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I have a code official who is requiring a full-size water meter on the fire line preceding double check backflow.
The backflow has a 3/4" meter and a small check on it with electronic connection capability for the water department. Are there any applicable code/standard references that mandate this? A 6-inch meter on the fire line would run about $15k. Sent in anonymously for discussion. Click Title to View | Submit Your Question | Subscribe
8 Comments
Brett
12/3/2025 06:29:54 am
When these are required it's typically a requirement from the local water purveyor.
Leroy
12/3/2025 09:06:56 am
We have a local purveyor that requires this, it's setup as a bypass near the tap. The purveyor provided a detail how they require it be installed.
Lawrence Stephens
12/3/2025 02:01:35 pm
Yes - never had a municipality require a meter on the fire line. We have the small backflow meter that detects that a leak is present, somebody stealing water, and usage during testing of sprinkler system (no pump). Clearly, not capable of registering a fully engaged fire sprinkler. We are getting the 360 deg two step, call water dept and see if they require a 6" meter on fire line who says call code dept, code dept says call water dept, when we tell them we did then call the water system contractor (maintains meters and what not) who says follow ordinance and the ordinance had no verbiage (as he sent me a copy) for a metered fire water line. So then he sent me to code dept who said call all those people. Called mayor who said call code dept - think I'll pull out my eyes and jump off a cliff. Thinking telling contractor to pay for tap and run to metered backflow (small bypass meter - 3/4") and tell them to tie it to their monitoring system.
Glenn Berger
12/3/2025 08:10:31 am
Providing a meter on the fire service would be a local jurisdiction requirement. The low flow bypass on a (double) detector check valve may not suit the local requirements. You will need to include the pressure drop across the meter and the additional shut-off valves in the hydraulic calculations.
Jack G
12/3/2025 05:45:57 pm
Maybe if the service has hydrants on it the water company worries about stealing water.( for an actual meter ).
Robert Morgan
12/3/2025 09:05:21 am
We (I as AHJ) have allowed a 4" F-2 meter on a 6" line with documentation from the manufacturer that the required flows and pressure will still be met. I would imagine that if the flows were high enough at some point you would need to worry about turbulence, but for the projects I dealt with this was not a concern.
Casey Milhorn
12/3/2025 09:15:57 am
From my understanding, detectors on backflows can only meter water usage in small increments. Once the main checks on a backflow open up, most of the water usage will not be metered. A fire meter provides accurate metering at all flows. Then the question becomes why would a water purveyor require a fire meter to meter water usage at all, if we are only talking metering water usage during a fire event or annual testing (or more frequent if a fire pump is on your system). The revenue generated from this usage would take decades or more to recoup compared to the cost of the fire meter assembly. Of course, you could have a building owner using water from a downstream fire hydrant, or other source on the sprinkler system, but there are cheaper ways to ensure that doesn't happen than a fire meter. Again, from my understanding talking to water purveyors, it's more about them being held accountable by the state department of conservation, which I assume has federal pressure on them. Chlorinated/treated water must be accounted for due to a variety of reasons. The purveyor can actually be fined, or face other consequences for X amount of unaccounted for water usage. It's easier, in some water districts, to just ask the building owner to pick up the cost of a $20k to $60k fire meter assembly than deal with DEC. From my experience, this is a lot more common in more affluent areas where owners can afford the cost. It is sad to see that sometimes this extra cost will kill a small project, like a community center, church, daycare, etc. It also costs us taxpayers when fire meters are required on tax funded projects.
Jack G
12/3/2025 05:11:38 pm
Some water companies require the same size meter as the tap and service and there is usually a monthly charge. Leave a Reply. |
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