which are very different from domestic meters), are very popular in Russia. As a rule, many people prefer water measuring devices from German manufacturers: Siemens, Zenner, Minomess. The principle of operation of these devices is based on the fact that a specially built-in small-sized chip reads water consumption readings, which are automatically transmitted to the control room via a computer network.

Popular Russian-made water meters include: Vodopribor, TeploVodomer, Pulsar, Multisystem, Meter, Beregun. Unlike foreign devices, the functionality of domestic water meters is limited - they are designed to account for the consumption of either hot or cold water by residents. In recent years, Russian manufacturers have begun to produce universal meter models that allow you to take into account hot and cold water supply at the same time. These are such devices as SGV-15 (Staroruspribor plant), SVK-15 (Gazelectronica plant, Arzamas).

Electronic water meter

1. Excellent resistance to water pressure build-up in the system. The meter records the amount of consumed water even with a small head.
2. Convenient reading of the instrument readings, thanks to the presence of arrow and roller indicators. Due to the pulse output, the readings can be remotely read.
3. The electronic meter can be installed both vertically and horizontally.
4. When carrying out a metrological check, the dismantling of the water meter is quite easy: in this case, only the upper part of the flow meter is removed, and all its connecting parts remain structurally connected to the pipes.

Mechanical water meter

1. Domestic meters are mostly assembled from imported components, so they are not inferior in quality to foreign devices.
2. Mechanical water meters are widely available in the trade.
3. Low cost (compared to electronic ones).

Buying a water meter

An important criterion when choosing a water meter model is its cost. When buying a domestic device with mechanical control, expect up to 400 rubles. Electronic meters made abroad, of course, will cost significantly more (up to 2,000 rubles). But on the other hand, they are more reliable (verification is performed every 10 years) and outwardly look modern - everything affects their price.

It's no secret that the so-called water meters allow not only to control water consumption, but also to pay only for the consumed natural resources. The actual savings in the family budget are noticeable already after a month of using the water meter - as a rule, the payment for tap water is reduced by two, or even three times. The profitability of these devices is obvious, so the installation of water meters in your apartment is only a matter of time.

Installation requirements for water meters

Oddly enough, but the water utility puts forward only three basic requirements for the installation of water meters.

Firstly, it is the presence of protection of meters from mechanical damage by large and small debris in abundance in tap water. To prevent the ingress of foreign particles into the meter and, thereby, to protect it from premature failure, a coarse filter must be installed in front of the water meter. You need to put it in your own interests - most modern plumbing fixtures also need such protection.

Secondly, the installation of water meters in an apartment, in order to avoid unwinding of water meters by some irresponsible persons, should be accompanied by the installation of a so-called check valve.It is installed immediately after the meter and does not allow some craftsmen to start up the air flow against the movement of water through the meter and release it through the filter. At one time, there were many such precedents.

Thirdly, this is the sealing of the meters. Immediately after the installation of the water meters, an application is submitted to the local water utility, the specialists of which perform the sealing. Along the way, they also check how correctly the water meter installation scheme was followed in your case.

How to properly install a water meter with your own hands

Self-installation of water meters, as a rule, is combined with a full or partial replacement of a water supply system - it is almost impossible to embed water meters yourself into an existing water supply system made of metal pipes without special tools.

First you need to correctly determine the installation location of the water meter. Usually it is located on the pipes that drain water from the riser. But this is not important - by and large, the meters can be taken anywhere in the apartment. Another thing is, is it necessary? And it's easier to install them directly on the nozzles immediately after the shut-off taps - in this case, you don't even have to turn off the risers and deprive all residents of the entrance of the water supply.

But if the crane is old and needs to be replaced, then shutdown is indispensable. To do this, call the plumbing and turn off the water supply. Then we safely dismantle the entire water supply system or part of it, screw the old valve and in its place we install a brand new ball valve, which on one side has an internal thread, and on the other - an external one. Please note that a tap marked DN15 is used for cold water, and DN25 for hot water. At first glance, there is no difference between them, but if you look at it, it will be found in the materials used in their manufacture - a tap marked DN15 will not last long on hot water.

