If the water meter broke how to pay. Do-it-yourself water meter repair

This is a common problem and tips for solving it fall into two categories: right and wrong.

1. “Has the meter broken? Rejoice, because it saves!"(In fact, the savings will be for the time being, regular checks from the housing office will find a problem, after which the average invoice will be invoiced).
2. “When my meter stopped spinning, I knocked on it and everything went away"- There is a grain of truth in the statement, since One of the causes of failure could serve as a jam of debris or rust. The “right” blow is able to eliminate it. However, by damaging the seal or violating the integrity of the internal structure, you only exacerbate the situation.
3. “I moved the magnet and the counter spun!”- the idea is that the magnet is supposedly able to remove the scale that fell inside the meter. The success of the procedure is difficult to predict, but what is beyond doubt is the absurdity of the recommendation. In the yard, 2015 and a lot of modern water meters have an antimagnetic filling, which changes color.

The correct procedure or what to do when the counter is not spinning?

1. Check out the device insurance. If it has not expired, then call the management company that installed it. In case of refusal, you can issue an application in writing, you must respond to it. If the result is similar to the top, feel free to sue.
2. Contact the HOA or housing office. Housing-operating office will send a full-time plumber who will personally fix the problem.

Repair or buy a new one?

If there is no guarantee, you can be offered a choice: buy a new hot water meter or repair a current one.   Warn immediately: repair is inappropriate, because its value is not much inferior to the acquisition of a new water meter.

Will I have to pay for the water when the meter is off?

Yes, I have to. Even if the breakdown was found after a few weeks / months. Payment in this case will occur on the average for the previous 6 months receipts. Argue with this does not make sense, because these are the legal requirements prescribed by clauses 31, 32 of the Rules for the provision of public utilities (PP 307 of May 23, 2006).

Considering the quality of the supplied tap water, the breakdown of the measuring device is not uncommon. Do not attempt to dismantle the water meter yourself. This can lead to serious trouble - a pipeline breakthrough and the flooding of neighbors. Disused device should be dismantled without fail. Falsifying indicators is not the best solution. Representatives of utilities, sooner or later find a fault. And instead of significantly saving on resources, you will have to pay a fine. How to act in a situation when he stopped working?

We keep order

So, your water meter in the apartment suddenly broke down. This fact must be fixed. To do this, you must contact the management company. Her representative will record the fact of a breakdown, and will also prepare a corresponding document that the instrument's seal was removed in this connection.

In most cases, you will be told that the repair of the meter does not seem possible. Of course, in some cases, the water meter can be reanimated. But you should prepare for the fact that it will take a very long time. Only the manufacturer has the right to provide this service. In order for the enterprise to undertake such obligations, it is necessary to make an examination, in the conclusion of which it will be written whether the guarantee extends in this case or not.

This is long, troublesome and often to no avail, so repairs will have to be carried out at your own expense. It is worth noting that the price of this service will be commensurate with the cost of a new water meter. Therefore, experts recommend repairing the water meter only in cases of concluding relevant agreements with a utility company. As a rule, such organizations simply replace the old water meter with a new one.

What to do after dismantling the old device?

In place of the old devices are installed new water meters. Such manipulations, with the exception of the stage of removing the seals, can be performed independently. However, in order to avoid negative consequences, it is best to seek competent assistance.

After a new device has been installed, it should be legalized. Otherwise, the payment for utility tariffs will have to be carried out not by the meter, but taking into account the average indicators. To do this, contact the public service, a representative of which will check the correct installation of the device, as well as seal the device.

An independent procedure for replacing an old device with a new one is rather troublesome and time consuming. To significantly simplify it, it is better to resort to the services of specialists who will qualitatively replace the water meter in the shortest possible time. You will find experienced craftsmen in “H2O-Technologies” CJSC. They will help determine the choice of a new water meter, install it and tell you about the rules of service. We are pleased to offer qualified services on favorable terms, call!

Counters of electricity, gas and water supply in an apartment or in a private house is a useful thing, which allows you to accurately track the volume of consumed public goods and pay only for the actual amount used, usually saving a lot. But, like all objects, counters can break down sooner or later. We will understand how to act in such a situation in order to solve the problem as soon as possible.

