Where to go to seal water meters

Where should I go to get my water meters sealed? This question may well be asked by those consumers who have just installed a metering device, but not all: if the work is carried out by specialists from specialized companies, then this procedure is carried out in conjunction with the installation of devices. And in all other cases, the issues of sealing the meter will have to be resolved independently, but not literally with your own hands, but with the involvement of representatives of resource suppliers, managers and other utility organizations that have the authority to carry out such work.

It is important to note that the question of where to go to seal water meters is difficult due to the fact that consumers do not often encounter this situation, and in addition, certain changes are constantly taking place in the legislative sphere. Therefore, users show excessive anxiety, which, however, is completely justified, since it is the sealing of the meter that allows the device to be put into operation, which means its readings can be used to calculate amounts for paying for the resource received.

Is it necessary to seal the water meter?

The procedure for sealing a water meter is considered mandatory and regulated by law. If there is a seal, this guarantees the correct installation and use of the device. A water utility inspector will not put a seal on a faulty meter: water meters that are not marked with a seal are not allowed for use by apartment residents.

Indicators taken from faulty and unsealed water meters are not taken into account. Tariffs for water consumption are set according to a regulatory table, but this tariff is considered unprofitable for users. Therefore, most residents install meters in their apartments.

According to regulatory data, there are 6.9 cubic meters of cold water and 4.7 cubic meters of hot water per person.

Such consumption is considered inappropriate, exceeding real indicators, therefore, from an economic point of view, installing water meters will be more profitable.

Does the user of the premises have the right to install without permission?

Unauthorized application of a seal to an accounting device is prohibited . Such manipulations are regarded as illegal, since the procedure requires special permission from regulatory authorities. Illegal actions will lead to administrative punishment in the form of a fine.

Resolution No. 354, which regulates the provision of public services to users of premises, defines the procedure for sealing measuring devices. The service is provided free of charge by the company providing utility services to the home.

When is it necessary to seal the meter?

The law requires sealing to be carried out in the following cases:

1. Initial installation.
2. End of service life of the water meter.
3. The device has become faulty.
4. The ball valve was broken.
5. The integrity of the water meter was accidentally compromised.
6. Replacement of valves and taps responsible for water supply is required.
7. There was an accident.
8. Initially, there was no seal, and there was no passport for the metering device.

During the initial installation, the technician from the management company fills out all the paperwork for the water meter, and if he has the appropriate authority, he seals it. If the plumber does not have the right to seal the meter, then after installing it, they call an inspector from the city water utility. The technician carefully inspects the device for correct installation, then places a seal.

When the meter's service life comes to an end, it is also important to seal it. To do this, the water meter must be replaced or verified. These actions are carried out by a representative of the water utility or the relevant organization. The water meter is checked on site or dismantled and taken to a service center. After installing the device, a seal is made in its place.

In case of unintentional damage to the water meter, in case of an accident in the water supply system, in case of breakdown of ball valves, valves and other components of the water supply system, the meter is sealed. When carrying out repair work, you will most likely need to dismantle the water meter. Therefore, after its installation, you need to call a specialist to carry out legal commissioning and sealing.

For reference: if there is no seal on the meter initially, then you need to hurry. During inspection, the apartment owner may receive a fine for failure to fulfill obligations before the law. All documents and passports must be provided to organizations that keep records of water consumption readings.

Is it possible to challenge the charge?

If, during an inspection of the equipment, it turns out that the seal on the meter was broken, this may become the basis for recalculating the fee for the entire period during which the apartment owner used the equipment. Often citizens prefer to challenge such recalculation, for which they file a claim in court.

Judicial practice shows that most often such claims are rejected. This is due to the fact that homeowners cannot prove that the breaking of the seal was accidental, and they also do not have information about the date when exactly the seal was broken. Therefore, if citizens themselves notice damage to the seal, they should immediately contact the management company employees to reseal the meter.

