Meter Testing Methods Matter
Abstract
Even though many water utilities in the United States perform some form of water meter testing, little has been published concerning utility meter accuracy-testing procedures. Although AWWA's Manual M6, Water Meters - Selection, Installation, Testing, and Maintenance (2012), provides much useful information concerning accuracy-testing principles, the recent development of static residential water meters has introduced new questions about accuracy-testing procedures that are not addressed in the current edition of M6. This article discusses the results of a study performed at the Utah Water Research Laboratory (UWRL) that involved sending a set of meters to various utility meter shops around the country to be tested. The UWRL tested the meters both before and after the tests were performed at each utility. Each utility forwarded a copy of its accuracy test results to the UWRL, and the results from each utility were then compared with the UWRL test results.
