How to submit water meter readings and how to check water meters

Why is all this needed?

Do you live in an apartment?
This means you use public services, in particular water. The resource supply organization servicing the house (Vodokanal) supplies you with water based on a contract. The agreement with Vodokanal is concluded by your management company (homeowners association, residential complex or housing cooperative), acting as an intermediary between you and the resource supplying organization. In this case, the provider of the utility service is the management company

, she is responsible to the owners.
Also, the contract can be concluded directly with the resource supply organization if your house has direct management by the owners. Then there is no intermediary, and the service provider is Vodokanal
.

So, to the performer

(your management company or Vodokanal directly), in order to calculate the amount of monthly water charges,
you need consumer meter readings
. Otherwise, he will calculate the fee according to standards that are significantly higher than the actual cubic meters of water you poured.

Who checks and how

The City Center for Accounting and Resource Saving has long been independently studying the topic of optimizing calibration work for those who contact the organization. Including how best to do this for the residents of the region. That is, how to check water meters in St. Petersburg. The State Center for Electronic Testing uses the most promising method of testing at home:

• You can call the center operator by phone or leave a request on the official website of the organization. At the time agreed upon with you, a specialist will come and perform a test directly at home without removing the water meters using special equipment. After this, he will draw up all the necessary documentation together with the swami, which you will transfer to the EIRC;
• Moreover, if the check shows a malfunction of the meter or a metrological inaccuracy that gives above-standard results, the technician will independently replace it at home.

They undertake to check the equipment so that you can continue to pay money only for the accounted water, and not overpay according to the standards set by the management company.

Do you have questions about checking meters? Write! We'll call you back

Checking water meters can be carried out both at home and in an organization that provides utility services. Most often this is Vodokanal or its subsidiaries. Usually, after 4-6 years after installation or the last check of the meter, a notification comes from the service organization that it is time for a check. However, don't wait for notifications.

They may forget about you, and the notification will be lost in the mail. If the passport for the meter indicates a date that is about to arrive, and the service organization shows no signs of concern, contact the water utility with a statement. You will be given a date for a visit from an inspector who will take readings, take the meter for inspection, and install a temporary version.

The easiest way to check a water meter with your own hands is to compare its readings with a standard. The latter can be any suitable container, the volume of which is precisely known. It is desirable that it be at least 10 liters. In principle, you can use a smaller container, but you will have to fill and empty it many more times.

Before checking, you need to make sure that during this process all other “consumers” of water: another faucet, washing machine or toilet flush cistern are inactive. After this, you need to remember or write down the last 3 digits on the right side of the counter. Usually they are painted in a different color and come after the decimal point, as they indicate the consumed liters, or rather units, tens and hundreds of liters, respectively, and not cubic meters. Having measured 100 liters using a container, look again at the meter readings and compare them with the original ones. The error should not exceed 2%.

For a more accurate check, you can simulate the verification procedure, which consists of measuring the consumed volume at low, medium and high pressure. The error is determined to be average.

How to take readings

Water meters are usually installed in the bathroom or toilet. A meter whose wheel starts spinning when cold water is turned on measures its flow. It may be marked in blue. The other, accordingly, measures the flow of hot water. Its color is red.

In total, you will see 8 numbers on the dial. The first five are black, followed by a separator (comma) and three more red numbers. You only need the first 5: they show how many cubic meters of water have been poured since the installation of the device.

The last three digits do not need to be included in the reading. These are liters that are not taken into account: they only affect rounding. If the 6th digit is 5 or more, then the five-digit number that we will write down is rounded up. If the number is 4 or less, then round down. Although this is not so important. As you understand, next month everything will be taken into account.

Operating life of water meters and their replacement

Each meter, regardless of its purpose, must have a technical passport in which manufacturers indicate the average operating time of this device. After the expiration date specified in the device passport, the meter must be replaced. The service life of the device largely depends on the manufacturer.

