"BIGGER Is Not Always Better!"

At some point during every water project we hear the statement "I'm going to need a larger meter.", or the question, "How big of a meter can I have?" from several customers. While this may seem like a minor issue, this simple request can lead to big problems for the water district and can be costly to the individual customer. Following is a brief summary of a few issues that water districts should consider when granting or denying these types of requests.

Customers' needs - Since you are in the business of selling water, you should always try to meet the water needs of each end user individually, while balancing the need to maintain IEPA required pressures throughout the system as a whole. The industry-standard residential meter is a 5/8" x 3/4" displacement-type meter. Many times a customer will request a 1 ½" or 2" meter, thinking they need large flow rates for watering cattle, filling tanks, supplying a large home, etc. As shown in the table below, a closer analysis of actual usage typically shows that a 5/8" x 3/4" meter is adequate in most cases. There is minimal pressure loss through the water meter compared with the losses within the customers' service line. This service line can usually be up-sized in lieu of installing a larger meter, with better results. For the few users that actually do require a larger meter, your engineer should analyze the impact that the proposed larger meter will have on your distribution system. Many small rural systems with four-inch mains and minimal system looping, cannot support even a two-inch meter at maximum flow rates. Keep in mind that some master meters that service entire systems are only two-inch meters! Usually, a straight forward discussion regarding the above issues will lead to a meter size that will be acceptable to both the customer and the district.

Meter accuracy - The smaller residential meters are more accurate at typical residential usage rates than the larger meters. Over time, the potential inaccuracy with an oversized meter can be costly to the water district or the end user.

Cost to customer - The larger meters generally have a higher up-front cost, or tap-on-fee to the customer. In addition, the larger meters also maintain a higher monthly minimum fee and per 1,000 gallon cost to the customer. Since USDA Rural Development funding is geared toward providing water service to the standard residential user, they recommend recouping the added system infrastructure costs from the larger meter users through higher monthly fees.

Maintenance concerns - Your operator typically stores spare parts (meter pits, risers, setters, replacement meters, etc.) for only the standard 5/8" x 3/4" meters. The non-standard, larger meters can be costly to fix and maintain over time.

While various meter sizes can sometimes be required depending on each users' specific situation, this brief summary of issues will hopefully provide a quick reference of items for you to keep in mind. Please call us if you would like any additional information in regard to this issue.
-RJM