Go ahead and screw a coarse filter onto the external thread of the tap. Pay attention to the arrow on this product - it indicates the direction of the water flow. The filter must be installed in accordance with this arrow - the tip of the tap. This is exactly what the correct installation of water meters requires. To seal threaded connections, either tow, or FUM tape, or a special thread is used. The seal is wound in a clockwise direction.

After the filter, a branch pipe with a union nut is installed - as a rule, two of these products come complete with a water meter. Like the filter, the union nut is installed using tow. Further, by means of a union nut and a rubber or paranitic gasket, a meter is attached to the already assembled fittings structure. As with the filter, it has an arrow to indicate the direction of the movement of the water. Now we take in our hands the second branch pipe with a union nut and connect it to the check valve. The valve also has a certain direction of installation - screwing it up with a union nut, pay attention to the fact that the arrow points in the direction from the nut.

And again we take a rubber or parasite gasket, through which a check valve is installed to the other side of the meter.

The last step, which provides for the technology of installing a water meter, is to connect the entire recruited structure to the apartment water supply. In the case of partial dismantling of old pipes, it is very easy to connect them to the meter with a metal-plastic pipe - for this you only need a couple of keys.

This is how the correct installation of water meters is done with your own hands. As soon as the work is done, and all connections are checked for leaks, you can safely apply for sealing the water meters.

Sources:

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How to put sugar in a glass: To put sugar in a glass, you need to take a spoon, scoop it up, bring it to the cup and pour it out! ?

In this article I tell you how I managed to repair a water meter with my own hands How to repair a water meter with my own hands?

Why is it useful to repair a water meter with your own hands? What needs to be done to repair the water meter with your own hands? We remove the seal from the water meter We continue to disassemble the water meter for repair Do-it-yourself repair of the water meter - we check the correctness of the readings

In this article I will tell and show you how to repair a water meter with your own handsif for some reason you do not want to contact Vodokanal.

Before that, than to start, there is little about its own reason.

I live in a private house and the water meter is installed in a hole in the yard. Usually for the winter I warm it up with any unnecessary rags and nothing terrible has happened to it before. And last winter the water meter froze. Apparently, I didn't insulate it enough, or the frosts were stronger, in general, I heard the sound of flowing water in the pit, looked in and ...

Naturally, in such cases, you just need to contact Vodokanal, the specialists will do everything. But I was too lazy to contact, because in our area there is close groundwater, the pit from the dawn is filled with water until spring. To repair the water meter, it is necessary to scoop out the water with buckets, obviously, taking each bucket away. And the specialists must arrive at the time for which they promised, which, usually, you will not wait. This is a fundamental condition, since with close groundwater in the pit, the water is collected after the poll and it is necessary to scoop and carry it again. In winter. Into the frost. With all this, the pit is open, in other words, it is no longer insulated, which is fraught not only for the meter, but also for the pipe ...

In short, I did not contact Vodokanal in winter to have them repaired the water meter. Well, to apply in the summer, they say, my water meter is frozen, you yourself realize how it sounds.

Therefore, when the groundwater left the pit (it was already July), I decided to repair the water meter with my own hands.

The repair itself is not difficult, since the device of the water meter is simple. The difficulty, as you probably guess, is the presence of a seal, which, after repairing the water meter, should not differ from itself before in the standard outside.

So, how to repair a water meter with your own hands, step by step:

Carefully remove the seal, remembering how it stood (it is better to photograph everything in advance and from different sides); Disassemble the water meter; Find the malfunction; Find the cause of the malfunction; Remove the malfunction; Assemble a water meter; Test the operation of the repaired water meter; Hang a seal.

How to remove the seal from the water meter? Seals are different: in the form of a lead tube, a lead plate, a plastic disk, in the form of a numbered (or non-numbered) holographic sticker, on self-adhesive numbered and non-numbered stickers, from plasticine ...

