It is not the verification that has been canceled, but its fixed deadlines! An article about this from the newspaper “Star Boulevard”
Four questions about water meters
The editors receive many questions regarding the mandatory verification of water meters. All of them are associated with the release in December last year of Moscow Government Resolution No. 831-PP, which canceled the document that regulated the procedure for installation, maintenance, and verification of water metering devices (Appendix 1 to Moscow Government Resolution No. 77-PP dated February 10, 2004). So is it necessary or not to carry out verification?
The changes were commented on by the Directorate of Housing and Public Utilities and Improvement of the North-East Administrative District.
Why do you need to check your meters?
Checking water meters
Verification of meters is a mandatory procedure, which is enshrined in federal legislation and government regulations. By failing to comply with this, the apartment owner is deprived of the opportunity to pay for water according to water meter readings. Starting from the next month, which follows the month of mandatory verification, charges will be made according to the standards (the first 3 months take into account the average meter readings for the last 6 months).
The task of checking a water meter without removing it is to identify measurement errors in the device, if any. Based on the results, either the satisfactory technical condition of the old meter is confirmed, or the old device is replaced with a new one.
How and when to check water meters at home
According to the current rules for the supply of utilities, such measurements are required within the time limits established by the meter manufacturer. In most cases, this is six years for cold water meters and four years for hot water meters. You can check the timing in the instructions for the water meter.
Upon expiration of the verification period, calculations for accounting for water consumption on the meter are suspended, you are given standard consumption (clause “a”, clause 59 of the Rules for the provision of utility services to owners and users of premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings, approved by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 05/06/2011 . No. 354), recalculation for the period of making accruals according to the standard is not done.
When is it carried out?
The calibration interval depends on the model of the metering device. The frequency of verification is indicated in the technical data sheet of the device. You can find out the date of the next verification in the receipt for payment for housing and utility services. The procedure must be carried out in advance, before the verification date. It is recommended to take care of this a month or a month and a half before the deadline in order to have time to submit the documents.
The inter-verification period is different for hot and cold water meters. A device installed on a cold water supply system is checked once every six years, a meter installed on a hot water supply system - once every 4 years.
If you wish, you can check your meters more often. If seals or verification marks are broken, the readings have changed dramatically with normal water consumption, the procedure must be carried out as soon as possible, without waiting for the next date.
There are no fines or water shutoffs for failure to timely test metering devices. The only risk of delay is the calculation of payment for water according to standards. If you're lucky, the management company may not immediately switch to calculating according to the standards, but if the meter does not pass verification, then a recalculation will be made for the entire overdue period.
Much depends on the management company. There are known cases of litigation with the management company, when for all overdue months payments were accrued according to the standard, even if the device passed the tests, or the entire excessive consumption of water by the house for the month was recorded on this meter.
Video material
Now you know how to check water meters at home. The following information is for those who have had their water meter tested. There can be no talk of any payment according to the standards. While the water meter is removed, you pay according to the average water consumption for the last 3 months. If they want to force something else on you, it is illegal.
Where to contact
Verification of metering devices without removal is carried out by representatives of specialized metrology companies. The company must be accredited. You can choose any company you want.
When deciding on a company, you should do it carefully so as not to fall for the tricks of scammers. It is necessary to be suspicious of anyone who persistently imposes their services.
The check can only be performed by an engineer or metrology technician. Students and other persons are not allowed to perform the procedure. In addition, verification of metering devices without removal can only be performed by a company that uses special portable devices.
How much does it cost to check a water meter at home?
The cost of checking water meters at home varies depending on their number. Special rates are provided for preferential categories of the population. Prices can be found in the table below.
Note! There are many fraudulent organizations in the utility market. Their representatives call customers and offer to check the meter at home and further replace it, even if the device is working properly.
VERGIZ does not impose basic and additional services on clients; we work only upon request. During our work, more than 50 thousand procedures for checking meters at home in Moscow were performed. Our services are recommended by many management organizations in various areas of Moscow.
Vergiz company service: Meter verification
Documents for the procedure
To undergo the procedure for checking water meters without removal, a specialist must provide a technical passport. It indicates the date of the initial factory verification, from which the dates of all subsequent checks are calculated, indicating the name of the specialist and the certifying seal. This document contains information about any manipulations with the metering device. They even advise you to make a copy of this document.
