Today, many apartments already have instruments that measure the amount of water consumed. Residents install them for two reasons: the desire to reduce utility bills and prepare for the day when the availability of water meters becomes mandatory for everyone. Such devices really allow you to save from 500 to 1000 rubles per month (depending on the number of residents). At the same time, the desire of the residents themselves to reduce utility bills is important: the better they control the flow of water, the less they will pay. However, when calculating the expected benefits, we did not take into account the factor that water meters are periodically replaced. The law does not explicitly require this, but it stipulates the conditions that all measuring devices must be inspected on time. Let's try to simulate how it looks in real life.
Installation
So, you purchased the necessary devices and even were able to install them. Next, they need to be sealed - this service is provided by the employees of the REU, naturally, not for free. And you may be denied on the basis that the devices do not have a certificate. It is not forbidden to install meters on their own, however there is a risk of refusal if you request to seal the devices due to the fact that they are incorrectly located or connected.
You can order the full range of services in a special company. Workers will do all the work at a convenient time, quickly, efficiently, but expensively. The compromise is to buy meters and order installation and sealing in a REU. After the devices are delivered, you need to remember that the check or replacement of hot water meters is done every four years, cold - every six years. If you do not do this, you can at any time be recalculated according to the tariff (from the moment of the next check up to the present day, but no more than three years).
Checking or replacing a water meter
For any sane person, it is obvious that checking the device is much easier than replacing it. But this is in theory. In practice, to pass the test, you must dismantle the meters and take them to a special service. This procedure is paid and long, and no one will guarantee that the meter will be suitable. We consider the costs: payment for dismantling and installation, the cost of inspection, and in half the cases, the purchase of a new device. In addition, all the time while the device is being checked, you will be charged at the tariff.
Replacing a water meter requires much less effort. You only need to buy new devices and pay for the wizard. As a rule, this procedure takes no more than 2-3 hours. However, it should be noted that replacing the water meter instead of checking is justified when you have installed the simplest and, therefore, inexpensive devices. If you installed a sophisticated electronic device with the function of storing the latest readings or a temperature sensor that starts to record the flow of hot water only when it reaches a certain temperature, it is better to spend time checking it. Replacing a water meter with such technical parameters requires serious financial costs, so this procedure is justified only if the device does not pass the test.
Remember that the date of commissioning is considered the date and month of testing the device at the factory or the date of manufacture, and not the date of purchase.