How Often Should Residential Water Meters Be Replaced?

This month's question asks how to determine when to replace residential water meters. The optimum service life of a meter depends on prevailing water rates, rate of meter wear (and loss of accurate registration), repair and maintenance costs, and inflation and discount rates. Ultimately, there's no standard time period for meter replacement that can be broadly applied to all utilities. The article recommends a cumulative flow‐based meter replacement program, if specific water‐use data can be obtained. The article lists other information that is needed to optimize such a meter replacement program.