Repair the water meter yourself

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. It is not surprising that periodically the counters break down. To save a family budget, you can repair the water meter yourself..

Symptoms

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 you should solve this problem without delaying it. What should attract your attention:

• numbers or an arrow of the calculating mechanism do not move or turn in the opposite direction;
• you use water, as before, and 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 failure. In this case, you can try to repair the meter. If this fails, you will have to replace it.

Trouble-shooting

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 movement is transmitted to the system of gears, which, in turn, are connected to the counting mechanism. All this design is placed in the metal case from below 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 works fine it is unlikely.
2. Impeller wear or breakage.
3. Worn gears counting mechanism.
4. Mechanical damage to the hull 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 the hot water valve should be shut off 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. Start by flushing the meter. 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 the breakdown 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. The 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 a new gasket under the cap nuts.
• Open the water. If water is leaking from under the cap nut, the nut must be pressed.

Additional recommendations

Although it is quite realistic to repair the water meter, you should take into account some nuances:

• 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: