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Master
Meter, Inc. manufactures Meters and Automatic
Meter Reading Systems designed specifically for
the following market categories: Water & Sewer
Utility, Submetering, Industrial, Automatic Meter
Reading, Software & Integration |
A Water meter measures the volume of water used by a household
. They normally measure volumetric flow and have total
number of cubic feet used in total on a totaliser/counter
. A residential water meter is not merely useful to the
water company in determining your monthly bill, it can
be an effective tool in your personal effort to conserve
two precious resources: safe drinking water and your hard-earned
money. If you learn to read your meter, you can set your
own water conservation goals, detect plumbing leaks, and
learn a lot about water use in your household. By implementing
a simple conservation program, you can save water and
the energy required to heat it, and also help to ease
the environmental burdens associated with water storage,
purification, distribution and treatment facilities.
Where is the water meter?
Residential water meters are generally located near
the street in front of the house being monitored. They
are typically housed in a covered concrete or plastic
casing, but are sometimes simply buried in the dirt.
How do I read it?
Straight reading meters display a number on a white
background below the words "cubic feet" under
the dial. This number represents hundreds of cubic feet,
the operational water for meter readers; the last two
digits shown on a darker background can be ignored.
Each 100 cubic feet equals roughly 750 gallons.
Because meters are not reset between readings, you
can calculate how much water has been used since the
last official reading by subtracting the reading recorded
in your last bill from the current reading
Checking for leaks
You can use your meter to detect water leaks on your
property.
The low flow dial appears as a small colored triangle
on most straight reading meters. It spins if any water
is flowing through the system. During a period of time
when no water is being used in your house - nothing
turned on, showers being taken nor clothes washed, -
look at the low flow dial. If it is moving clockwise,
water is going through the meter and you may have a
leak somewhere in the system. An oscillating movement
(forward and back) will sometimes occur in sensitive
meters due to changes in line pressure from upstream
or downstream water usage; this can be disregarded.
Household appliances that use water automatically, such
as ice-making refrigerators and water softeners, will
compromise your ability to use this method to detect
leaks.
Leaks of just one drop per second can waste a lot of
gallons of water a year so all leaks should be investigated
and eliminated promptly.
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