SAMPLE OF RESEARCH REPORT - PART I

METERING
Introduction:
It is impossible for a municipality to manage its water resources without knowing how much water it has
and where the water goes. This is where water meters play a critically important role: water meters are
used to measure how much raw water is taken from a resource such as a large dam, how much of this
water leaves the water treatment plant, how much is purchased from bulk suppliers or sold to other
municipalities, how the water is distributed within the water distribution system, and finally, how much of
the water is delivered to individual consumers. If water meters are not managed correctly, it can have a
negative impact on the income of a municipality. However, if water metering is approached correctly, it
can increase the net income of a municipality, while empowering staff to manage the distribution system
in the best possible way.
Water metering is particularly important for municipalities since it forms the basis for much of their
income through the sale of water to their consumers. In South Africa, like in many other countries, there
is a legal imperative on municipalities to meter consumers and manage water losses in compliance with
legislation and standards.
Many countries currently lack proper water meter management, with many municipalities and bulk water
suppliers not having the capacity to undertake and manage optimal and integrated meter calibration,
replacement, reading and information management systems. Often the divided responsibility between
billing and meter management (typical of the institutional arrangements within most municipalities)
results in poor billing, incorrect information capture, and poor maintenance. This is further compounded
by the fact that where initiatives of water demand management and conservation are required, the data is
not easily accessible to the departments responsible for this task, leading to the frequent lack of
integration between domestic and bulk water metering.
The purpose of this book is to help address the need for better water meter management by providing a
practical introduction to the technical and managerial aspects of water meters. Since water metering
affects different departments within a municipality, as well as various external parties, it is important to
look at this topic from a holistic perspective, which is why the title refers to Integrated Water Meter
Management.
Why water Metering?
Water metering is an excellent application of the principle to measure, is to know, and knowledge of
what is happening with the water in a distribution system is the key to properly managing this resource.
Proper application of an integrated water meter management strategy creates win-win conditions for all
parties involved.

While water metering has many direct and indirect benefits, there are four fundamental drivers for a
comprehensive metering programme:

Equity
Water efficiency and losses
Economic benefits and
System management.

Equity
Comprehensive water metering provides an equitable basis for charging consumers based on the amount
of water that they consume. It makes consumers accountable for their own water use and empowers them
to influence how much they pay for this service. It also allows cross-subsidization to be done fairly, and
needy consumers to receive a free basic amount of water.
Water Efficiency and Losses
Water supplied to consumers is taken from the environment, and thus using water more efficiently has
direct benefits for the environment. Areas with high population density do not always have adequate
natural water resources, and require water to be transferred from other areas at great cost. In the worst
cases, municipalities are forced to provide water intermittently with devastating consequences for water
quality, pipelines and water meters. Intermittent water supply should be avoided at all cost.
Metering shows the value of water to the consumer and creates strong incentives for consumers to use
water more efficiently. In fact, it has been shown that installing water meters in itself reduces water
consumption. Research conducted in the UK shows that the use of water in metered households is 1015% lower than in the unmetered ones. This difference was found to be up to 50% in a Canadian study4.
When water is particularly scarce, water meters are essential for managing water demand and ensuring
that consumers adhere to water restrictions.
By comparing the readings on network and consumer water meters, municipal engineers are able to
estimate the level of water losses in a water supply system and identify illegal connections. All water
networks lose some water, but the level of losses has to be carefully monitored and managed to avoid
them reaching unacceptably high levels. A well placed metering system in the distribution system will
also assist technical staff in efficiently identifying the location of large leaks.
Economic Benefits
Measured consumption forms the basis of most water accounts, and thus affects municipal revenue
directly water meters are the cash registers of water suppliers. It follows that a well managed and
accurate water meter system will improve water sales and thus municipal income. Many of the technical
benefits of water meters, such as accurately measuring municipal water purchases, reducing water losses,
and identifying and removing illegal connections also have a positive impact on municipal finances.
Water tariffs can be used to increase municipal income, cross subsidize needy consumers and manage
water consumption. However, such a tariffs policy cannot be implemented without a well established
metering system.

System Management
On a technical level, water meters are indispensable for knowing how much water is distributed and
where it goes. Water meters are used to measure water entering a water supply system, whether from raw
water sources, water treatment plants or bulk water suppliers. Meters in the distribution network measure
where the water is transported to, and finally, consumer meters are used to measure how much water is
delivered to each metered consumer in the system.
A pipe of a certain diameter can only carry a certain amount of flow, and thus pipes have to be upgraded
as water demands increase due to economic growth or new developments. The same goes for municipal
storage tanks, pumps and other components of the network. To identify and plan for problems created by
network components, technical staff uses water meter data to understand the water demand patterns in the
system and to project future demands. The demand data is critical to building accurate computer models
for simulating water distribution systems, investigating reasons for hydraulic problems such as low
pressures, identifying future problems, and planning expansions and improvements to the system.
A reliable and well run distribution system with a good income reflects positively on the management of
the system. It improves the public image of the municipality by providing consumers with a better, more
reliable service and accurate bills.
The data obtained from a good metering system allows management to take informed decisions on capital
investments, maintenance, staffing and various other aspects of the water supply system.
The bottom line is that an integrated water meter management system allows a municipality to provide
better services to the community, while at the same time improving its income.