As practice shows, the average duration of uninterrupted operation of a device is from 8 to 15 years. Some time before the expiration date of the meter, the user of water supply services must take care of replacement.

The replacement procedure consists of the following steps:

• submitting an application to a company that provides this type of service;
• purchasing a new device if the organization does not provide such products;
• wait for the master;
• a specialist will inspect the old device and record the indicators;
• After installing a new meter, it is sealed and a document is issued to the owner of the apartment on the commissioning of the new device.

If the homeowner does not replace the device in a timely manner, then payment for used water is calculated at other tariffs, which may exceed the tariffs provided for water meters.

Note! Having hot and cold water meters can prevent unnecessary costs associated with water consumption.

However, the presence of any breakdowns and the lack of timely diagnosis of devices can lead to more complex problems. To solve them, it is necessary to spend a large amount of time and additional financial resources.

Online

On the Internet, you can send data through the official portal of the Mayor and the Government of Moscow, the State Services mobile application or the website of your management company.

The mos.ru portal contains a description of the service itself, and the State Services website contains detailed instructions on how to submit testimony. If this is your first time wanting to submit testimony online through the Moscow Mayor’s portal, you will first need to come and register at the local State Services center. On mos.ru you need to enter the payer code, apartment number and the readings themselves in m3.

There is another convenient option: install the “Moscow State Services” mobile application on your phone and use it.

If your home is managed by a management company, then its website should be indicated on the receipt. You can register and regularly submit data in your personal account. How to submit information through the management company’s website for the first time, check with its representative: he will tell you how to access the online service.

How to check a water meter at home, without removing it

The Internet is replete with offers and advertisements for meter checking services at home, i.e. without sending it to an organization that provides such services, but with a specialist visiting your home with equipment. Theoretically, such a procedure is possible! In this case, the water meter is checked according to the above procedure, with the notification of the utility service and the presence of its representative.

Such verification can also only be carried out by a company specially accredited in the standardization and metrology service by removing the device and checking it on portable compact equipment.

Based on the letter of the law, verification cannot be carried out without removing your water meter! ⇐

In practice, this is sometimes possible to do by agreement with a representative of the service provider. Of course, only taking into account strict compliance with all other requirements for the inspector and the procedure.

It is not recommended to carry out any checks yourself! Why? Because for the utility company this will have no meaning or legal consequences. It is also undesirable to check the meter yourself because you can damage it, which will lead to malfunction of the device, the impossibility of using it in the future and, as a result, additional financial costs.

In the Criminal Code or State Property Committee of the District

If you are a conservative or just like to walk a lot, you will prefer to personally transmit meter data every month.

Then you will visit the employees of the engineering service of your area (the address of which can be found on the website of the GU IS coordination center) and give them the completed form. Or regularly visit the management company.

By the way, your management company or homeowners association can determine a convenient way for everyone to submit testimony. For example, allocate one mailbox at the entrance for this purpose and set a deadline by which information must be submitted. If there is a concierge working in the house, he can keep a list of readings.

How to submit meter data in the regions?

In the regions of our country, you can take testimony in the same way as in Moscow, online, by phone or at the management company. But there are some differences.

On the Internet, resources such as the State Services website or the website of your management company will help you. There you need to register and then enter meter data in your personal account. Check to see if your management company has a service for submitting testimony by email. If so, you can email them the information.

The telephone number to which data can be transferred must be indicated on your payment document.

Is it profitable to install water meters?

Is it worth installing water meters and is it profitable? This is the main question for those who hesitate. Some are even considering removing meters if they have already been installed.

Most often, water meters are beneficial and help you save money. Let's prove it with numbers.

In Russia, the average tariff for cold water is 39 rubles/cubic meter (each region has its own tariff, this is the average price), the average monthly consumption per meter is 4 m3, if one person is registered. According to the standard consumption for 2021, this figure is 7.8 m3 per month.

