Calibration interval - what is it?
This term refers to a time period after which it is necessary to carry out a verification procedure for the water meter installed in the apartment.
Only accredited metrological services are involved in its implementation . Management companies are not authorized to verify metering devices. This procedure should only be applied to metrology centers.
What does the law say?
Legislatively, the state places responsibility for the correctness of water accounting data on homeowners.
Federal Law No. 102-FZ “On Ensuring the Uniformity of Measurements” directly states that verification must be carried out according to the manufacturer’s deadlines, and all costs and responsibility for monitoring these deadlines lie on the shoulders of the owners of the residential premises .
The calibration interval and the total service life of the metering device are indicated in the technical data sheet of the product. There is no direct instruction in the law about whether to replace the meter or carry out verification; residents themselves choose which method suits them best.
How long is the testing period for water meters?
How often do you need to check hot and cold water meters, and after how many years does it take place? In past years, the test interval for DHW and cold water devices was different . For the former it was 4 years, and for the latter – 6 years.
A shorter period for checking DHW flow meters was associated with their rapid wear. Hot water passes through such water meters, the environment of which is aggressive for the mechanisms of the devices. They experience a greater negative impact than HVS devices.
In recent years, the approach to determining inter-verification periods for cold water and hot water flow meters has changed. It is installed by special verification instructions under the number LGFI.407223.003 MI.
HVS
For the specified type of water meters, the calibration interval has not changed. It is still 6 years .
This time period is provided for all vane water meters.
It begins to be calculated from the day when the device was initially verified at the manufacturer. This is noted in the device data sheet.
DHW
For this type of water meters, the verification period is now equal to the time period established for cold water flow meters. It is 6 years.
In the technical data sheets for all modern (released after 2015) vane DHW meters, a 6-year verification interval is established .
Frequency of verification of individual water meters
The calibration interval of the IPU is determined by the manufacturer of the metering device based on a combination of factors that can affect its operation: design, principle of operation, operating conditions. The manufacturer indicates the verification interval for an individual meter in the documentation for the meter.
When purchasing a meter, you need to pay attention to the date of its production: the verification interval begins from this date, and not from the date of installation of the meter.
In Russia, tachometer mechanical water meters are most often used as individual metering devices. As a rule, domestic manufacturers of water meters indicate in the device passport the calibration interval of 4–6 years. Imported meters last longer – up to 15 years.
It is better to check the meter before the date when the verification interval expires. Otherwise, you will have to contact utility services to recalculate the volume of water consumption.
Typically, management and resource supply organizations maintain a register of consumers, in which they record information about the metering devices installed in the apartment building and the timing of their verification. If the verification period expires, they inform the meter owner about this. The notification indicates the date of the next verification and the time frame within which you need to carry out the procedure.
What the RA needs to know about the installation of common house metering devices
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How does a consumer know to check their flow meter?
The owner of the water meter can easily obtain information about the date of its next inspection .
In receipts for payment of utility services, in the column where the consumer records the current readings of the hot water supply and cold water meters, the exact date of their verification is indicated.
You can also find out about the date of the next water meter verification procedure by looking at the device’s data sheet. The date of its first inspection at the factory is indicated there. You must add 6 years to it. The received date will be the moment of the next verification procedure.
Management companies may be notified of the need to check consumers . Several months before the expiration of the inspection period, companies can notify the residents of the house orally or in writing.
WHAT IS METERING DEVICE DIAGNOSTICS?
Verification of water meters is a mandatory procedure that allows you to check the functionality of the counting mechanism and the correctness of the readings. If during the inspection process the readings comply with technical standards, such devices are considered suitable for operation, but if technical faults are identified, the unit is not allowed for further installation and operation.
Interverification periods are determined, on the one hand, by federal legislation, and on the other, by municipal regulations. Water meters should be checked:
- For hot water supply – 4 years.
- For a cold water supply system – 6 years.
When supplying hot water, a more aggressive environment is used, which negatively affects the performance of water meters in the system, so the verification period for this category of resource is shorter.
Taking into account municipal legislation, the verification interval is established by the manufacturer, which must be displayed in the equipment passport. Initial diagnostics are carried out by the manufacturer, and planned diagnostics should be carried out taking into account the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Consequences of delay
If the consumer is late in periodically checking the water meter, then the device is considered out of order. Starting from the expiration of the verification interval or from the billing period when this event occurred, the consumer will be charged utility bills at the average monthly value.
This will happen over a 3 month period. This requirement is fixed in paragraphs. “a” clause 59 of Resolution No. 354.
In the future, if the owner of the flow meter does not verify it, he will be charged utility bills for water according to the standard. Their size will be significantly higher.