METERING - PART I

Water Meters and Their Components

A water meter is a device that measures the volume of water that passes through it. All water meters
consist of four basic components. These components are indicated in a section through a typical water
meter shown in Figure, and consist of:
1. A device to detect the flow passing through the meter, called the sensor. The sensor consists of a
paddle wheel that is rotated by the movement of the water passing through.
2. A device that transmits the signal detected by the sensor to the other parts of the meter, called the
transducer or measurement transducer. The transducer of the meter consists of a spindle that is rotated by
the paddle wheel.
3. A device to keep track of the flow that has passed through the meter, called the counter. The counter of
the meter consists of a set of counter wheels or numbered discs, similar to the odometer of a car.
4. A device to communicate the readings to the meter reader, called the indicator. The indicator of the
meter consists of the numbers on the counter wheels that are visible on the face of the meter.

Indicator

Counter
Transducer

Sensor

Sensor
The sensor or measuring element is the device in a water meter that detects the flow passing through the
meter. Some sensors can detect the volume of water passing through the meter directly by counting off
little packets of water passing through. Meters with these sensors are called volumetric or positive
displacement meters.
However, most types of sensors dont measure the volume directly, but measure the flow velocity and
then convert the velocity into a volume. Meters using these sensors are called inferential or velocity
meters (they infer the volume from the velocity measurement).
Different positive displacement sensors are used. The most common types use a rotating disc, but
oscillating pistons are also frequently used. Nutating disc meters are volumetric meters popular in the
USA, but are not used much in Europe or Africa. An example of a volumetric sensor is shown

Volumetric Sensor

The sensors used by inferential meters typically consist of rotating impellers with radial or helical vanes.
Magnetic and ultrasonic meters are also classified as inferential meters, even though they dont employ
mechanical moving parts in their sensors.

Inferential Sensors

Transducer
The transducer or measurement transducer transfers the signal picked up by the sensor to the rest of the
meter. The simplest transducer consists of a thin mechanical spindle that is rotated by the sensor. A
disadvantage of this type of transducer is that it can generate friction, reducing the meter accuracy and
causing wear in the meter over time. It is also very difficult to seal off water around the spindle if the
transducer has to transmit the measurement signal into a dry chamber where parts of the meter is housed.
A type of transducer that is frequently used in meters with dry compartments uses small magnets to
transmit the signal into the dry chamber. Meters using magnetic transducers require special protection to
ensure that external magnetic fields do not interfere with the meter reading. Other types of transducers
employ electrical signals, which allow the signal to be trans- mitted to a counter located in a different
location.

Wet & Dry Transducers

Counter
The counter or calculator is the part of a meter that accumulates the flow readings it receives via the
transducer. It holds the total volume of water that has passed through the meter since its manufacture, just
like the odometer of a car holds the total distance that a car has travelled. In fact, most counters use the
same rotating disc counters used for the odometers of cars, although other types of gear mechanisms are
also sometimes used. In some cases, the meter counter consists of an electronic device that keeps the
volume reading of the meter in its internal memory.

A Rotating Disc Counter

Indicator
The indicator is the part of the meter
meter reader. When a rotating disc
consists of the numbers on the discs
meter. Other types of indicators that
electronic displays.

that displays the measurement to a

counter is used, the indicator simply
that are displayed on the face of the
are used include rotating pointers and

The indicator and counter are sometimes contained in a sealed, dry chamber and at other times in a wet
chamber one that is filled with water. The indicator should be supplied with a dark cover to prevent
algae from growing.
The indicator should have a transparent window and should show the meter reading in an easily readable,
reliable and clear way. The element on the indicator that displays the lowest value is called the control
element, and the interval used on this element is known as the verification scale interval.

Meter Indicators

Wet and Dry Dial Meters

The counter and indicator of a water meter may be housed in a dry or wet (water-filled) housing. In dry
dial meters, the counter and indicator are placed in a sealed chamber. A high level of water-tightness is
ensured when the chamber carries an IP68 rating (from the standard IEC 605296), and are sometimes
called extra-dry chambers. However, it is important to note for how long the meters were subjected to the
IP68 test the longer the test, the better the seal. Dry dial meters often use magnetic transducers, and thus
require special protection against magnetic fields that may interfere with the meter reading.
An advantage of dry dial meters is that their counters and indicators do not come into direct contact with
the water, and are thus protected from suspended particles that may create problems due to settling or
obstruction of the counter gears. In addition, the transparent window covering the dial doesnt have to be
strong enough to sustain the water pressure in the network, which reduces the cost of the meter. On the
negative side, if any damp gets past the seal, condensation can form on the inside of the meter window,
making the meter impossible to read. In some cases, meters are provided with a mechanism to remove
damp from the inside of the window.
In wet dial meters, the chamber housing the counter and indicator is either filled with water from the
network (i.e. water may move between the counter and sensor parts of the meter), or housed in a sealed
chamber that is filled with a mixture of water and glycerine (to stop algae from growing). A benefit of wet
dial meters is that damp is not a problem. However, open wet dial meters are not suitable for dirty water,
or water with high iron content. Dirt from the water can get stuck in the counter mechanism causing the
meter to malfunction. In addition, the transparent window housing of an open wet dial meter has to be

strong enough to withstand the full pressure in the distribution network, adding to the cost of these
meters. Better quality meters use 14 mm armor plate glass lenses.

TYPES OF WATER METER