Indeed, the supply pipe hot water not install a water meter designed for cold water. Such devices are designed to work with water whose temperature does not exceed 40oC.
But the temperature is not the only difference. There are several types of metering water consumption. They can be divided into two major groups — mechanical and electronic.
Mechanical water meters
Mechanical metering devices are significantly cheaper than electronic. They need no power source and is fully Autonomous. Find the water meters of this type are available in most plumbing stores.
The basic principle of the mechanical operation counter is pretty simple. The water passing through it, rotate the impeller or turbine, the number of revolutions which is recorded by the counting mechanism.
In the simplest counters use the so-called "wet" mechanism of accounting. It is not protected from water. If the pipes flowing relatively clean water, this should not affect the service life of the meter. But if the water contains impurities and dirt, the counting mechanism may prematurely fail, and his testimony will be distorted. When you install these devices you need to give a mud filter.
More robust and hardy to the quality of water are "dry" counters. The mechanism accounting for such instruments is not in contact with flood water due to a special partition. But keep in mind that these water meters are more complicated, so they are more expensive than "wet".
The counters can be single jet and multi-jet. In the second case the water flow is divided into several parts. This reduces the effect of turbulence and to increase the accuracy of the water meter, but makes the device more expensive. Single jet meters are often fitted with "wet" mechanism, and "dry" installed in multi-jet devices.
Electromagnetic water meters
If you want to achieve high accuracy of water accounting, it is possible to opt for the electromagnetic metering devices. On the accuracy of their testimony is not affected by the presence of impurities and the temperature of the water. Conveniently, for verification there is no need to remove the pipe the whole body of the device.
But such wines are not without drawbacks. The main disadvantage — the high price, much higher than the cost of mechanical meters. Such devices are difficult to find in stores plumbing. If you want to install such a meter, you will need to contact a specialized firm.
What you need to pay attention to when buying
Buying the counter, pay attention to the company that manufactured the device. It is better to choose products of famous manufacturers. Avoid nameless counters, shop in shops plumbing, and not on the market. So you will have more chances to protect yourself from buying inferior or fake products. Make sure that your chosen shop provides a warranty on the meters.
Before you go shopping, call upon the house of specialist and consult with him. You need to know the mounting dimensions of the instrument. In case of error will have to return it to the store or to redo the piping that would increase the cost of the installation.
Need to talk to a representative of your management company and to clarify the list of equipment permitted to be installed. There is a State Registry of measuring instruments, which contains a list of equipment that can be set. If you put the counter that isn't in the registry, you will not be allowed its operation.