Those Water Meters Again!

With a new house being built in our subdivision, the first in a few years, there has been some "discussion" about water meters, specifically where they should go.

When water meters first went in about 3 years ago, most were placed in the most sensible location: inside the houses, in the basements, where they are protected from frost, corrosion and where the owner can see them. To accommodate a few property owners, and an even smaller number of uncooperative property owners, a small number of meters were placed in boxes out by the street valve. Entirely the wrong place to put such things, but, there you are. More expense, more maintenance, less safety....

This morning, one new owner and I moved one of these "pit meters" inside to the basement. The job took the usual 2 hours, but we're on the way to taking the meters out of this box (shown in the photo above) and placing them in their respective basements. The photo shows why such street locations are the wrong way to go: the boxes rot, the hole starts to cave in and any fixes are expensive and time-consuming, not to mention such holes as significant safety hazards. In my mind, they need to go, as soon as possible.