Any good reason to replace 5/8 meter with 3/4?

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Green
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Any good reason to replace 5/8 meter with 3/4?

Post by Green » April 18th, 2017, 10:50 pm

Got a notice that we might need a new water meter installed. Not sure yet.

Currently have a 5/8-inch meter attached to a 1-inch water main, and then 3/4-inch pipe after the meter, including the supply for the irrigation system.

If a new meter is required, is there any reason it should be changed to a 3/4-inch meter because of the irrigation system? Or does it not matter?

(Of course, I probably have no say in what size meter is used...that would be up to the contractor I would think, because the meter replacement, if needed, is being subsidized by the water company.)

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Re: Any good reason to replace 5/8 meter with 3/4?

Post by g-man » April 19th, 2017, 6:38 am

The available pressure from the 1in will not change with a larger meter. You might gain more gpm thru your system. Gpm is a design criteria to your irrigation system (having more gpm could allow more heads per zone).

One thing to check with the new meter is the gpm curves, if you possible. Just because you have a larger input doesn't mean the internals are also larger.

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Re: Any good reason to replace 5/8 meter with 3/4?

Post by bernstem » May 14th, 2017, 11:07 am

Pressure will remain the same. A 5/8 inch water meter will be the flow limiting point in your system assuming the new irrigation piping is not undersized. Continuous flow through a 5/8 inch meter is ~10 GPM. A 3/4 will give you ~15 GPM. A 1 inch will give you ~25 GPM. Your water utility may not be willing to give you a 1 inch meter, but a 3/4 may be beneficial in allowing bigger irrigation zones and a bit more buffer to prevent oversized irrigation zones. It will also ameliorate reduced flow problems with other water usage in the house when the irrigation is running. The water utility will provide the meter free of charge but won't install it for you in most cases. I would say if a new, larger, water meter installation is in the budget, it is worth the expense to upgrade.

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