Causes of breakdowns

The factors due to which the metering device suddenly stopped working may be many.

1. The deterioration of the device and the development of their resource.
2. Failures in the supply network - for example, an abrupt voltage surge in the power grid caused the electricity meter to break down. If the hot water meter breaks down, the reason may be that the maximum permissible temperature of 90 is exceeded.
3. Defective counter.
4. Incorrect installation, connection or operation.
5. Poor quality of the supplied resource (in the case of water - a large amount of harmful impurities of various mineral salts and other aggressive chemical compounds to the material of the counter).
6. Mechanical damage to the device.
7. Electronic failure (relevant if a modern electronic electric meter is installed), and so on.

If the fault lies with the resource company - for example, the cold water meter broke down from the high-pressure fluid - then the cost of eliminating the problem can and should be demanded to be compensated for. How to prove the involvement of public utilities - a topic for another conversation.

What to do when a fault is detected

The gas meter broke down or something else, it does not matter, the first thing to do is to evaluate the nature of the breakdown. If this is some kind of trifle that does not affect the operation of the device and is easy to remove — say, unscrew the screw that secures the meter to the surface — then this can be fixed by yourself. More serious things should not be immediately repaired by your own efforts, unless you are an employee of the relevant organization (for example, Gorgaz) and you do not have all the necessary skills and permits for such work. First, you can overestimate your strength and not start the device again, but make it worse, and secondly, repairing a seal on the product will certainly be damaged. And without it, the readings from the meter will not be taken into account.

In an emergency (for example, a water meter gushes with boiling water or if the gas meter is clearly letting it through) communication should be turned off. For example, in the standard Soviet houses on the staircase, as a rule, there are relays that turn off the electricity supply to the apartment, and the valves to shut off the supply of gas and water are usually located in the entrance to the entrance or basement. It is worthwhile to clarify this information in detail at the entrance to the dwelling in order to avoid wasting time on phone calls or bypassing the neighbors.

Then a logical question arises: where to go? It is necessary to inform the organization responsible for this type of communications about the breakdown. Its name and contact details must be indicated in the contract for the provision of services / maintenance of the relevant equipment. There are several options - leave a request for the visit of the master by phone or via the Internet (if there is such an opportunity) or come to the office and write the corresponding application in person. The sooner this is done, the sooner the malfunction will be eliminated and the lower the monetary loss due to payment not according to actual consumption. The employee of the organization is obliged to inspect the meter, fix the malfunction and indicate whether it is possible to fix it or whether a replacement is required.

Utilities are in no hurry to help, if you have a broken water meter, what to do then? Do not hesitate to complain, because for this now it is not even necessary to swear at a visit to them or call. Almost all institutions have email addresses. A polite letter describing what is happening to your superiors - and the likelihood of a quick solution to your problem rises significantly.

Repair process

It is only possible to proceed to repair or replacement when an employee of the resource-supplying organization fixes the breakdown by documenting and dismantling the seals.

If the counter is broken, which is still under warranty, you can try to repair or replace it at the expense of the manufacturer. But it is worth bearing in mind that he is not obliged to accept it in silence. Most likely, they will be assigned expertise to assess the proper operation of the device and the reasons for its failure. If the manufacturer’s fault is proved, the warranty repair, refund or replacement of gas, water or electricity with a similar meter will be denied.

Who changes the device, the master (and not necessarily from the utilities) or the owner himself, to decide the owner of the property. It should be understood: to cheat here in any case does not work. Having eliminated the malfunction, you will have to call the representative of the desired company again. He will examine the meter, check the correctness of his work, record the readings and seal him again. And only from this moment a citizen will again pay for this type of utility service according to the actual use.

Repair costs

An important point is who should replace a broken gas meter or other utilities. Different situations are possible again.

1. The fault is the fault of the supplier company, and this is proven. All costs and responsibilities for the work falls on her.
2. The device is inside the apartment, and the housing itself is privatized. Repairs or changes the owner.
3. Similarly, but housing is provided under a social security agreement - again, the owner changes, that is, the municipality or another department that owns real estate.
4. The metering device is located outside the apartment (at the entrance), which is often the case with electricity. If the electric meter broke down in this situation - carefully study the contract with the service provider. The appliances located outside the apartment can be considered as general property, and then their repair is the concern of the public utilities.

