If you have ever poked and prodded around the exterior of a home or business you’ve certainly come across some sort of utility meter. Water, gas and electric meters are often mounted to the exterior of buildings – and sometimes inside of them. The meters are used by utilities to track the amount of water, gas or electricity used by a household or business.
Water meters, or water meter registers, are used by utilities to track and report the amount of water used. The meter keeps a running total of all the water that has passed through it, but how do they work?
What is a water meter register?
A water meter register is part of a metering system used by utilities to record how much water is being used by homes and businesses. They act much like the odometer of a car, which shows the total mileage the car has traveled. Similarly, a water register keeps a running total of all the water that has passed through the meter, providing a cumulative total of water consumption.
The meters are offered in both analog and digital formats. Some meters have cellular capabilities that can communicate wirelessly, while others feature leak detection capabilities. The analog, dial-based meters look like a car’s odometer. The digital meters display total water usage on a screen.
What unit of measurement is used for water meters?
According to the Los Angeles Department of Water, meters measure water in cubic feet (one cubic foot equals 7.5 gallons).
How do water registers measure water?
For a city like Brookings Oregon, which uses mechanical water meters, the passing water rotates an internal mechanism that changes the odometer on the mechanical meter, allowing the city to assess water usage at a given property.
Digital sensors utilize a flow meter, based on ultrasonic or electromagnetic principles, to measure the flow of water. A microcontroller unit (MCU) processes the information from the flow meter to transmit data to a screen. Some smart water meters can even send the information via cellular or Wi-Fi to utilities for data collection.
What is a meter register?
A meter register is the part of a meter that is used to display the measurement of utility consumed. This can include water, gas or electric measurements. The register can record and display the units of consumption – cubic feet for water and kilowatt hours for electricity.
The register is used to read and record the amount of water consumed at a household or business. Registers can be mechanical with dials and gears, or they can be electronic with digital displays and wireless communication.
Some electronic registers are designed to be read remotely by utilities using automated meter reading (AMR) or advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) systems. Some water registers can detect leaks.
What are the different types of water meter registers?
As described previously, there are different types of water meter registers:
- Straight-reading meter
- Round-reading meter
- Digital meter
Straight-reading meter
The straight-reading meter utilizes mechanical gears and analog displays. Water that passes through the inside of the meter rotates an internal mechanism that changes the odometer display on the meter.
The odometer display looks much like a cars odometer that measures the total mileage traveled. In the case of a water meter, total water is measured – typically in cubic feet (one cubic foot equals 7.5 gallons).
Round-reading meter
Much like the straight-reading meter, the round-reading meter uses mechanical gearsets and analog displays. Water passes through the inside of the meter and rotates an internal mechanism that changes several separate dials on the display.
The separate dials on the round-reading meter are used to determine a meter reading. They typically feature dials with different volumes of measurement: 1,000, 10,000, 100,000 and 1,000,000 cubic feet of water. The dials can be read by utilities to determine water consumption.
Digital meter
Digital meters utilize a flow meter, a digital sensor that uses ultrasonic or electromagnetic principles, to determine how much water has flowed through the meter. Some feature wireless capabilities that allow the meter readings to be sent directly to a utility.
The flow meter reading is sent to a microcontroller unit (MCU) that can process the data and display it on a digital display.
What is the purpose of water metering?
A water meter is used to measure the volume of water that passes through a pipe so utilities can properly determine the amount of water used by a home or business. The meters use cubic feet or gallons as a measurement of water consumption.
Water metering is not only used to determine bills, but also to prevent water loss. Water meters can be used to understand water consumption and billing for customers.
About the Author
Alex Cossin
Associate Editor
Alex Cossin is the associate editor for Waterworld Magazine, Wastewater Digest and Stormwater Solutions, which compose the Endeavor Business Media Water Group. Cossin graduated from Kent State University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. Cossin can be reached at [email protected].