Today, the installation of water meters has become a necessity. If you try to calculate the actual water consumption, then make sure that it is significantly lower than the one paid according to the general standard, so paying by the meter is much more profitable. The main role in reducing costs is played by the hot water meter, because the payment for heating water is a significant part of utility bills. Let's find out which water meters are better to choose in order to start saving.
Types of counters
We will try to understand the classifications of water meters in order to understand which one is better to choose for installations in the apartment.
Water meters can be designed for cold or hot water. They have the same principle of operation and differ in the materials from which they are made. The device for cold water is designed for temperatures within 40 ° C, for hot water - for temperatures up to 150 ° C.
According to the principle of operation, the counters are divided into:
- mechanical - they have an impeller or turbine connected to the counting mechanism, which is driven by a water stream;
- electronic - in addition to the impeller, they have a special device that, when rotated by a water jet, transmits electrical signals to the summation unit.
There are also vortex, electromagnetic and ultrasonic water meters, which are not usually used in everyday life. We will figure out in which situation it is better to choose a mechanical, and in which - an electronic device.
Mechanical water meters
To account for water consumption in apartments, mechanical water meters are most often installed.
Advantages:
- small size;
- low cost;
- sufficiently high accuracy of measurements;
- reliability and maintainability;
- energy independence;
- long service life - an average of 12 years.
Flaws:
- sensitivity to the effects of a magnetic field;
- gradual wear and tear clogging of the bladesaffecting the reliability of the testimony.
To choose a device suitable for specific conditions, you need to know about the varieties of mechanical devices.
- Vane and turbine. Winged can be installed on pipes with a diameter of DN 20, DN 25, DN 32, DN 40, turbine - on pipes of larger diameter, starting from DN 50 and ending with DN 200 (Dn - the nominal diameter of the pipe). In the conditions of an apartment, household vane meters are usually used.
- With dry and wet type of action. In "wet" devices, the counting mechanism is in the water, therefore it reacts to the degree of clogging of the flow and has a shorter shelf life. To extend the life of such a device, a filter should be installed in front of it. In "dry" devices, this mechanism is located behind the partition, so it is not affected by pollution and temperatures. The service life of such a device is longer, but the price is correspondingly higher.
- Single jet and multi jet. In multi-jet water meters, the water flow is divided into several jets before reaching the blade. Such meters are better than single-jet meters due to their higher reading accuracy, but they are more expensive.
Separately, we can mention combined water meters that combine vane and turbine devices located on parallel branches. At low pressure, the flow in the combined instrument goes through the impeller, when it increases, the valve closes, and the liquid moves through another outlet with the turbine. Combined meters are used in conditions of significant changes in water consumption.
Counters with pulse output
The above types of devices can be equipped with a pulse output module that converts the readings into an electrical signal supplied to the recording device, which can be located at any distance from the point of water consumption.This means that a smart water meter with a pulse output allows you to place the display for reading in a convenient place, and a hot water meter with a temperature sensor and a pulse output helps to further save money.
How it works? After opening a hot tap, water heated to a high temperature does not flow immediately. Sometimes, to get really hot water, you need to drain it for a long time. A conventional meter will record the consumption of hot water all this time. A meter with a pulse output and a temperature sensor determines the water temperature - while the water is cold, the impulses are recorded by the cold water adder, the volume of hot water consumption begins to be counted only when it is heated to the desired temperature. Since the tariff for cold water is much lower than the tariff for hot water, it will be more than advisable to choose a meter with a pulse output in order to save money. In the near future, when creating automatic metering systems, it is devices with a pulse output that will be most in demand.
Household electronic water meters
The main competitor of a mechanical water meter is an electronic meter.
Advantages of an electronic device:
- high accuracy of readings;
- possibility of vertical and horizontal installation;
- ease of reading;
- simple dismantling for verification - the mechanical part remains in place, the upper module is handed over for verification;
- long interval between verifications - up to 10 years.
Flaws:
- high price;
- the need for a power source.
Of greatest interest are multi-tariff electronic water meters, such as Archimedes and LV 4T.
The four-tariff meter LV 4T, consisting of a vane module, a temperature sensor and an electronic module, allows you to calculate the actual amount of hot water consumed. Depending on its temperature, the volume value is entered into one of four tariff cells:
- below 40 °C - the water is essentially not hot, there is no heating fee;
- from 40 to 44.9 ° С - 70% of the tariff is paid;
- from 45 to 49.9 ° С - 90%;
- above 50 °С - 100%.
The multi-tariff water meter Archimedes, an analogue of LV 4T, is represented by several models and can be four-tariff and two-tariff. Two-tariff Archimedes considers as hot only that water, the temperature of which exceeds 40 ° C. If the temperature of the water from the hot tap is lower, then Archimedes considers it as cold. In situations where the temperature of the water from the hot tap does not correspond to the declared one, meters such as Archimedes and LV 4T pay for themselves in a short time and reduce the cost of utility bills.
Certification and verification
When choosing a flow meter, it is advisable to study the accompanying documents, which should indicate:
- registration number of the device;
- date of manufacture and initial factory verification;
- best before date;
- warranty periods;
- recommended times between verifications.
Attention! The standard periods for periodic verification are 4 years for a hot water meter, 6 years for cold water.
Please note that verification does not apply to instrument maintenance or repair. The verification procedure is necessary to confirm the accuracy of the device readings, is mandatory and is carried out at the expense of the meter owner.
To decide which counters are better to choose, you need to calculate your own benefit:
- a cheap device can quickly fail;
- a quality device will have a longer service life, but will cost you more;
- a multi-tariff device costs a lot, but, most likely, it will pay off in a short time.
