Nine Things To Do For Submeter Performance

Most modern submeters are highly reliable and have a long life, but there are a few things to examine if you’re getting complaints about incorrect bills or your submeter bills don’t add up to what your master bill reads.

1. Mineral build-up on water meters. Over time, the mineral build-up will slow the performance of the meter and they may not accurately report usage. If your water meters are more than ten years old, it’s good to have them inspected to ensure they are still performing and do not have a build-up of mineral deposits.
2. Are some meters not reporting? Submeter batteries have a long life, but will eventually need to be replaced. Check your repeaters and transmitters to ensure they are reporting data to the data collector.
3. Is the data collector working properly? The data collector should collect data from all the meters. If you check the software and see you’re missing a unit or even a full building, that is your clue to check repeaters and transmitters.
4. Has anyone tampered with meters? If you were not able to put them in secure locations, you should periodically check to ensure they have not been damaged.
5. How old are your meters? Meters work 24/7 and after ten years or so they may need service or replacement.
6. How are the meters read? Manual meters reads can result in estimates or misreads. These problems are eliminated with automatic meter reading equipment.
7. If you’re using wireless internet to send usage data to the data collector, periodically test to ensure your wifi is stable.
8. Are you processing move-in and move-outs in a timely manner to ensure residents are billed accurately? It’s common for residents to receive a bill after they’ve moved, to an apartment where they no longer live. If you have a move-in/move-out checklist, add a note to notify your billing company when a resident moves in or out.
9. If you think something may be wrong with your meters, give us a call at 800-266-0968 for a free consultation.