If the technical passport is lost, it is almost impossible to carry out the test. There is a possibility that it will be carried out upon submission of the latest verification report. Otherwise, you will have to install a new measuring device.
Checking cold and hot water meters
It has now become mandatory to install meters
Every person who owns a home is required to install meters separately for cold and hot water supply, but installing and forgetting about them will not work.
After a certain period of time, each water meter must be verified, not to mention the fact that monthly readings must be taken from them for payment and documents must be submitted. So, where and when should water meters be checked?
- For a cold water supply meter, verification is carried out every 6 years.
- The hot water meter requires verification every 4 years.
It is important to remember that the timing of such verifications is calculated not from the moment of installation of new meters, but from the moment of their manufacture, which are recorded in the technical passport of each unit. The moment of subsequent verification is calculated based on the date of verification of the previous one.
Verification procedure
Checking with a special device
First you need to call and leave a request. On the appointed day, a technician will come with special equipment packed in a blue or black suitcase and perform an inspection without dismantling the meters.
Names of popular testing instruments:
- Test-VS;
- VPU Energo-M.
The equipment is installed on the mixer using hoses. The device consists of a measuring controller, a flow transducer and a computer that converts and calculates all data.
First, an external inspection of the meters is carried out. Then the error of the metering device is determined. Checking water meters without removing them will take 5-20 minutes. If deviations in the operation of the meter from the specified parameters are detected, the device will be replaced with a new one.
To minimize the possibility of the meter being declared inoperable, it is recommended that you check it yourself visually before concluding a contract. You need to make sure there is no:
- mechanical damage;
- water or condensation under glass;
- corrosion in the place where the counting mechanism connects to the body;
- uneven movement of the impeller of the counting mechanism;
- fixed position of the right drum of the counting mechanism when the water tap is open.
If at least one of these signs is present, there is no point in carrying out tests - the meter must be replaced.
How much does it cost to check a water meter?
Checking water meters at home without removing them is not included in the services for maintaining and repairing the property of the house or other services, so it is paid separately by the owner of the apartment.
State tariffs are not provided. The service is provided by private companies that can set any prices. The agreement between the parties regarding the cost is formalized in a contract.
On average, the cost of checking water meters is 500 rubles, but it can vary in one direction or another, depending on the model of the device and the company that will perform the check.
What to do after the procedure
The fact of testing is documented by a verification report (in 3 copies), a certificate of verification of meters. Additionally, you need to receive an agreement, a copy of state accreditation, and a receipt of payment. A verification mark can also be applied to the meter; sometimes it replaces the certificate. The inspector returns the device passports.
One copy of the act is submitted to the management company (housing association/housing cooperative or Vodokanal, depending on who is paying for utilities) to update the information and restore the payment procedure if a transition has been made to payment according to standards.
If the document is issued in one copy, then copies are provided to the company. The original documents must be kept by the property owner.
Is it possible to carry out the verification yourself?
You can do the verification yourself using available tools. But it is performed only for the purpose of monitoring the parameters of the device for oneself and has no legal force, since a certificate certified by an accredited company must be obtained upon the fact of testing.
Methods for self-testing a water meter
If the deadline for the metrological test has not yet come, and you have doubts about the correct operation of the meter, then the question arises - how to check the water meters yourself? There won't be much difficulty with this.
To conduct an independent test, it is enough to have a calibrated container of at least five liters. Next, you write down the readings of the “red” numbers on the meter, place the measuring container under the tap and open it. When the water reaches the calibrated mark on the container, you stop the stopwatch and turn off the water. Then check the meter readings - the readings on it should increase by 5 liters. This means that on the red digitized disk farthest from the decimal point, on which spilled liters are recorded, the readings should increase by 5. You can use a container of a larger volume, but, in any case, it is advisable to carry out not one check, but a series of three to five . The average result will give you a more accurate measure of the meter's performance.
After conducting an independent check, you will no longer have the question of how to check water meters. Although in a specialized laboratory the verification is carried out using a more complex but more accurate method, which takes into account both the speed of water flow and the pressure in the pipeline, and measures the amount of water passing per unit of time, you can easily do the verification for yourself at home.