Let's give an example of a situation where one person is officially registered in a residential building:

39*4 = 156 rubles per month from meters

39*7.8*1.5 = 456.3 rubles per month without a meter

Total expenses for the year: with a meter: 1872 rubles, without a meter: 5475.6 rubles.

The device itself costs about 600-800 rubles. Installing it will cost 2-3 thousand rubles.

Thus, within a year you will be able to “recoup” the costs of purchasing and installing water meters. Interesting fact: when there are metering devices in the house, this contributes to rational consumption.

Savings depend on the number of people registered in the residential premises. For example, if 4 people are registered, the savings will be about 500 rubles monthly.

I made a mistake and provided incorrect information

It's OK. You need to contact a representative of the management company or the chairman of the board of your HOA and report the error.

After this, a representative of the relevant organization will come, check the testimony and draw up a report. Next month you will be recalculated.

In some management companies, an additional fee may be required for such an unscheduled call to a technician, since the case is not an emergency.

Checking the cold and hot water meter

Installed water metering devices must meet special requirements that allow the use of water resources without violations. After installing the device, it is necessary to undergo diagnostics of the device for deviations after a certain period.

Carrying out this type of procedure is a paid service, however, some categories of citizens have the right to receive benefits, which you need to find out about when installing the meter.

Special equipment is available for both cold and hot water, and testing must be carried out on both devices immediately within the prescribed period, which is prescribed in the commissioning certificate.

Verification deadlines

The verification period depends on the type of device being used. Each type of water meter has documents that specify the operating instructions and the timing of the recommended diagnostics.

On average, this type of inspection is carried out once every four years, but there are meters that must be sent for diagnosis once every six years.

Who has the right to check?

Checking both cold and hot water meters is carried out by specialists from the company that provides water resources. Payment for the inspection is made to the account of this organization.

Let's celebrate! It is also allowed to carry out inspections by specialists who have the appropriate license to carry out this type of activity. In this case, the user must independently find the required type of organization and submit an application.

Home inspection procedure

Recently, diagnosing meters at home without removing the device is often used. This type of procedure has the following advantages:

• the procedure takes no more than 40 minutes;
• there is no need to remove the seal from the device;
• You can use both private and public enterprises;
• The service user receives the result in a short time.

To carry out diagnostics, you must perform the following algorithm of actions:

• apply for this type of meter inspection;
• wait for a technician who will have a special portable device with him to identify problems;
• connecting a special video device above the meter;
• connection to a free pipeline;
• releasing a certain amount of water and recording the results obtained;
• issuance of a certificate of inspection and diagnostic results.

Note! When choosing a meter diagnostic service at home, the water user does not need to wait a long time for a technician. However, if the device has some parts that have minor deviations, it is very difficult to identify this type of problem during home diagnostics.

Home inspection cost

Carrying out diagnostics of meters at home can have different costs depending on the region where the user lives and the company that provides this type of service.

On average, this type of procedure varies from 700 to 1500 rubles. In this case, after the diagnosis, the user of water resources must be issued a receipt for payment, which indicates the type of payment and the timing of its implementation.

How is the verification of metering devices documented?

In the procedure for checking a device for metering cold or hot water, the following documents must be filled out:

1. Act on the removal and acceptance of the water metering device for inspection;
2. Technical passport for the equipment.

The act must indicate:

• factory type numbers;
• date when the device was installed;
• information about the user of water resources;
• information from the company that installed and tested the meter.

After installation of the device, the user is given a commissioning certificate, which indicates the date of the next diagnosis.

Also, a special certificate must be issued, which will indicate the diagnostic results and contact information of the company serving the client.

Let's celebrate! When filling out the act, the signatures of a representative of the organization that checks the devices and the user of water resources must be present.

I didn't send my testimony for several months. What will happen now?

This issue is regulated by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated May 6, 2011 No. 354 “On the provision of utility services to owners and users of premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings.”

According to this document, if you have not sent data for six months or longer, representatives of the Management Company or Vodokanal (depending on who the contract is concluded with) should come to you and check the instrument readings.

During the three months that no data is received from you, you will be charged each month in the amount of the monthly average for the previous 6 months. If you have not submitted evidence for more than 3 months, you will be charged according to the established standards.

In order for you to receive a recalculation, a representative of the management company or Vodokanal must check the meter readings at your home. Write an application for recalculation and submit it to the place where you are sending the testimony. You can also contact the management company or resource supply organization by phone. They will recalculate your payment amount next month.

Features of water meter testing

The procedure for verifying water flow meters has become mandatory relatively recently, and only some owners of housing where meters are installed already have experience in fulfilling the requirements specified in the technical data sheet of the water meter. Many have yet to experience this procedure for the first time. Therefore, you need to know that during its implementation some difficulties and controversial issues may arise.

• The first question that most users have is whether to carry out verification or immediately replace the device with a new one.

When dismantling the water meter for testing, an accumulation of dirt may be found in its pipes.
This picture is especially common in multi-storey buildings with an old, worn-out water supply system . When checking a water meter without dismantling, the technician relies only on the parameters given by the control and measuring device. However, he cannot visually assess the condition of the internal parts of the structure, which are fully tested only in laboratory conditions. Meanwhile, the parts of meters in contact with water, especially those installed on the hot water pipe, wear out over time under the influence of high temperatures and chemical reagents. Therefore, verification at home can hardly be called absolutely accurate, and a meter tested in this way, with a certain degree of probability, may fail after some time.

Scale and corrosion products collected inside the meter chamber can manifest themselves at any time. Externally, the counter may look completely new

Any verification, regardless of its result, must be paid. If the metrologist determines that the device is unusable, then you will have to buy a new water meter. In this regard, some users doubt the need for this control procedure, preferring to purchase a new product in advance. It is difficult to say whether this makes sense after only the first period of inter-verification operation of the metering device. It should be noted that modern domestically manufactured water meters are made from wear-resistant materials. The total service life of cold water metering devices is usually 10–14 years, but some models can last more than 20 years.

Statistics show that only about 20% of products undergoing the first verification are considered unsuitable for further use. The remaining 80% do not change their characteristics even with a second diagnostic test. Therefore, metrologists still recommend having the meter checked, rather than buying a new product right away.

• Another psychological point that is often used by unscrupulous organizations calling on citizens to urgently check their water meters is the threat of imposing a large fine for failure to comply with the instructions sent. Typically, such companies place their warnings in mailboxes. Some law-abiding citizens, under such pressure, immediately turn to this company, which imposes its services, the cost of which is usually significantly inflated.

Therefore, owners of measuring instruments must understand the situation very correctly. The fact is that in nature there is no legislative act providing for fines or other liability for verification not carried out on time. The maximum that the controlling organization is authorized to do after the expiration of the device’s service life before mandatory verification is to transfer payments for water consumption to the standards established for apartments not equipped with water meters. And this is not a penalty at all. It’s just that the water supplier regards an unchecked meter as its complete absence. And that is all…

An example of a notice from a water utility is just a reminder, and failure to comply is not punishable by any penalties.

If such a notice comes from a water utility, then you can take it as a useful reminder. But whether to comply with this requirement or not - each owner of a water meter decides independently, based on his own considerations.

• To avoid overpayments, you should not succumb to tempting offers from companies to check the water meter without dismantling it at home at a big discount. If the master and the organization do not have a state license to perform such work, then the verification performed will not be taken into account and registered with the water utility. In other words – money down the drain! Therefore, before the metrologist starts work, do not hesitate to ask him for a copy of the title document and the master’s identification card. If there is no clarity, or copies of documents are not completely trustworthy, it is recommended to immediately call the water supply organization and clarify this issue.

A document confirming the right of an organization to carry out certain activities.
Be sure to pay attention to the dates - any license has limitations on its validity period. If the verification carried out is not taken into account by the service organization, it will have to be carried out and paid for again. It follows from this that it is best to submit an application to an official company, which will seal and register the verified meter for it.