If you miss verification
If verification is delayed, water use fees are calculated not according to the meter readings, but based on the average volumes for the last six months. Then you will have to pay according to the consumption rate in proportion to the number of registered residents.
The Federal Law on Metering Devices can be downloaded HERE.
The criteria for determining the amount of payments for overdue water meter verification differ in different regions. The average value can be taken based on the results of not six, but three months. The water consumption standards for each registered person also differ.
It is not the housing and communal services services that should keep track of when the next inspection is due, but the tenant himself.
Management companies only keep records of existing meters and register new meters. Useful article? Rate and share with friends!
Actions after verification periods have expired
It is recommended to take care of carrying out the procedure several weeks before the end of the verification interval.
The water meter owner must:
Submit an application to the city metrological service.- Submit the required documentation package there.
- Conclude a contract for work.
- Pay for the service.
- Receive a metrology center employee.
- Receive a certificate and report from a metrological service employee.
All documentation received from the metrology center must be transferred to the management company, which will register it and confirm the completion of the procedure.
What documents should I submit after verification?
After successful verification of the device, a mark is placed in its registration certificate. In addition, a certificate of verification is provided. The issued document contains the signature of the employee who checked the water meter and a seal with an individual code. Sometimes instead of a print there is a holographic sticker with a barcode. A copy of the verification report is available upon request.
This package of documents must be submitted to the HOA or settlement center for housing and communal services payments or to another institution that collects fees for housing and communal services.
By contacting our company, you can count on verification without dismantling in 15-20 minutes; if necessary, specialists will also replace the meter. Upon completion of the work, a complete package of documents will be completed and provided for transmission to the relevant authorities.
Verification or replacement ahead of schedule
It happens that the water meter must be verified or replaced earlier. This may be required in the following situations:
- The owner of the control unit can, at his discretion, replace the water meter with a new device that, in his opinion, is of better quality. No service has the right to prohibit you from making such a replacement.
- Premature failure of the device, which is visible visually, requires early verification to make sure that the unit is really faulty. As a result, the product can be repaired or replaced with a new PU. Typically, such a breakdown is noticeable by the impeller stopping when the taps are open or by inflated readings on the display, provided that normal volumes of water were used.
- Sometimes even a new control unit has to be replaced. The reason for this may be a manufacturing defect or breakdown due to improper storage and transportation conditions. Such damage can be detected at the time of installation. In this case, you have the right to replace the device under warranty free of charge.
- If the seal is broken or the technical passport for the water meter is lost, then you will have to do an early verification to make sure that the unit is in working order and obtain permission for its further operation.
Hot water meter verification period
The established periods for verification of water meters by metrological laboratories are quite long, although less than for electric meters. In some Russian regions, they independently determine how long it takes to check devices, based on the requirements for the timing of verification of water meters in Moscow. There they are installed in accordance with the technical documentation of these control and measuring devices.
For hot water supply (DHW), as usual, a procedure is carried out with a four-year MPI. How often it is necessary to check meters depends on third-party circumstances:
- frequent outages in hot water supply;
- the validity period of the device set by the manufacturer;
- intentional breakdown of a water consumption device;
- poor water quality in the apartment.
Taking into account the impact of the listed factors, the verification date may turn out to be earlier than planned. In order to check hot water consumption metering devices no more often than once every 4 years, it is necessary to check meters in apartments within the established time limits. Utility services must check water meters:
- once a year;
- quarterly (subject to installation in residential premises).
When explaining why frequent checking of devices that measure water consumption is necessary, they usually refer to the need:
- identify device malfunctions;
- check whether water is used without accounting;
- make sure that someone is not tampering with the operation of the meter.
When dealing with a monitoring device whose manufacturer has set a longer MPI, at the local level it is allowed to follow it, and not the standard periods recommended by Russian regulations.
Owners and tenants of residential premises should not complain about the excessive frequency of inspections and the need to present passports to meters. After all, checking the serviceability of control and measuring devices is, by and large, in their interests. If the device has been faulty for a long period of time, you will have to pay at increased rates (1.4 - 1.5) established for unauthorized use.
Cold water meter verification period
The hot water supply system contributes to accelerated wear of control and measuring devices. Therefore, the standard period for checking a cold water meter is one and a half times longer. It is equal to six years.
The verification procedure at the installation site without removing the device will take about half an hour. When delivered to a metrology laboratory, you will have to wait for results within one to two weeks.
For three-stage verification:
- inspect the device from the outside;
- test for tightness by passing a water stream for five minutes;
- errors are identified. If the deviation level exceeds 5%, the product is calibrated or a decision is made to replace it.
