Why install water meters? If you consume less water than the norm, installation of metering devices will save you money. How to choose a water meter? What to look for when buying?
At first glance, the choice of a water meter is a simple matter. Most people know that water meters are divided into two varieties. One is for cold, and the other is for hot water.
Indeed, a hot water meter cannot be installed on a hot water supply pipe. Such devices are designed to work with water, the temperature of which does not exceed 40 ° C.
But operating temperature is not the only difference. There are several varieties of water metering devices. They can be divided into two large groups - mechanical and electronic.
Mechanical water meters
Mechanical metering devices are significantly cheaper than electronic. They do not need a power source and are completely autonomous. You can find this type of water meter in most plumbing stores.
The basic principle of a mechanical meter is quite simple. Water passing through it rotates the impeller or turbine, the number of revolutions of which is fixed by a counting mechanism.
In the simplest meters, the so-called "wet" accounting mechanism is used. It is not protected from water. If relatively clean water flows through the pipes, this should not affect the life of the water meter. But if the water contains impurities and dirt, the counting mechanism may fail prematurely, and its readings will be distorted. When installing such devices, it is necessary to install a mud filter.
More reliable and unpretentious to the quality of water are "dry" meters. The metering mechanism in such devices does not come into contact with the flow of water due to a special partition. But you need to consider that such water meters have a more complex device, so they cost more than "wet" ones.
Counters can be single-jet and multi-jet. In the second case, the water flow is divided into several parts. This reduces the effect of turbulence and improves the accuracy of the readings of the water meter, but makes the device more expensive. Single-jet meters are most often equipped with a "wet" mechanism, and "dry" are installed in multi-jet devices.
Electromagnetic water meters
If you want to achieve high precision water metering, you can opt for electromagnetic metering devices. The accuracy of their readings is not affected by the presence of contaminants and water temperature. Conveniently, for verification, there is no need to remove the entire body of the device from the pipe.
But such water meters are not without drawbacks. The main disadvantage is the high price, significantly exceeding the cost of mechanical meters. Such devices are difficult to find in plumbing stores. If you want to install such a counter, you will need to contact a specialized company.