The result of your independent check will give a comprehensive answer - the water meter is working correctly or it needs to be repaired. Typically, those devices that overestimate water consumption readings are sent in for repair, and those that underestimate the readings meekly wait until the end of the verification period. For the family budget, this situation has an economic justification, but only if a common house water meter is not installed in the basement of your apartment building. His testimony will quickly show the difference between apartment-by-apartment and general metering, and will prompt inspectors to conduct an unscheduled inspection of water meters in all apartments.
Legal regulation
Verification of the water meter is designed to determine the error that is allowed during the operation of the device while recording the consumption of water in different consumption modes. After the necessary verification, a conclusion is made about the operation of the device and the possibility of its further operation.
An ordinary water meter under normal conditions can last up to twelve years, but during operation it requires periodic inspection. Hot water meters should be checked once every four years, and cold water meters should be checked once every six years. Sometimes an extraordinary procedure of a similar plan is required. To carry it out, you need to contact a service company.
Legal regulation
The owner himself must monitor the condition of the water meter and the calibration interval. This is stated in Article 210 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, according to which the owner bears the burden of maintaining the property belonging to him, unless otherwise provided by law or contract.
The obligation of residents of apartment buildings to independently resolve issues with checking the performance of meters is officially prescribed in the legislation. According to paragraph 1 of Art. 13 Federal Law “On Ensuring the Uniformity of Measurements”, measuring instruments are subject to initial verification before commissioning, as well as after repair, and periodically during operation.
Methods for checking the meter
You cannot check the meters yourself. Inspection is ordered from specialized commercial organizations. Company representatives must have a copy of the certificate authorizing them to carry out the relevant type of work. You can check its authenticity in the state register of accredited persons.
Verification of meters can be done in different ways. A full verification is carried out in several stages:
A specialist from a service company comes to the apartment, dismantles the existing water meter and installs a temporary spacer in its place, which he prepares in advance.
The meter is delivered to the metrology laboratory, where it is cleaned of dirt and deposits, repaired and a verification procedure is carried out.
After the verification is completed, the installer returns the meter to its original place and removes the spacer.
The owner is given all the necessary documents against signature. This method is not cheap. In addition, during the dismantling and installation of the meter, the presence of the owner is required. This method is often used for extraordinary verification.
There is another way, when they replace the old meter with an already verified one. Replacement will be much cheaper. The downside is that the installed verified device has already been used, and this reduces the guarantee of further operation
After the work is completed, customers receive a report on the technical condition of the metering devices, from which it should follow that the devices comply with state standards. The document must be submitted to the managing organization.
Formally, the regulations do not provide for any sanctions for untimely inspection of the condition of metering devices. Problems can only begin with the management company: the organization’s database contains all the information about the technical condition of the meters. If data on the technical condition was not provided on time, water charges may automatically begin to be charged according to the standard.
On the Housing and Utilities Control portal, in the section, a common question is about the possibility of recalculating the fee for a consumed resource, accrued according to the standard, if the verification of the metering device was carried out untimely.
In this case, it will be extremely difficult to avoid such a “fine”. The law is completely on the side of the management company, which makes charges without taking into account the readings of an unverified meter. The meter verification period (inter-verification interval) begins to be calculated from the moment of its initial (periodic) verification, that is, from the moment of manufacture, and not purchase or installation. The timing of testing intervals is usually indicated in the technical data sheet.
At the same time, according to paragraph 12 of Article 81 of Government Resolution No. 354:
A metering device is considered to be out of order if: the verification interval for checking the metering devices expires.
Regarding payment issues, according to Art. 59 RF PP No. 354:
The payment for a utility service provided to a consumer in residential or non-residential premises for the billing period is determined based on the calculated average monthly volume of consumption of the utility resource by the consumer in the event of the expiration of its service life, determined by the period of time before the next verification - starting from the date when the specified events occurred, and if the date cannot be established, then starting from the billing period in which the specified events occurred, but no more than 3 billing periods in a row for residential premises.
After this period, according to Art. 60 of Resolution No. 354, accrual is made in accordance with the standard.
Installing a water meter makes it possible to save money, because you pay for the water consumed, and not for mythical standards, which, to be honest, are greatly inflated. But all this is true only if the device is working properly. If the operation of the device is disrupted, then perhaps it calculates water consumption by inflated standards. Let's talk about how to check the water meter at home.