Where to go and what you need to seal water meters

From July 1, 2012, the installation of water meters in an apartment or private house is considered mandatory. If the rules are not followed, homeowners are punished with fines. Installing a water meter, as well as its sealing, is considered an integral process when putting the device into operation. To understand how the procedure occurs, you need to consider where to apply for the service and what documents are needed to implement it:

1. Who performs the filling? The procedure is carried out by authorized employees of the city water utility company or the organization to which the subscriber pays a monthly fee for resource consumption. This includes municipal enterprises, homeowners' associations or management companies. These organizations have entered into an agreement with the water utility for the possibility of self-sealing when installing or replacing a device. Some utilities exempt themselves from the authority to seal the water meter. They refer consumers to private organizations that provide this service.
2. What documents are required for filling? Until 2010, management companies required a special license to seal a meter. It gave organizations the authority to seal; today this document has been abolished. In order for the technician to be able to attach a seal to the water meter, it is necessary to provide him with the passport of the metering device at the time of the procedure. When the seal is installed, a company employee must draw up a report on the work done. This act indicates the meter number, the name of the organization, and the date of its sealing. The seal number and technical data of the water meter are also written down here.

If the procedure was carried out according to the rules, the acceptance certificate is signed by two persons - the owner of the apartment and the foreman.

The document is sent to the management company and stored there until the next water meter sealing date.

Who does it

The most common question that arises among apartment owners where water meters need to be sealed is who is involved in this activity. There may be several options:

• Management Company;
• housing maintenance office;
• water utility

To find out exactly how the work is done and where to go for help, you can call the management company’s hotline or visit its website. If it is the management company that is responsible for sealing and checking water meters, then you can leave a request for the service directly on the website. There you need to indicate your address, in particular, the apartment number, as well as your last name. At the appointed hour, the technician will visit the subscriber and take the appropriate actions. At the end of the procedure, the parties must sign the commissioning certificate, since it is prohibited to use an unsealed meter for its intended purpose.

When contacting the DEZ or Housing Office, the actions will be similar. The subscriber calls the specified number, leaves a request and waits for the technician at a certain time. If the city water utility does the sealing, then the procedure is smoother, since the service is provided directly from the resource supplier. Acceptance for use occurs after the subscriber has read all its conditions on the department’s website.

For reference. To agree on the date of acceptance of the metering device, you must call the number provided on the Vodokanal website or appear in person. Each organization has a set work schedule for a technician who will arrive at the appointed time for sealing.

If the sealing was carried out by third-party companies, then the act of putting the water meter into operation must be handed over to the water utility in person. You can write a letter and send it by email, attaching scanned copies or photographs of existing documents.

How much does it cost to seal a water meter?

According to established legislation, the initial sealing of water meters is free of charge. The subscriber does not have to pay anything at the end of the procedure. Several cases where no fee is charged:

• if an emergency replacement of pipes and fittings was carried out, which was the reason for resealing the device;
• if the meter is new, installed after a device that has expired.

The data is specified in Art. 20 Federal Law “On Water Supply and Sewage”, so if a master tries to take payment for his services, such actions will be considered illegal. There are a number of cases when filling is carried out for a fee. When the seal is broken due to the fault of the apartment owner, it can only be restored for money. Depending on the region and city, this cost can vary from 600 to 2000 rubles. In this case, the service life of the device will be different: for example, old water meters have a longer service life. When answering the question whether you need to pay for a filling, you can first find out about it by phone.

Important. From the moment the application is submitted, an employee of the water utility or management company must put a seal within 15 days. The operator accepts the application, and the day before the master’s visit, calls the subscriber back to confirm his presence in the apartment at the designated time. Work often takes place within 3 days or 1 week, so you won’t have to wait long. For the waiting period, tariffs are carried out according to the regulatory table established by the department.

Requirements for companies

Every apartment owner should know who has the right to seal water meters. Therefore, you should first make sure that the selected organization meets some significant conditions. These include:

• the presence of a license that allows you to carry out this activity, and it makes it clear that the sealing is truly a professional who has the necessary knowledge and equipment;
• provision of guarantees for the services provided, therefore, if the integrity of the device is damaged due to the fault of the employees of the selected company, then it is this company that must reimburse the costs associated with repairing the equipment;
• The specialist must issue certificates of work performed.

Before installing the seal, the specialist must make sure that the meter is installed correctly and is also in working condition. After completing the process, the home owner is given a special certificate confirming that the sealing was performed by a specialist.