I will not be clever and say here how to remove any seal imperceptibly. Since I’m not a burglar, but an ordinary householder who faced a certain situation, I don’t know how to remove any seal, but I’ll tell you about the one on my water meter, in other words, tin (or duralumin, which, in general, does not matter), folded like a box:

As you can see in the photo, the line goes through the inside of the seal. While the "box" is closed, do not remove the line. Means to open. But the halves of the seal cannot be simply taken and opened - there are such small antennae that, when sealed, bend inward and, if the seal is broken, can break. We need these antennae to survive after all our manipulations.

Therefore, it is necessary to carefully (!) With the help of a narrow and narrow screwdriver slightly (!) Open the flaps of the "box", quite a bit ... if only the line could be removed, but the tendrils bent inward were not broken and the seal could later be returned to its previous form.

So, they pulled the seal off the fishing line, put it in a safe place where no one would step on it or throw it out.

Now you need to untie the fishing line. But not just untie, but first figure out how it was wound and tied. It is clear that you are unlikely to be able to figure it out, because the camera will help you: take a picture of the water meter with fishing line from all sides.

Only later we remove the line ...

The line goes through a plastic ring that holds the halves of the body together:

We take out the fishing line from this hole.

There is one more seal in the place of the lock on the ring. This is a seal on a self-adhesive sticker with the date of the last calibration of the water meter. This seal must also be preserved, since its safety says that no one climbed inside the meter.

Such seals can be forged. I found this annotation on forging a seal on the Web:

“We remove the seal as much as possible (!) Carefully (!), Stick it on a sheet of paper, scan it, and then print it on a printer with the highest quality. Before sticking the seal in place, we spray it with water (preferably from a spray bottle) to make it look worn and slightly blurry, which is inevitably found on such seals. "

But I was not so perverted, but neatly with a blade cut the sticker along the junction of the ring. Very neatly - so that later this cut would not be visible (I pinned hopes that it would be dark in the pit and this cut would not be noticeable; besides, the inspectors, as a rule, are in a hurry, so they are unlikely to begin to scrutinize; well, time showed that my calculations were correct).

Further, using a narrow screwdriver:

- also carefully open the ring:

And we remove the upper part, in which the counting mechanism:

We put it where its safety will be promised (away from the place where something heavy can be accidentally dropped on this thing or stepped on).

We examine it. There is a brass plate, under which there is an impeller in the body, spinning from the pressure of water. The casing with the impeller and the transparent part in which the counting mechanism (you put it aside) are separated by a named brass plate from each other. Hermetically sealed! Therefore, if you removed the upper part of the water meter, and there is water on the brass plate, it means that it is not airtight for some reason.

In my case, it was exactly like this, and the reason was obvious: the water in the case froze, squeezed out the plate and even broke. (In the photo, the crack can be seen if you know that it is there, or you can look very closely.)

What to do? I decided to change the case. I asked neighbors, friends and acquaintances if anyone had an old water meter. There were even a few. Changing one body on the pipe for another is a common thing, we take wrenches and replace them.

Before that, rather than collecting the water meter in a reverse order, it is better to make sure that it indicates the amount of water spent, close to the real one.

In my case, the water meter on the pipe is placed horizontally, therefore, there are no problems at all: we put the part in which the counter mechanism is on top of the case, but do not put on the plastic ring yet. We start up the water. Water flows through the body of the water meter, and the counting mechanism should also work with all this.

We collect water in a container with a known volume and look at the meter to see if it indicates correctly. If it is correct, we fasten the halves of the case with a plastic ring with a lock and again check the operation and readings of the water meter. If everything is in order as before, we are still not in a hurry to hang seals, but for a certain number of days we use water and watch the behavior of the water meter. Everything is fine - we return the seals to their places and live long and happily, in peace and prosperity, in love and joy.

Well, if some malfunction still crawls out, we eliminate it too, after that we again assemble the water meter and again test a certain number of days ...

This is how it turned out for me do it yourself water meter repairand no one saw anything. And I wish you success.

