How is running water metered, exactly?
Scott Jacoby
11 months ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (10)
User
11 months agoRelated Discussions
Water leak at pipe /connector in the water meter box on my side
Comments (5)Old galvanized pipes have a finite lifespan. If you repair this leak, you have a good chance of it developing another leak in another location. The only good solution is a complete pipe replacement. The major expense of a pipe replacement will involve the digging of the trench from the meter to the house. This is an area where a DIYer can save some money. Have the utilities companies come out and mark the location of the pipe and any other utilities going to the home. Then you can choose a route parallel to the current pipe but just far enough away from it that you aren't disturbing it. You can rent a trencher (Maybe $200) and hand dig the larger access points at the meter and house. Then you can call a plumber to lay the pipe and make the connections. If you are not physically capable of doing this, then do you have any family or friends that would be? Church group? Scout troop? There are usually community resources that can help you to figure out what you can do here. The worst thing you can do is to ignore the leak....See More? Max flow out of a 5/8' water meter?
Comments (7)Outdoor, before my rusty galvanized main ¾" pipe enters the house I only get 7GPM, HOWEVER that is also from a hose bib which is probably not a full flow valve. At the hose bib in my back yard (after the water runs through the rusty pipes underneath the house) I only get 5 GPM. That is why I cannot even run a 3 sprinkler head circuit (the watering radious is an anemic 5 !!?). I know that my pipes are old corroded galvanized, they need to be replaced anyway and are probably the main source of my water flow-pressure issues. But that, precisely, makes me also wonder whether the cityÂs ¾" (or whatever diameter it is) supply line, is perhaps also galvanized and also corroded, since they are from the same late Â50s era. As a prelude to this repiping project I am considering just replacing the main line to my house first. That will give me a chance to disonnect my main line and measure how many GPM I get using a bucket and timer RIGHT OUT OF THE METER. But what if I, say, get only 8 GPM at the meter? Do I go to the city and say my water supply is inadeguate because of old meter/rusty city pipes? I am aware of the complementary relationship between pressure and flow. If I can get even 10 GPM and still maintain 20 PSI that would be adequate for my sprinkler system which has 4 circuits with 3 sprinkler heads each (no more than 7 GPM per circuit @20PSI - per sprinkler head specs). In any case, since I will start this replumbing project by first replacing the main line from the meter to the house, does using 1" copper as a main seem adeguate under the circumstances?...See MoreNeed help! Can a water meter be defective and speed up?
Comments (46)I work for a utility company. Water meters DO NOT speed up. They measure rotations as water is pushed through the meter. Imagine someone on a bike. They pedal, the wheels turn. The faster they peddle, the faster the wheels turn. They stop pedaling, the wheels stop. Unless there is an outside force pushing on the wheels, they will not turn. About half the time the readings are incorrect because the meter reader got a number wrong. Easy fix- read the meter yourself and compare it. They're pretty simple to read. If the read is wrong, they will fix it over the phone or can send one of theirs to reread it. The other half of the time there is a leak. Plumbers seem to be TERRIBLE at finding leaks outside of the house. There are Leak Detection specialists. It's almost always an irrigation line because they don't have the same robust pipes. You won't necessarily see standing water or green lawns, but those can be indicators. You can have an entire pool's worth of water flow into the ground and you would never know, depending on how porous the earth is where you live. Leaks sometimes fluctuate due to erosion, temperature, etc. Dirt and rocks can get moved around and periodically block the flow of water. That's why you might see ups and downs. But the meter itself should have a Flow meter on it. It's usually a red triangle or red needle. If the triangle is spinning when you're not actively using water, then you've got a leak. If the red needle goes up, you've got a leak. Both of these red indicators detect very small quantities of water passing through the meter. Water meters do slow down over time or get stuck. Miniscule particles of dirt get into the mechanisms and slow the gears down over time. Meters last about 10 years but can be shorter or longer. If you replace your meter, you might see your bill jump UP because it's now operating at the correct speed. Think twice before you ask for a replacement. Bottom line- it's not the meter making your bill high. You either have an incorrect read, a leak, or you forgot that you filled the pool last month. Tiny leaks REALLY add up. Running toilets are just like turning on your faucet 24/7. If the read is correct, call a Leak Specialist, not a plumber. PS- Depending on where you live, the sewer company can reimburse you for some of the leaked water because it doesn't actually go into the sewer, it goes into the ground....See MoreTankless water heater - not enough water pressure to run it?