Broken counter - how to count the testimony

In case of a faulty metering device, two options for calculating utility consumption are possible:

• averaged data will be taken for the last 3 months before the breakdown;
• calculation will be made according to consumption standards.

How to pay in a particular case, can be written in the contract with the service provider, if not - this information should be clarified with them personally. By the way, the payment for the service will be calculated in the same way if for some calculation period the meter readings were not filed.

And if you do not repair?

Turning the situation to their advantage - the desire is logical and understandable. Therefore, many, faced with the fact that the broken counter began to produce an account in their favor or stopped altogether, decide to leave it defective. Even if we reject morality and the idea that everything will be rewarded, such behavior is illegal.

What awaits the hapless lover of freebies? Possible options. Any counter every few years passes calibration, and his testimony can be checked by a representative of the resource-supplying organization at any time. In both cases, a fault can be noticed. And then the subscriber may be ordered to pay for the consumed services not according to the meter reading from the time he was last working. Additionally, a fine may be imposed. Naturally, the owner of the housing where the meter is installed will also be obliged to rectify the malfunction.

Summing up

We briefly summarize all of the above. What to do if the meter breaks down? In an emergency (for example, a gas meter does not just work, but there is an obvious leak), the flow of this type of resource should be stopped as quickly as possible. Next, you need to contact the organization you need (gorgazu, thermal power company, power grids or vodokanal) and wait for the visit and the verdict of their specialist. The repaired or replaced metering device is again checked by a representative of the relevant organization of housing and public utilities and sealed. For the period of repair work, the consumption of this resource is paid according to the standards applicable to this situation or on the basis of the volume of use for previous billing periods.

All new buildings of recent times are rented with equipped devices for metering water consumption (hot and cold), gas and heat. The duration of operation of these devices depends on the quality of water. Not surprisingly, periodically counters break down. To save the family budget, you can repair the water meter yourself. .

It should be noted that all cold water meters are sealed by the water supplying organization and are registered with it. And if you notice that your meter is somehow not working in the right way, then this problem should be solved without delay. What should attract your attention:

• numbers or arrows of the counting mechanism do not move or spin in the opposite direction;
• you use water as before, but the meter readings do not correspond to this (more or less);
• the instrument case cracked and leaked.

All of the above visible signs indicate a device breakdown. In this case, you can try to repair the meter. If this fails, you will have to replace it.

Repair of the meter is performed directly at the installation site. To do this, it is necessary to study the internal design of the counter. Mostly such devices consist of an impeller through which water passes. She turns it, this rotational motion is transmitted to the gear system, which, in turn, is connected to the counting mechanism. All this design is placed in the metal case from the bottom and transparent from above. Therefore, the reasons for the counter malfunction may be the following:

1. Contamination with fine solids or rust. Although, if the coarse filter is working normally it is unlikely.
2. Impeller wear or breakage.
3. Worn gears counting mechanism.
4. Mechanical damage to the casing or low temperatures (if the meter is installed outside and froze in the winter).

If a bad counter is detected, the first thing to do is to contact the water supply company for permission to remove the seal. Unauthorized withdrawal will result in a large fine.

After receiving written permission, you can proceed to dismantle the device. To do this, turn off the water with a valve installed on the water inlet to the apartment / house. Such valve must be placed in front of the meter. Moreover, if there is a central hot water supply, then it is necessary to close the hot water valve at the input. Then open the cold water in order to discharge the remaining water from the system. Only then unscrew the cap nuts on the water meter and remove the device.

To resume water supply, in place of the counter, put a metal insert, designed specifically for this purpose.

Now you can begin to identify damage. To get started, blow the counter. Just blow hard into the inlet. If it remains unmovable, try washing the device under strong pressure of water. It will wash the clog or rust, if the reason for the poor performance of the water meter in them. If the wheels turn when blowing, it means that the malfunction has been eliminated.

When flushing does not help, then something inside is broken and you have to remove the case. For this you need to disassemble the counter itself. Carefully separate the upper transparent part from the metal case. Remove the top, scoreboard, counting mechanism and impeller. When the device is disassembled, the cause of failure is easy to establish. Then it's small: just change the worn parts to new ones and collect everything back.

