Rural Water - Quarter 2, 2018 - 42
Residential Metering: w Choosing the Meter That Best Meets the Changing Needs of Your Rural Water System BY DAN DEVANE, ZENNER USA When choosing residential meters for your rural water system, it is important to recognize that not all types of water meters work well in all environments. There is no meter type that will handle every water system's challenges. As water systems age, repairs increase and scale within service lines builds up and flakes off. All of this debris eventually makes its way into the water meter. With this in mind, what may have seemed to be the meter for your water utility 20 years ago may not be the right fit to handle your system's needs today. For that reason, it is important to educate yourself with existing and new meter technology to explore what meter best fits, with regard to cost, durability and your water system's current needs. Chances are that a different type meter will work best for you today verses the meters you installed when your water system was 20 years newer. Historically, water systems in the U.S. have gravitated toward Positive Displacement (PD) meters for residential metering. This may not be the most advantageous meter for your current water conditions. When they were first introduced into the U.S. market, the PD meter design was the meter that most accurately read water consumption for newly constructed water systems being developed in rural America. As a newer system equates to fewer line repairs, durability was not an issue since there were few instances of damage to the meters from debris or water particulate content in water lines introduced by the repair process and water treatment. Newer system means fewer repairs, which means longer lasting positive displacement meters. Today, rural water utilities, for the most part, have stayed with meters that do not do a good job of maintaining accuracy due to infrastructure and water quality that has declined over time with their aging systems. When thinking meter replacement, here is a list of general observations that should choice for use within the rural system that may not have the manpower or financial capability of the larger urban utility. Solid state metering (mag meters or ultrasonic meters): Solid state meters are meters that read water electronically by measuring flow of the electromagnetic charge of the water as it passes through the meter or use of measuring the speed be considered when looking at residential meter options: Positive displacement metering: This type of metering performs well within newer water systems and when fed by slow moving surface water. PD meters rely on tight tolerances within the meter chamber being maintained to accurately read water consumption. Things that adversely affect this meter are scale, sand, high mineral content water supplies and service line repairs. Unfortunately, the rural water community is facing older infrastructure that require a lot of repairs. None of this bodes well for the utility that wishes to stay with this type of meter. Multijet metering: Multijets perform well over a broad spectrum of situations. Where they really excel is within the system trying to balance a high level of lifelong accuracy with long-term durability. These meters offer impeccable performance passing debris found in older service lines. This correlates to performing extremely well in systems that have older infrastructure. This is because they read the speed of the water as it passes through the meter. They do not require the tight tolerances of its positive displacement cousins. This makes them an effective of sound waves as they travel through the meter. Both apply mathematical formulas within the electronic package of the meter to determine how much water is passing through the meter and in which direction it is flowing. These are relatively new forms of metering to the rural system landscape. There are questions concerning limited life, overall cost, battery life, durability, long-term accuracy and the cost-to-benefit ratio of this class of meter. Currently, most of these meters do not offer battery replacement, which is the primary form of failure. Until battery life is addressed through some form of replacement, regardless of warranty, this will continue being a major weakness with solid state metering. WHAT MAY HAVE SEEMED TO BE THE METER FOR YOUR WATER UTILITY 20 YEARS AGO MAY NOT BE THE RIGHT FIT TO HANDLE YOUR SYSTEM'S NEEDS TODAY. 42 SECOND QUARTER 2018 Conclusion Beware: When reviewing metering needs with your current or potential supplier, remember to ask what types of meters they represent. It should come as no surprise if they try to focus your attention towards their limited offerings, regardless of the class of meter that best meets the needs of your utility. If this happens, do your own research and consider a move to another meter vendor. Always ask for their customers' references with similar water systems. ● Zenner is a global developer, manufacturer and seller of metering and meter reading products. They manufacture and sell metering products in 93 countries globally and offer every metering technology available in the market today.
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