Analog Water Meter

An Analog Water Meter is a very common device found in homes, apartments, condominiums, and other domiciles that are installed on a residence's main water feed. Analog water meters, once installed, "meter," or "measure" the amount of water that is entering the residence. This amount of water entering the residence is termed the "usage" that the home has consumed. This usage can be measured in any number of ways, but the 2 most common units of measurement are "cubic feet of water" or "gallons of water."

While their technology is quite old and their composition is quite simple, analog water meters are in use all over the world to accurately measure water consumption and will still be in use well into the 22nd century.

Purpose

Analog water meters measure the amount of water that passes through them in "units." Units are displayed on the top of the meter in whole units and tenths of units. Depending on the manufacturer, these numbers can be any color, but are mostly black and white.

Intentions

Analog water meters can be installed on a residence for any number of reasons:

• to see if the home has a leaking water pipe
• to gauge how much a set of residents use water
• to test the accuracy of the meter itself

However, the main intention is to capture the usage of water in order to ascertain an amount of money to be charged the residence owner. This charge can be done in several ways, but usually is in the form of a monthly utility bill.

Charges

Charges can be established by multiplying a set cost per unit of water by the total used amount of units consumed. These units are usually gallons or cubic feet, but the cost depends upon the municipality or water company that the home owner is using. Other factors include:

• Existing infrastructure
• Processing (purification and chemicals used)
• Repairs
• Updating and upgrading an existing system

Example of a Water Charge

An existing municipality bills its residents $10.00 per unit of water usage. They also charge a fixed fee for infrastructure and processing. The home owner's water meter shows that over the course of the month, they have used 8.7 units of water. The resident's monthly bill should reflect:

WATER USAGE: $10.00 x 8.7 units = $87.00

WATER FIXED MONTHLY: $3.20

TOTAL: $90.20

$90.20 would be the resident's monthly water charge.

Composition

Analog water meters consist of a "bell" and a "globe." The bell of the water meter, especially older models, is made of brass and contains the "guts" of the meter. The bottom of the bell is secured with a "frost plate" (also known as a freeze plate). The globe of the meter is usually a plastic casing that holds the gears for the analog read-out. The top of the globe is transparent plastic and shows the analog read-out, the water movement indicator, and

While analog water meters are quite simple devices, their interior can be tricky if