If the repair can be done independently, then you will not install the stamp of the state standard yourself. Therefore, it must be saved in any way so that after the water meter is assembled, it remains in its place.

In case of damage to the metal part of the body, you will most likely have to change the water meter or find a faulty water meter with a whole body and swap them.

Upon completion of repair work, the device must be installed in place. Algorithm works as follows:

• Shut off the water at the input.
• We get rid of the remaining water in the pipes by opening the mixer.
• Remove the metal insert, and in its place install a water meter. It is better to put new gaskets under the cap nuts.
• Open the water. If water leaks from under the cap nut, the nut must be pressed.

Although it is quite possible to repair the water meter yourself, some nuances should be taken into account:

• If you do not deal with plumbing work all the time, then finding parts is problematic. In retail, they are usually not sold.
• It is unlikely that it will be possible to save the factory stamp of the state adviser, and the water meter will have to be returned to calibration. And it is not known whether it will pass it after your repair, moreover it is material costs - the service is paid.
• The cost of a new water meter is not that great and it is easier to replace a damaged device with a new one. Although, if there is a great desire to apply their abilities, then you are welcome.

So, in such a simple way you can repair the water meter. Have a personal experience in this matter? It will be interesting to read your comments on the article.

Video

From this video you will learn how the water meter works:

What to do if a water meter breaks down? How can you avoid overpaying for unused water? Answers to these questions will depend on several factors:

• Who discovered the failure of the water meter - the owner of the apartment or management company?
• Has the instrument calibration time expired?
• When was the last time a scheduled meter check was performed?
• Does the landlord have an act of last inspection?

Important! In order to avoid unpleasant situations with regulatory authorities, it is good to independently conduct regular checks of your water meter.

What to do if a malfunction is detected by authorized persons?

Such a situation can not be called pleasant. Supervisors have the legal right to collect from the owner to the fullest extent of the “Rules” of providing public services to individuals. But here there is not a big, but an important nuance in favor of the owner. Some organizations make huge charges for allegedly consumed and unpaid water. Why it turns out such a large amount?

It directly depends on the number of registered citizens in this apartment. You will have to pay, even if in fact they did not live there in a given period of time. An exception may be made by persons who are hospitalized in a hospital, on a business trip, boarding school, etc. Then you must provide a list of supporting documents. In addition, a fine will be issued.

But any consumer should know that in this case the calculation should be made after the date of the last calibration. This may be three months or a maximum of six months before detecting a breakdown of the device, but not more. Therefore, it would be good to adopt oneself, to control whether water meters are checked during time.

Malfunction detected by the owner of the housing - procedure

In case of detection of a malfunction of the device by the landlord, it is better to immediately go to the local housing office and write a statement about the fact revealed, with a request to take the testimony of the controller.

Attention!  After these actions have been carried out by the management company, the owner of the apartment should have a copy in which the date of admission and the name of the person who accepted the application are indicated. Now, according to the law, the owner has 30 days, during which he is obliged to repair / replace the device. During this time, the controlling organization will calculate the monthly average consumption of the subscriber for the last month.

Another option is how to enter the subscriber. The consumer is not required to know the "symptoms" of breakdowns, or to be an expert in this area. Therefore, if his conscience allows, you can write a statement about the replacement of the counter with the invitation of the controller to take the latest readings. The whole process must be confirmed by an act indicating all the actors.

It remains to install a new counter

When choosing a device in the store, be sure to inspect it for chips, cracks and other mechanical damage. Make sure that the seller in the passport put the date of purchase, the stamp of the trade institution that carried out its implementation and its signature.

To install the counter is better to invite a specialist. After that, the owner must contact the management organization for the purpose of checking and sealing the water meter.

How to check the operation and correct reading of the water meter fluid?

To do this, inspect the body - if there are any damage or cracks on it. Does the impeller rotate in it while the water is turned on? The correct reading of the consumed fluid is determined as follows. Take the capacity of a known volume, for example, a liter mug. Before you open the tap, record the readings of the device. They open the faucet and fill it with liquid. After disconnecting, new indications are noted. They should increase by exactly one unit.

It should not be allowed to drift all that relates to individual metering devices. You can avoid many troubles, if you follow the above tips.