How to seal a water meter when first installing or replacing

Having decided who will seal the water meter - the management company or the water utility, you can fill out an application and wait for the procedure to be completed. To put a seal on the meter, the subscriber must prepare all the documentation and also be sure that the device is installed in accordance with all existing legal rules. After submitting the application, a technician visits the designated apartment and carries out the sealing procedure.

During initial installation, the application must be filled out as follows:

• owner details – passport information, apartment address;
• owner contact information;
• planned date of commissioning of the water meter, its serial number;
• certificate of installation of a water meter;
• information about the company installing the water meter;
• the latest readings of the device, if it has already been used;
• date of the next verification of the device.

When replacing the device, the same data is indicated, only the water consumption readings are not taken into account. If the device is replaced, the indicators are reset to zero and after commissioning they are counted from zero. The filling itself is simple: the master uses a special device called a seal. It has a small hole through which the wire is threaded. This wire is also threaded through the eyelet in the meter. Then the seal is fixed at the bonding site.

We recommend. You cannot open, tear or cut the seal yourself in order to manipulate the meter. Such actions are punishable by law and entail a fine; you will have to reinstall the seal, this time at a cost.

Necessity of the procedure

Installing liquid consumption metering devices provides some advantages. The most compelling argument is that payment will be made exclusively for the volume of water used.
Those owners who do not have water meters pay for water according to the average. The specified data consists of several indicators: housing area, number of residents.
Most often, apartment residents overpay about 400 rubles monthly. Accordingly, a decent amount accrues in a year. Because of this, installing water consumption meters is a useful and necessary action. Until 2012, this procedure was voluntary.

However, on July 1, everything changed. Installation of water meters is a mandatory procedure. The water meter must be sealed in a timely manner.

It is important to understand that it is not the meter itself that is subject to sealing, but the place where it is fixed to the water supply. A properly placed seal does not interfere with the operation of the meter. You can also easily shut off the water supply if necessary. But you won't be able to change the readings.

What happens if the seal is broken?

After replacing the meter, as well as installing the seal, the user undertakes to comply with the law. Violation of the integrity of the seal leads to liability. Even if the subscriber has not reported violations to the appropriate organization, inspectors will discover them when checking the meter - if the wire is torn off or cut, then this is considered non-compliance with the rules.

Unscrupulous consumers may resort to various tricks to reduce their utility bills.

A broken filling has the following external signs:

1. The plastic seal is completely susceptible to breakage.
2. If a sticker seal is used, an inscription appears on it.
3. If the “Expert” protective device is used, the body is susceptible to cracking.
4. When using anti-magnetic tape, it will change color.
5. In a conventional seal, the wire or twine winding is broken.

In total, there are three types of violations: standard breaking of the seal, without interfering with the operation of the device, connection without using the meter, illegal use of magnets. The minimum fine will be 200 rubles, but this figure varies depending on the city. If the seal was broken and the subscriber connected the water supply bypassing the water meter, the penalty increases. It is at least 1000 rubles. With the additional use of magnets, the fine will be 200-300 thousand rubles, the subscriber may be punished with imprisonment.

Penalties

If the seal was not installed after installation of the meter, then no penalties are provided for this. A fine may be imposed if a scheduled inspection is carried out by the management company. The inspector assesses the condition of the device and the seal on it once a year; if its integrity was broken through the fault of the user, then this will be considered a violation for one’s own benefit and misleading about the amount of water consumed. In this case, the water supply to the residential building is stopped and recalculation is made. This is done based on the water supply and throughput. In this case, the figures are taken for the whole day, water supply will be restored from the moment the fine is paid in full.

Advice! Such actions of the Criminal Code can be appealed by filing a corresponding application with Rospotrebnadzor. The amount of the fine will be significant, since the date of the last inspection will be taken as the starting point if another date cannot be established documented.

Who can avoid installing water meters?

If the subscriber lives in a room in which installation of a water meter is impossible for technical reasons, then he has the right to refuse installation of the device. This includes the following cases:

• house in disrepair;
• old pipeline requiring major repairs and complete replacement of the water supply system;
• there are no conditions for correct installation of the meter.

All these cases allow the consumer not to install a water meter. Then the calculation of the consumption of cubic meters will be carried out using standard data regulated by the water utility.