Electricity and water meters have long and firmly entered our lives. Now is the time for household gas appliances. How to choose the right meter specifically for your home, how to calculate the throughput, which companies produce the best household gas meters? How to choose them and not be mistaken?
Is it necessary?
Now many argue about significant savings when installing meters. On the one hand, some say that installing metering devices in apartments where one stove is installed is not practical, since such a device will pay off in less than 5 years. On the other hand, the people who installed the meters talk about significant savings when paying for gas.
This is a rather significant figure, about 25-50%, because you pay for the amount of actually consumed gas, which, for example, is extremely beneficial for those who move to the country in the summer. And for those who use flowing water heaters-columns for heating water or live in a private house where boilers are used for heating, it is worthwhile to quickly install a household gas flow meter. Also, metering devices will help those who have more people registered in the apartment than they actually live. Savings in this case will be quite significant.
Varieties of counters
Now on the market there are four main types of gas meters: membrane, vortex, rotational and turbine. Membrane metering devices divide the flow into fractions and use various elements to summarize the flow. The obvious advantages of this type of meter include their low price, as well as a fairly high accuracy of readings. However, membrane counters cannot withstand constant and variable loads. Most of the currently installed household meters are of the membrane type. It is worth noting that currently gas meters are domestic, their technical characteristics have taken significant steps to simplify installation work, and this is primarily due to the reduction in overall dimensions.
The rotary
type of counters is resistant to overloads, durable, and also has a sufficiently large throughput with small dimensions and weight. Eight-shaped rotors are used as a converting element in it. True, such a device is made of expensive materials, requires a long adjustment of parts, of course, it is much more expensive than other types.
In turbine meters, the turbine wheel is driven by a gas stream, therefore, the number of revolutions is directly proportional to the volume of gas passed through. Recently, such meters have been equipped with modems for transmitting information to servers of gas metering services.
The vortex counter needs external power supply, therefore it is not quite convenient in everyday life. Counters of this kind can be appreciated by industrial enterprises, since their main advantages include a large measurement range, especially at high pressure, and low sensitivity to pollution. Also, the main gradation of the meters can be considered their separation at the place of installation: domestic, industrial and municipal. Of course, it is very arbitrary.
Throughput
So, you have decided to purchase household gas meters for your home . How to choose a suitable device for you in accordance with your gas equipment? Let's look at the line of meters and its relationship with the labeling of the counter, depending on bandwidth. The gas meter installed on one device will be labeled G 1.6, that is, its throughput is up to 2.5 cubic meters of gas per hour. The G 2.5 meter lets up to four cubic meters of gas. The gas meter small-sized household G 4 is quite suitable for an apartment with a stove and a column, its throughput is up to six cubic meters. Etc. The counter with the number 6 in the marking will miss up to 10 cubic meters. meters, with the number 10 - up to 16 cubic meters. And finally, there is a meter for private homes with a large number of appliances - G 16, with a throughput of up to 25 cubic meters of gas.
note
When purchasing household gas meters, people's reviews must be taken into account. Users talk about errors in the operation of the equipment. They encounter them already at the stage of installation of metering devices or after a conversation with representatives of gas services. Before buying a meter, pay attention to the location of gas appliances and the entire pipeline, as manufacturers create meters with different directions of gas movement. Residents of private homes should consider purchasing a meter with a temperature corrector. A mechanism with a bimetallic compensator is installed in the design. At an ambient temperature different from the norm, it changes volumes and leads them to normal conditions. This, in turn, significantly reduces the counter. All these conditions will be met if the meter is installed on the street and is exposed to temperature effects.
Grand Counters
Perhaps, several successful models can be singled out as the main counters installed now. Grand household gas meters are available in a full line - from household gas meters with a minimum throughput rate to models with a throughput rate of up to 25 cubic meters. meters with temperature correctors. One of the main advantages of the devices of this company can be considered the ability to install it both in horizontal and vertical position, which, of course, is convenient in most kitchens in our country. The service life of the device is about 12 years.
The intertesting interval is also 12 years. A battery is installed in the meter’s case for the operation of the electronic display. To install this gas meter, it is not necessary to carry out welding work on gas pipelines, which will significantly reduce the cost of work. In addition to technical advantages, the manufacturer took care of the aesthetics of this device. Grand meters are available in three basic colors (white, orange and black). Responses of the owners of the device suggest that such household gas meters (electronic mechanisms) are extremely convenient in terms of placement and significantly save gas costs. At the same time, installation costs pay off within a fairly short time, of course, if you have at least two devices installed.
Betar counters
The direct competitor of Grand can be called gas meters manufactured under the Betar brand. This device is also quite compact, small overall dimensions allow you to place it without violating the aesthetics of the room, and at the same time comply with all necessary standards. The meter is made of plastic, has a trapezoidal shape. Betar household gas meters operate in approximately the same temperature range as the Grandes. They also install the appropriate battery, but here the difference lies.
The first Betarov models were equipped with an element that after 5-6 years failed. In any case, it is with such reviews that you can come across on the Internet about the first models of metering devices of this company. Otherwise, with regard to the declared service life and the calibration interval, the Betarov indicators are in no way inferior to the parameters of the Grand meters. The obvious advantages of this meter can be attributed to its "immunity" to various electromagnetic effects.
Submission of application for installation of metering device
So, you decided to install household gas meters on your devices. How to choose an organization to avoid unnecessary problems? It is worth remembering about the dangerous properties of gas and in this case it is not worth saving. In this case, it is simpler and more convenient to contact a regional gas company. This will significantly save time and effort, since in most regions the operation will be completed on a turn-key basis. A specialist will conduct a survey about which particular device will be more profitable for you to establish, what bandwidth will be needed for your metering device, where and how it will be located.
Rules for installing a gas meter
When choosing a place to install the device should follow several basic rules. So, you can not install counters on devices that emit heat and moisture. The installation height above the floor should be at least 1.6 meters. The distance from the wall to the counter should be at least 5 centimeters. The room where the meter will be installed must have natural ventilation, and it should not be installed in a stagnant zone. Well, and, perhaps, one of the main points is the distance from the gas-using equipment to the meter. If the passport does not indicate this distance, then the general standard should be adopted. Its size is 0.8 meters.
Installation of a domestic gas meter
After the installation of the device is completed, the gas service employee will seal the meter and transfer all necessary documents to the controlling organization. It is also worth issuing a passport of the metering device to maintain guarantees. That, in fact, is all. The gas meter is installed, sealed, you have already begun to save. We hope that we were able to answer all your questions about which household gas meters exist, how to choose the one you need, how and by whom it should be installed.