Comments (37)@Karen Williams This is the control panel on my tankless water heater. Water Set Point ... the output temperature the unit feeds into the hot faucets ... can be set in 1°F increments between 50°F and 140°F. Temp Up and Temp Down buttons adjust the Water Set Point temperature. Then press Temp Set to make it the normal at-all-times temperature if desired ... otherwise the adjustment is temporary and will revert back after a number of minutes. I have 103°F as the "normal" temperature and raise it when needed for washing dishes or clothes, without pressing Temp Set, and it reverts back to 103°F after 30 minutes so I don't have to remember to do that. That's just how my unit works, they're not all the same. Setting the temperature "at the faucet" means I set the water heater to the temperature of heated water I want/need "at the faucet" ... such as 103°F for a shower, instead of 120°F or 135°F which is much hotter than needed for a shower ... and I turn on only the hot faucet (or set a single-lever faucet to full-hot with no cold mixed-in). Thus, the tankless unit has a high-enough flow rate passing through it for the duration of the shower to insure it doesn't shut off due to too-low flow. 120°F, 135°F, 140°F output temperature requires mixing in cold water and turning down the hot flow at the faucet to get a comfortable shower, which reduces the flow through tankless possibly below the required rate which can cause it to shut off completely and the shower goes cold. Remote control panel means exactly that ... some tankless water heaters can have an optional extra temperature control panel installed at a convenient location such as bathroom or kitchen so the homeowner doesn't have to go down to a basement or out to a garage or wherever the heater is located to adjust the temperature. My heater doesn't have a remote control but it's located in a broom closet in my laundry room behind the kitchen near the center of the house so is easy to access any time I want to change the setting....See MoreScott Jacoby
11 months agoScott Jacoby
11 months agodadoes
11 months agoScott Jacoby
11 months agolast modified: 11 months agokudzu9
11 months agolast modified: 11 months agoA Mat
11 months agoJake The Wonderdog
11 months agoScott Jacoby
11 months ago
Related Stories
HEALTHY HOMEHow to Choose a Home Water Filtering System
Learn which water purification method is best for your house, from pitchers to whole-house setups
Full StorySAVING WATER11 Ways to Save Water at Home
Whether you live in a drought-stricken area or just want to help preserve a precious resource, here are things you can do to use less water
Full StoryORGANIZINGDo It for the Kids! A Few Routines Help a Home Run More Smoothly
Not a Naturally Organized person? These tips can help you tackle the onslaught of papers, meals, laundry — and even help you find your keys
Full StoryDECKSA Family-Friendly California Yard Wises Up About Water
Pavers and unthirsty plants replace Kentucky bluegrass in a Menlo Park landscape for a family of 4
Full StoryGREAT HOME PROJECTSHow to Switch to a Tankless Water Heater
New project for a new year: Swap your conventional heater for an energy-saving model — and don’t be fooled by misinformation
Full StoryGREEN BUILDINGWater Sense for Big Savings
Keep dollars in your pocket and preserve a precious resource with these easy DIY strategies
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGNA River Runs Through It in Austin
A design firm with a modernist aesthetic combines geometry and naturalism in a Texas yard with a new meandering creek
Full StoryCONTAINER GARDENSContainer Garden Basics: How and When to Water Potted Plants
Confused about soil moisture, the best time to water and what watering device to use? This guide can help
Full StoryLIFEThe Top 5 Ways to Save Water at Home
Get on the fast track to preserving a valuable resource and saving money too with these smart, effective strategies
Full StoryGREEN DECORATINGEasy Green: Big and Small Ways to Be More Water-Wise at Home
These 20 tips can help us all make the best use of a precious resource. How do you save water in summer?
Full StorySponsored
More Discussions
kudzu9