Water Meter Installation and Replacement
Richmond Hill does not conduct door-to-door sales and does not sell or endorse water filtration systems. Other water-related companies may be selling their services in your area. Please exercise caution when solicited for a water test and with sharing personal information with people you don't know. Only Neptune Technology is affiliated with the City of Richmond Hill. You are responsible if you sign a contract for third-party water services and equipment. If you suspect fraud, please contact Consumer Protection Ontario at 416-326-8800.
Richmond Hill co-ordinates the installation of water meters to newly built properties and the replacement of older meters with E-Coder/ProCoder R900 models.
Installation of Water Meters to Newly Built Properties
Richmond Hill offers an easy and convenient method for submitting a request to install water meters.
Installing Residential Water Meters
Builders need to provide Revenue Services at least 2 - 4 weeks notice when requesting a water meter installation for a residential property. Please have your building permit number and water meter payment confirmation information ready upon request. Our water meter contractor requires the property to have spacer bar and a conduit for wiring set up. Once your request has been submitted our water meter contractor will contact you to schedule an appointment and provide further instructions.
If the plumbing for the property is not ready on the installation date, a Plumbing Not Ready charge will be applied to the water account.
Installing Non-Residential Water Meters
Builders for large bulk meters or non-residential properties are required to pay for a water meter and its installation when they apply for a building permit. Large water meters cannot be ordered until payment is confirmed. Please have your receipts and building permit information ready prior to requesting a water meter installation.
Builders need to contact Revenue Services at least 6 - 8 months before the planned installation to ensure water meter availability. You will need to provide us with the approved final Site Plan Agreement information, building permit number and water meter payment confirmation when submitting your request.
Our water meter contractor requires the property to have a conduit for wiring set up to the exterior of the property. If the plumbing for the site is not complete in accordance to the approved site service drawings and the water is not turned on when we come to install the water meter, a Plumbing Not Ready charge will be applied to the water account.
Water Meter Replacement
Richmond Hill is replacing its water meters with E-Coder/ProCoder R900 models. This is a mandatory upgrade at no cost to residents. Richmond Hill contracted Neptune Technology Group to handle the water meter replacements.
Benefits
The typical life of a water meter is 15 to 20 years. Like most mechanical devices, they eventually need to be replaced as they slow down. The upgraded water meters help Richmond Hill provide benefits including:
- Communicating possible leaks sooner
- The ability to detect high water loss more quickly
- Access to hourly and daily water usage over a 96-day period
- Getting water meter readings without entering private property
- Sending fewer estimated bills
Installation appointments
You will receive a letter from either Richmond Hill or Neptune Technology Group when the meters in your area are scheduled to be replaced. Once you receive a letter you need to make an appointment with Neptune. The work will take roughly 30 minutes. You can call Neptune at 1-800-667-4387 to book an appointment or you can book an appointment online.
All Richmond Hill residents are required to allow for access to service the water meter upon request according to By-law No. 94-11, 7.2.
Prepare for the appointment
Neptune workers require access to your existing water meter including an area of at least 46 cm by 46 cm around the water meter. An adult (at least 18 years old) needs to be home during the appointment and will be asked to sign the worksheet to confirm that work is completed.
Security
Neptune Technology Group workers will be in Neptune uniforms with an identification badge. These badges have the Neptune Technology Group logo. Ask to see the worker's badge at any time. You can also call 1-800-667-4387 to confirm the worker's identification. The workers don't ask for money at any time.
Health and safety
Here are some frequently asked questions about the health and safety of the water meters installed in Richmond Hill:
Are there any health hazards associated with this technology? |
The World Health Organization (WHO) notes in its Fact Sheet 304: |
Are there RF exposure standards for the R900 devices? |
The FCC has established rules requiring transmitting facilities to comply with RF exposure guidelines. The limits established in the guidelines are designed to protect the public health with a very large margin of safety. These limits have been endorsed by federal health and safety agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the FDA.
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Does any personal information get transmitted from the meter? |
Personal information such as an address, account number or name is never transmitted through the meter. A serial number is assigned to each property to track the water usage data coming from the meter. |
Does Health Canada have RF exposure standards for the R900 devices? |
Health Canada's Safety Code 6 outlines and specifies maximum levels of human exposure to RF energy at frequencies between 3 kHz and 300 GHz, to prevent adverse human health effects. Safety Code 6 also specifies maximum allowable RF contact and induced body currents to prevent the physical perception of internal currents resulting from RF energy in uncontrolled environments, and to prevent RF shock or burns to personnel in controlled environments. The code also serves to provide guidance for evaluating RF exposure levels, to ensure that personnel in controlled and uncontrolled environments are not exposed at levels greater than the limits specified in this code. |
Have the meters/radios been certified by the FCC and Industry Canada? |
Yes. Radio endpoints being installed have been tested in accordance with Title 47, Part 15 of the Code of Federal Regulations and have been certified by the FCC. |
How long has this meter/radio equipment been manufactured? |
The R900 radio devices have been in production since 1999. |
How many radio devices have been installed in residential applications? |
Over 9.0 million Neptune R900 radio devices are deployed on water meters today throughout North America. In addition, over 100 million 900 MHz radio devices are deployed on water, gas, and electric meters across North America. |
Over the past 13 years, have there been any cases of interference caused by the R900 radio devices? |
There have been no documented cases where the R900 devices have interfered with third-party devices. |
What frequencies are used by the meter/radio equipment being installed? |
R900 wireless communication equipment operates within the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band which includes frequencies from 902 MHz to 928 MHz. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDR) have classified radiation emitted by devices operating at these RF frequencies as "non-ionizing." Other types of non-ionizing radiation devices include televisions, radios, remote controls, and other devices that use visible light and infrared light. |
What is the power output from the R900 devices when they are transmitting data? |
The effective radiated output power (ERP) for the R900 devices is less than 100 milliwatts (mW) for Standard Mobile Messages sent every 14 seconds. Fixed Network Messages are transmitted at just under 1 Watt every 7½ minutes. In comparison, portable transmitters used by consumers typically operate over this output power range, and in fact may operate with output power up to several thousand milliwatts. |
Where can I go to learn more about regulatory compliance? |
The FCCs document OET Bulletin 65 Edition 97-01, "Evaluating Compliance with FCC Guidelines for Human Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields", details how to measure or calculate levels of RF radiation and to determine compliance of RF facilities with exposure limits. |
Will installation of the new meter/radio interfere with my security systems, pacemaker, cell phones, or other RF electronics? |
The transmitting devices operate in compliance with FCC 47 CFR Part 15 regulations, which require coexistence with other Part 15 certified devices. Within the 902-928 MHz frequency band, operation is limited to frequency-hopping, direct sequence spread-spectrum, and digital modulation intentional radiators. This rule facilitates multiple devices operating in the same location. This includes devices such as security systems, pacemakers, cell phones, and cordless phones. The meter/radio's transmit signal is of very short duration (7 milliseconds), which further decreases the potential for interference with other devices. For comparison, 7 milliseconds equates to approximately one minute total transmission time per day. |