How to balance water consumption in an apartment building
The head of condominiums faces a difficult task, because every tenant wants to see a clean entrance, a well-groomed yard, a leak-proof roof, etc. The efficiency of creating condominiums depends on how to use the funds, how to get the maximum income and at the same time minimize costs.
Therefore, it is very important to use energy-saving technologies and equipment that will allow you to get rid of various kinds of losses, including those associated with underestimation of water and heat in the house.
In this article, we will consider how to deal with the difference in the readings of a common house water meter and the total readings of apartment meters, in other words, how to balance the water consumption in the house. After all, it is no secret that in a residential building there is always a difference (imbalance) between the readings of a common house water meter and the total readings of apartment meters, which is 25–45%. Unfortunately, the legal framework today does not allow distributing the resulting difference in readings between residents. Therefore, it is necessary to find a solution that will reduce the imbalance in the house to almost zero.
What can cause an imbalance in water consumption in the house? If we assume that it is caused by breaks in the intra-house networks, then it is unlikely that the volume of flowing water, which is one third of the volume used by the house in a month, would go unnoticed by the residents. And, therefore, the reason is different.
Let's consider the nature of the imbalance of water consumption in the house:
1. Leakage in plumbing fixtures.
In everyday life, there are costs lower than the sensitivity threshold of an ordinary apartment water meter, especially when it is installed in a vertical position. These are the leaks of toilet tanks, digging of faucets, etc., which are summed up in the whole house and reach the water flow registered by the general house meter.
2. Installation of apartment counters in a vertical or inclined position.
More than half of apartment water meters are installed in a vertical or inclined position. The sensitivity of counters when installed in an inclined position is as low as when installed vertically. Let's consider how this affects the accuracy of the measurement.
When operating the meter in an inclined or vertical position, the contact area of the impeller axes with the bearings increases, which means friction increases. As a result, the sensitivity of the meter is lost at low costs, that is, the accuracy of the measurement is lost.
3. Metrological accuracy class of water meters used.
All apartment meters Du 15mm of the mechanical principle of action have measurement accuracy, which is characterized by a sensitivity threshold of 7, 5 and 15 and 30 l/h, which corresponds to the metrological accuracy class "C", "B" and "A", respectively. The smaller the value of the sensitivity threshold, the earlier the meter begins to take into account small costs. According to statistical data, the consumption is less than the sensitivity threshold of the meter or the "leakage" consumption is 96% of the time of the day, and only 4% of the time the water is used for the needs of the consumer. Therefore, the smaller the value of the sensitivity threshold, the more accurately, and therefore more objectively, the meter will count the volume of water that has leaked.
There are meters in the metrological accuracy class "C" in which vertical installation does not deteriorate, that is, the value of the sensitivity threshold does not increase, and therefore the measurement accuracy is not lost, for example, type "820" or "620", produced by the Sensus group.
4. Stability of metrological parameters.
The stability of the meter depends on:
- device designs;
- manufacturing quality of components;
- the capabilities of the applied materials resist the deposition of hardness salts, the so-called "scale".
- The duration of stable operation of the counter is characterized by an inter-verification interval. The higher the value of the interverification interval, the more stable the metrological characteristics declared by the manufacturer, and, therefore, the accuracy of the measurement.
5. Protection of the water meter from intentional interference.
An important factor affecting the balance of water consumption in the house is the protection of the apartment water meter against intentional interference with its operation.
There are many ways to influence the work of the counter. The most popular of them is exposure to a magnet. There is a type of counters that do not have a magnetic coupling in their design - these are "mokrohody" or "semi-mokrohody". Such counters are 100% anti-magnetic.
It is necessary to pay special attention to the relevance of this issue. Currently, many markets sell apartment counters complete with a set of magnets. No antimagnetic protection can withstand modern magnets.
The solution to this problem is the use of apartment water meters of the "mokorhod" or "semi-mokorhod" type, for example, the "820" type meter produced by Sensus.
So, in order to minimize the losses caused by failure to measure and balance the water consumption in the house, it is necessary to improve the quality of the measurement. And the quality of the measurement directly depends on the characteristics of the water meters used.
To ensure a quality measurement, the water meter must comply with the following parameters:
1. High measurement sensitivity, in particular: the sensitivity threshold is not more than 7.5 l / h;
2. Metrological accuracy class "C", both for horizontal and vertical installation;
3. Type of counter "semi-moist" - 100% anti-magnet with a standard mounting length of 110 mm;
4. Calibration interval - at least 4 years.
All the necessary characteristics that ensure high-quality measurement are met by the counter type "820" produced by the Sensus group.
The balance of water consumption in the house is greatly influenced by the duration of the process of collecting readings from apartment water meters, as well as the objectivity of the data obtained.
In the process of visual information removal, intentional and unintentional distortion of readings can occur. Often there is no opportunity to get testimony at all due to the fact that the tenant went on vacation, business trip, etc.
The introduction of systems for remote collection and transmission of information will make it possible to obtain up-to-date and objective data in a short period of time, and at the same time, which is very important, there is no need to disturb residents.
The IN-Prem enterprise has experience in using meters in the metrological class "C" and a radio data collection system, which we would like to tell readers about.
So, in the city of Ternopil in a residential building after the replacement of meters with devices of the "820" type and the introduction of the Sensus Scout remote data collection system, for 2 years the imbalance is less than 1%, while before the replacement of the meters, the losses were 19.5% . This result confirms the reliability and stability of the metrological characteristics of water meters, and also guarantees a quick return on investment.
In the city of Tetiev, Kyiv region, before the replacement of all apartment meters in a residential apartment building, the balance was -54% (losses). After replacing with type "820" with a radio module for remote data transmission, the balance of water consumption for 15 months is +1%. That is, the total readings of apartment meters are more than the readings of a common house water meter by 1% (the reason is that the water utility chose the common house meter incorrectly).
The use of qualitative measurement and the introduction of remote data collection systems make it possible to obtain expected and stable results for a long time, the relevance of which is not lost over time, to reduce the balance of water consumption in an apartment building to almost zero.
Lukash Oleg,
General Director of "In-Prem" LLC