All new buildings of recent times are being leased equipped with metering devices for the consumption of water (cold and warm), gas and heat. The duration of operation of these devices depends on the quality of the water. It is not surprising that the counters break down periodically. In order to save your home budget, it is possible to repair the water meter yourself.

It should be emphasized that all cold water metering devices are sealed by the water supply organization and are registered with it. And if you saw that your counter is working somehow wrong, then, urgently, you need to solve this problem. What should get your attention:

• the numbers or the arrow of the counting mechanism do not move or rotate in the opposite direction;
• you consume water, as before, but the meter readings do not correspond to this (more or less);
• the body of the device cracked and allowed a leak.

All of the above visible indicators indicate a breakdown of the device. In this case, it is possible to try to repair the meter. If this fails, then you will have to replace it.

Repair of the meter is done specifically at the installation site. To do this, you need to study the internal design of the meter. Basically, such devices are composed of an impeller through which water passes. She turns it, this rotational movement is transmitted to the system of gears, which, for their part, are connected to the counting mechanism. This whole structure is placed in an iron case at the bottom and transparent at the top. Based on this circumstance, the incorrect operation of the counter may be as follows:

1. Littering with small hard particles or rust deposits. Despite the fact that, if the rough filter works normally, this is unlikely.
2. The impeller is worn or damaged.
3. Wear of the gears of the counting mechanism.
4. Mechanical damage to the case or exposure to low temperatures (if the meter is installed outside and froze in winter).

If you find that the meter does not work well, first of all, you need to contact the water supply company for permission to remove the seal. Its unauthorized removal will lead to a huge fine.

Taking written permission, it is possible to start dismantling the device. To do this, we shut off the water by means of a valve installed at the water inlet to the apartment / house. Such a valve must be placed in front of the meter. Moreover, if there is a central hot water supply, then the hot water valve must also be shut off at the inlet. After that, we open cold water to throw off the rest of the water from the system. Only then we unscrew the union nuts on the water meter and remove the device.

In order to resume the water supply, replace the meter with an iron insert specially designed for this.

Now it is possible to start identifying the breakdown. First, blow out the counter. Just blow hard into the inlet. If it remains motionless, then try to rinse the device under a strong pressure of water. It will wash away a blockage or a layer of rust, if the circumstance of poor operation of the water meter in them. If the wheels turn during the purge, then the malfunction has been eliminated.

At a time when flushing does not help, it means that something has broken down and it will be necessary to remove the case. To do this, you need to disassemble the meter itself. We carefully separate the upper transparent part from the iron body. We remove the top, scoreboard, counting mechanism and impeller. At the time when the device is disassembled, it is not difficult to establish the fact of the breakdown. Then the matter is small: worn out parts for new ones and we collect everything back.

If it is possible to carry out the repair yourself, then you yourself will not put the stamp of the state standard. Proceeding from this, it must be saved by any method so that at the end of the assembly of the water meter it remains in its place.

If the iron part of the body is damaged, it is more likely that the water meter will have to be changed or the faulty water meter with the whole body must be found and replaced.

At the end of the repair work, the device must be reinstalled. The work algorithm is as follows:

• We shut off the water at the inlet.
• We get rid of the remaining water in the pipes by opening the mixer.
• We remove the iron insert, and install a water meter in its place. Along with this, it is better to put new gaskets under the union nuts.
• We open the water.If water leaks from under the union nut, the nut must be tightened.

Although it is really possible to repair the water meter on your own, you should be directed to take into account some of the nuances:

• If you do not deal with plumbing work invariably, then finding spare parts is problematic. In retail, they are, in most cases, not sold.
• It is unlikely that it will be possible to preserve the factory stamp of the sovereign, and the water meter will have to be given in reality. And it is not known whether he will pass it at the end of your repair, besides, these are material costs - the service is paid.
• The price of a new water meter is not so huge and it is easier to replace a broken device with a new one. Despite the fact that, if there is a great desire to use your abilities, then you are welcome.

So, with such a simple method, you have the opportunity to repair the water meter. Do you have personal experience in this matter? It will be very interesting to read your comments on the article.

