Water consumers are responsible for the integrity of water meters. These do not have the right to intervene in the seals put on meters or in other installations of the operator. If the meter is damaged through the fault of the consumer, this must cover the repair costs, IPN reports, quoting a press release of the public utility SA “Apa-Canal Chisinau” (ACC).
According to the company, when the meter is damaged, the consumer is obliged to inform the operator immediately after discovering this. If the meter installed in the apartment/house or at the branch pipe of the apartment building is damaged, but not through the fault of the consumer, the operator repairs or replaces the meter within 15 calendar days of the day it is taken away.
To prevent the damaging of meters, the company’s specialists recommend regularly examining the state of the meter, obeying the norms concerning pipe laying and using and correctly thermally insulating the cold water meters and water pipes with special materials.
If the procedure for signing individual contracts is launched, the purchase, installation, exploitation, maintaining, repair, replacement and metrological examination of meters at private homes and apartment buildings are done by the operator.
Each consumption place must be mandatorily outfitted with a meter authorized on Moldova’s territory and included in the State Register of Measuring Devices of Moldova. The meter should also be examined metrologically. It is not allowed providing water supply services to consumers in the absence of such meters.