• Some users believe that the water meter should be verified by the organization that installed it. However, in reality it happens that the company has not renewed its accreditation, but continues to operate. Therefore, when contacting its representatives, you should request a title document and look at the dates of its validity. If the license has not been renewed, then according to Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 354, the consumer can contact any organization that has state accreditation to carry out verification of cold and hot water meters.

If the work was carried out by a third-party company, and not representatives of the water utility, then the completed documents are transferred to the water supply and service company, where the official extension of the operational capabilities of the water meter is carried out.

Find out how anti-magnetic seals on water meters look and work, as well as what to do if the seal works, from our new article on our portal.

Testing water meters at home

If a technician is called to your home, a date and time for the inspection is set. Before connecting the inspection equipment, an agreement is signed in two copies between the homeowner and the inspection organization. Verification is usually carried out using control equipment "UPSZH 3PM", "Vodouchet 2M" or "VPU Energo M".

Set of testing equipment "VPU Energo M"

Due to the fact that the verification of accounting equipment will be carried out at home, it would be a good idea to understand in advance the general outline of how this process occurs.

The testing equipment is connected using two hoses - inlet and outlet.

1. One end of the inlet hose is connected to the control device, and the other to the mixer tap. For this purpose, the kit includes special adapters.
2. On the other side of the device, an outlet hose is connected, the second end of which is installed in the sink or bathtub drain.
3. After this, the water supply tap to the apartment is turned off. This is necessary for the technician to make sure that the indicators of the meter remain stable in the absence of water supply.

4. 
   Verification of water meters.

5. The next step is to first open the general tap, then the one to which the hose is connected. Water is poured through the testing equipment - a volume of about six liters is usually sufficient to take readings and determine the suitability of the water meter.
6. The amount of water passing through the control device is compared with changes in the water meter readings.
7. Based on the data obtained, the error of the water meter is determined. If the indicators do not exceed the established standards, the metrologist makes a conclusion about the possibility of extending the service life of the water meter.
8. All data, as well as a record with a conclusion on checking the metering device, is entered into its technical passport.
9. After completing the work and receiving the results, the metrologist must give the owner:

• a copy of the contract for the work performed;
• signed verification report;
• technical passport with a note on the possibility of using the water meter;
• certificate of conformity, which certifies the accuracy of the device;
• a copy of documents certifying the organization’s right to carry out verification;
• receipt for payment for the service.

If during testing the water meter gives significant errors, the metrologist will refuse to extend its service life, but will offer to replace it with a new device. The user can refuse this service, but in this case, payment for used water will be charged according to the regional average standards.

Find out all the details of installing a water meter yourself from our new article on our portal.

Video: Demonstration of checking a water meter without dismantling

When should verification be done?

The period after which verification must be carried out regularly is indicated in the technical data sheet of the metering device. If you don’t have the documents for the meters, you can always check the verification period in the receipt for utilities or call the management company or the chairman of the HOA.

Typically, the verification period for a hot water meter is 4 years, for a cold one - 6 years. Moreover, it is counted from the moment the device is manufactured by the manufacturer. That is, if you bought a cold water meter released in 2014, verification is needed already in 2020. And it must be done before the deadline.

The operation of the meters can be checked by water utility workers or specialists from an organization certified to carry out such measurements.

You must be given a verification certificate and make a note about it in the technical passport of the device. Act and copy of those. passports will need to be handed over to the organization to which you are sending the testimony.

Who should pay

As a general rule, the responsibility for ensuring that the inspection is carried out lies with the consumer of the utility service! That is, on the owner of the residential premises. Accordingly, all financial costs associated with such a procedure are borne by the consumer.

Another version of the financial burden is possible only if the contract for the provision of utility services for the supply of cold and/or hot water contains provisions that the obligation to conduct a scheduled inspection lies with the service provider (its performer). In this case, all procedural and monetary issues must be resolved by the utility company.