From this video, you will determine how the water meter works:

All new buildings of the last time are being leased equipped with metering devices for the consumption of water (cold and hot), gas and heat. The duration of operation of these devices depends on the quality of the water. It is not surprising that the counters break down periodically. To save the family budget, you can repair the water meter yourself.

It should be noted that all cold water meters are sealed by the water supply organization and are registered with it. And if you notice that your counter is working somehow wrong, then, without shelving, you need to solve this problem. What should get your attention:

• the numbers or the arrow of the counting mechanism do not move or rotate in the opposite direction;
• you consume water, as before, and the meter readings do not correspond to this (more or less);
• the case of the device is cracked and leaking.

All of the above visible signs indicate a breakdown of the device. In this case, you can try to repair the meter. If this fails, then you will have to replace it.

The meter is repaired directly at the installation site. To do this, it is necessary to study the internal design of the meter. Mostly such devices consist of an impeller through which water flows. She turns it, this rotational movement is transmitted to the system of gears, which, in turn, are connected to the counting mechanism. This whole design is placed in a metal case from the bottom and transparent from the top. Therefore, the reasons for the incorrect operation of the counter may be the following:

1. Clogging with fine solids or rust. Although, if the coarse filter is working normally, this is unlikely.
2. Impeller worn or broken.
3. Wear of the gears of the counting mechanism.
4. Mechanical damage to the case or the effect of low temperatures (if the meter is installed outdoors and froze in winter).

If you find that the meter does not work well, the first thing to do is contact the water supply company for permission to remove the seal. Its unauthorized withdrawal will lead to a large fine.

Having received written permission, you can proceed to dismantle the device. To do this, we shut off the water using a valve installed at the water inlet to the apartment / house. Such a valve must be placed in front of the meter. Moreover, if there is a central hot water supply, then the hot water valve must also be shut off at the input. Then we open cold water in order to dump the remaining water from the system. Only after that we unscrew the union nuts on the water meter and remove the device.

To restore the water supply, replace the meter with a metal insert specially designed for this.

Now you can start identifying the breakdown. First, blow out the counter. Just blow hard into the inlet. If he remains motionless, then try rinsing the device under a strong pressure of water.It will wash away clogging or rust deposits, if the reason for the poor performance of the water meter is in them. If the wheels spin when blowing out, then the malfunction has been eliminated.

When flushing does not help, it means that something is broken inside and you will have to remove the case. To do this, you need to disassemble the meter itself. Carefully separate the upper transparent part from the metal case. We remove the top, scoreboard, counting mechanism and impeller. When the device is disassembled, it is not difficult to establish the cause of the breakdown. Then the matter is small: we just change the worn out parts for new ones and put everything back together.

If the repair can be done on your own, then you yourself will not put the stamp of the state standard. Therefore, it must be preserved in any way so that after assembling the water meter it remains in its place.

If the metal part of the case is damaged, you will most likely have to change the water meter or find a faulty water meter with a whole body and swap them.

At the end of the repair work, the device must be reinstalled. The work algorithm is as follows:

• We shut off the water at the inlet.
• We get rid of the remaining water in the pipes by opening the mixer.
• We remove the metal insert, and install a water meter in its place. In this case, it is better to put new gaskets under the union nuts.
• We open the water. If water leaks from under the union nut, tighten the nut.

Although it is quite possible to repair the water meter yourself, some nuances should be taken into account:

• If you do not deal with plumbing work all the time, then finding spare parts is problematic. They are generally not sold in retail.
• It is unlikely that it will be possible to preserve the factory stamp of the sovereign, and the water meter will have to be put to test. And it is not known whether it will pass it after your repair, besides, these are material costs - the service is paid.
• The cost of a new water meter is not that great and it is easier to replace a damaged device with a new one. Although, if there is a great desire to apply your abilities, then you are welcome.

So, in such a simple way, you can repair the water meter. Do you have any personal experience in this matter? It will be interesting to read your comments on the article.

From this video you will learn how the water meter works: