How to Read a Compound Water Meter
Compound water meters are frequently used in apartment complexes, hotels and other buildings that use varying amounts of water. According to the National Environmental Service Center (NESC), compound water meters measure water in two ways: positive displacement and velocity. Low flows of water are measured by positive displacement, while velocity measures large. Since compound meters measure both large and small flows of water, reading it can be more challenging. Knowing how to read them, however, can save both time and money. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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1
Confirm you have the correct water meter by removing the cover with a screwdriver and matching the meter number on the water meter with the meter number on your water bill. If the numbers match, it's your water meter.
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Check the meter face for a multiplier. According to NESC, compound water meters often have multipliers, because of the high volume of water that passes through them. Common multipliers are 10x or 100x, which means one or two zeros must be added to the end of the number from the odometer.
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Write down the number from the first meter from left to right and add any necessary multipliers. This number represents how many gallons of water that have passed through the water meter in its lifetime.
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Write down the number on the second face and any necessary multipliers. According to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), both faces of the compound water meter must be read to determine the total amount of water used.
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Replace the lid using a screwdriver.
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Tips & Warnings
Compound water meters may have snakes and spiders inside the lid, so proceed with caution.
Water in a compound meter box must be removed for a more accurate reading.
References
- Photo Credit speed meters image by Dumitrescu Ciprian from Fotolia.com
