The main indicator of the effectiveness of any commercial water management enterprise is the level of losses in the water supply networks. These losses are a direct consequence of the theft of natural resources that has overwhelmed many enterprises. This is due to the constant growth of tariffs, a decrease in the level of income of certain categories of citizens, the imperfection of the legislative and regulatory framework.
The insecurity of metering devices is a serious threat to the loss of commercial profits of enterprises involved in the delivery of water to the end consumer. To prevent such cases, metering devices are manufactured and constantly improved. Developers are trying to eliminate any possibility for the consumer to interfere with their work. With such an impressive scale of theft, an innovation was developed in the form of an anti-magnetic seal, and later a sticker attached to the body of the meter.
The principle of operation of the water meter
Utility costs have increased significantly in recent years. Paying according to the average rates charged per registered tenant is expensive. In addition, the state obliged all consumers of water resources to install water meters for accounting. Every year the cost of a cubic meter of water increases. Therefore, many unscrupulous, but literate people began to use powerful magnets to reduce their costs for consumed water, trying to cheat the system.
Household water meters consist of two chambers: one is wet, the other is dry. In the wet section of the facility, to account for the consumed water resources, a wheel is placed that rotates under the action of the flow of running water. In the second compartment there is a device that counts the cubic meters passed through it. These two compartments are connected by a magnetic soldering. If a magnet with a strong field is attached next to the device, it will not allow the wheels to turn the counting mechanism, as a result of which the counter will stop. Depending on the strength of the impact, the counter will either stop completely or slow down. Accordingly, the tool will stop winding up the numbers, the readings will remain at the same level, or the cubic meters that have come in over the month will decrease significantly. As a result of this action, many consumers use water, but pay only a small part.
The emergence of antimagnetic seals
It is not always possible for controllers to prove the fact of fraud, therefore, an anti-magnetic seal was developed to detect sources of water theft. Since 2011, utilities have begun installing additional anti-magnetic indicators to eliminate the possibility of using any magnets to stop the meter or temporarily block it. But even in this case, the most advanced users have learned to remove additional devices in order to deceive the water supplier.
Removing an antimagnetic seal is a troublesome and practically impossible task, since the device into which a capsule with a powder is screwed in, which crumbles at the slightest influence on it by a magnetic field, is held on a wire fastened with a complex knot. It is impossible to untie it without damaging the surface of the coating. Even if someone succeeds in replacing a damaged indicator with an undamaged one (buying a new one is also not an easy task), then in this case another protection mechanism is provided. All seals have their own personal identification number, which is entered in the database of the Housing and Communal Services Administration. At the next check, the fraud will be easily revealed, and you will have to pay according to the norms plus penalties.
You can, of course, try to remove the counter, disassemble it completely, replacing almost all the insides. But this method is complicated by the fact that, firstly, you need to have the skills of almost jewelry work with such devices, and secondly, the replacement cost will exceed the average monthly subscription fee. Therefore, it makes no sense to try to cheat the system and spend extra money on spare parts for the sake of a few hundred dollars saved.
Schemes of influence on magnetic protection
- Freezing in the freezer or with the help of freon with immersion in a liquid or a freezer for a certain period. These attempts were made in order to peel off the sticker from the case for further replacement with an unspoiled one;
- Heating with a hair dryer or other device, exposing the device to high temperatures so that the glue dries and the indicator can be easily separated from the counter;
- physical damage, such as falling from a height onto a concrete surface or being hit by a heavy object on the body of an accounting object.
None of these methods led to the desired consequences and cannot be a guarantee of non-imposition of penalties in the event of a powder spill inside the indicator capsule.
The use of dummies
One of the most common and subtle at first glance tricks for misleading the controller to circumvent the Law today is replacing a real water meter with a dummy: an exact copy of the installed device, but without a real sticker with a magnetic tape inside. Instead, a high-quality fake visually very similar to a real sticker with a personal number and a figured image in the center is glued to the counter. It is very difficult to distinguish such a fake, especially at first glance.
Anti-magnetic tapes
Experienced engineers took into account the possibility of unauthorized influence on the seals and improved the protection mechanism. So, anti-magnetic stickers have replaced the seals.
These devices differ little in principle of operation. The stickers on the seal contained powder capsules, initially located in the center of the control device. When exposed to magnetic waves, the powder is distributed over the entire area of the indicator, turning into a uniform black spot without a white dot strictly in the center. The principle of the device of the tape antimagnetic indicator is the same.
Such tapes have replaced seals, and the technology for their manufacture is being improved from year to year. Instead of a capsule with powder, a pattern was used on the test object, which, under the influence of a magnetic field, either collapses or completely disappears. It is impossible to repeat this pattern at home. This establishes the fact of fraud.
Some models are equipped with a special mechanism, the essence of which is that when the sticker is torn off, the words “OPEN” appear on it. Even if you try to stick it back, the words still won't go anywhere. Even without magnetic influence, but only if you try to physically damage the adhesive base of the sticker, these words will remain a verdict for the consumer.
The antimagnetic tape looks like a small self-adhesive rectangle, which includes:
- A special powerful anti-magnetic element sensitive to magnetic wave vibrations, consisting of green powders and metals, placed in a helium environment;
- Magnetic pattern applied to the base of the sticker, similar to a zigzag or in the form of other geometric shapes and lines;
- Powder that reacts to all types of magnets, including household ones;
- Built-in thermal indicator that reacts to any change in temperature;
- Multi-level protection against removal;
- Holographic counterfeit protection;
- "Smart removal protection" function;
- Adhesive layer made of acrylic materials that provides adhesion and strong adhesion even with dusty or uneven surfaces.
The anti-magnetic sticker can:
- Can be used indoors and outdoors;
- Perform its functions in an aggressive environment, it is not afraid of high humidity, changes in ambient temperature, chemical effects of detergents;
- Allows management companies and controllers of service enterprises to easily and quickly prove the fact of interference with the normal operation of a water meter to reduce real readings.
Penalty for interfering with the indicator
According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, consumers who decide to bypass the system and commit illegal acts, damaging the protective mechanisms of the control objects of water metering devices by exposing the indicator to a powerful magnetic field, are liable in the form of payment for the volume of water consumed at average, rather inflated consumption rates , and must pay penalties to the service company on a large scale. Penalties take into account lost profits and are an effective mechanism for accustoming citizens to real, not fictitious savings.
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