Recommed location to install water meters

Forum is open to all questions, answers, and discussions related to water meters, ours or others.
Post Reply
henry_jacobs
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2023 9:43 pm

Recommed location to install water meters

Post by henry_jacobs »

Like to get recommendations on where to locate 2 water meters for sub-metering a duplex.
Can the meters be buried below ground with cement walls and iron cover?
Better to locate near city meter or near the house?
(Closer to the house would shorten wiring to be pulled.)
Should meters be protected from freezing?
Can they be mounted vertically?
What are recommendations about individual shutoff valves - before or after the water meter?
Any other installation tips?
Jameson
Posts: 860
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2011 7:42 pm
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Contact:

Re: Recommed location to install water meters

Post by Jameson »

Can the meters be buried below ground with cement walls and iron cover?
Yes, I would say so, unless you think there would ever be a lot of standing water in the underground vault. I would not recommend the water meter gets submerged in water, as this could mess up the pulse output module over time.
Better to locate near city meter or near the house?
Well if you locate the water meter out by the street next to the city water meter, then your EKM Water meter would be able to detect leaks anywhere downstream (including in the pipe from the street to the building), but the downside might be that you would have to run a wire out to it if you want to count pulses from your EKM water meter. If you locate the water meter near the house, then your wire runs would not be as far (if you are wanting to count pulses from the EKM water meter).
Should meters be protected from freezing?
Yes, absolutely. Here is the spec sheet for one of our water meters: https://documents.ekmmetering.com/EKM-S ... -sheet.pdf. It says: 15.) Temperature range: 0-50ºC / 32-122ºF
Can they be mounted vertically?
Only vertical water meters should be mounted vertically, otherwise horizontally with the dials flat and facing up to the sky. Here is a vertical water meter model: https://www.ekmmetering.com/collections ... -water-nsf
What are recommendations about individual shutoff valves - before or after the water meter?
I love shutoff valves, definitely before the water meter, and if you have space and money, after cant hurt either. I would instal a check valve before the water meter to ensure that water only travels in one direction through the water meter.
Any other installation tips?
I would read the documentation that we have online in both our ecommerce store and in the helpdesk: https://help.ekmmetering.com/support/so ... 6000200168

I hope this helps you!
Jameson
EKM METERING
http://www.ekmmetering.com
831.425.7371
Jameson
Posts: 860
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2011 7:42 pm
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Contact:

Re: Recommed location to install water meters

Post by Jameson »

I thought of a few other recommendations for water meter installs.

1. I would put either a drop in front of the water meter (essentially a T fitting with a 4+" pipe that drops down and catches any sediment or rust particles before they enter the water meter, you can have either a cap or a valve at the end of the drop for cleaning) and/or a sieve or filter before the water meter. This is not essential in many cases but cant hurt and is cheap insurance.

2. I would label the wires that come from the water meter and before they enter the pulse counting Omnimeter. This helps with troubleshooting and helps the next guy that comes along to know what is going on. Particularly if you have multiple water meters going into one Omnimeter. Labeling saves time in the end.

3. I would not mount your water meter in the direct sun. If the face of the water meter heats and cools many times, sometimes condensation will build up behind the clear plastic on the face of the water meter, making it difficult to visually read the dials. Mounting your water meter in a constant environment or with insulated shade over the face will help avoid this issue.
Jameson
EKM METERING
http://www.ekmmetering.com
831.425.7371
Post Reply