National Grid - wanting to move gas meter!

[tamz]

I stand to be corrected, but I believe gas, electric, water, and drainage are all universal services - they cannot refuse to connect you, and cannot disconnect you, as long as your installation meets regulations and you pay the bills.
Thats about right

Perhaps some of us care about such things as aesthetics ! It's not the space the box takes that's at issue, but the fact that for pretty well most normal people they are fugly.
Insist on an insertion being done. They will do it. And offer the guys a cup of tea and maybe a wee digestive. It is the least you can do. They (the workers) are loosing money doing it

But in some of the cases being discussed, the suppliers are changing stuff for what seems like arbitrary reasons.
They are changing it not because they particularly want to, but as part of an ongoing mains replacement program forced upon them by Ofgas and the HSE.

I'm glad I came across this thread, because I was wondering what the rules are for meter siting, and in particular if it HAS to be outside in a fuglybox.
I doesn't but sometimes makes sense

And as for the idea that it makes sense to put the electric meter, main fuse, and an isolator outside in the rain Yes I know it's not supposed to be in the rain, but on the side of the house I'm buying, the chipboard back has clearly been subjected to considerable amounts of water during it's life
Better ask an electrician about that one. I'm a gas person myself

 

[moneypenny]

Gas Alliance just moved out of our area. I had to have a 3/4" metal pipe replaced which meant excavating a small area on my quite new quite expensive printed concrete drive. I tried very hard to persuade them to relocate my meter outside whilst the drive was excavated.

The pipe has been replaced and the meter still situated in it's original position in the kitchen.

After seeing the huge white box on the front of my neighbours.... the two holes in her printed concrete drive and copper piping wrapped around the house (they had an extension done which meant the original gas pipe was under the foundations, and as the extension was right on the boundary the pipes are actually on her other neighbours property, so permission had to be sought) I conceded!

I have a small area to repair by my back door and about a foot of plastic pipe visible not ideal but neatly done better than some on this street.

Now in the process of having my printed concrete drive repaired.

So I will put up with the slight inconvenience of the occasional estimated bill. But with the benefit of hindsight, before having any expensive hard landscaping done consider the longterm implications with regards to any services on your property. I didn't.

 

[SimonH2]

Insist on an insertion being done. They will do it. And offer the guys a cup of tea and maybe a wee digestive. It is the least you can do. They (the workers) are loosing money doing it

An insertion ? Apart from sounding painful, what is that ?

 

[gazfen]

Sometimes You Cant Do And Insert On Some Pipes , Insert Is Where You Push Plastic Pipe Thru Your Iron Service

 

[SimonH2]

Insert Is Where You Push Plastic Pipe Thru Your Iron Service

Saw the water people doing something similar when they replaced the mains in my area. They dug holes at each service take-off point and cracked open the old cast pipe. Then they pulled (with a winch) through a scraper to take the bilk of the scale and stuff out, then pulled through a splitter and expander.

Once they'd done that, they could pull in the new plastic pipe and reconnect all the properties.

Certainly saves a lot of digging.

 

[Draughtsman]

I see a lot of comments from vested interest parties here so I think it would be a good thing if any representatives of the utilities or the professions servicing them flag up their trade. when posting.

Does anyone know what Wales & West Utilities policy on replacing gas meters is? A friend had one moved outside gratis recently and I was wondering if policy was that where possible, meters should now be situated outside? Or would it be the supplier?

My position is that I'm currently bricking up a carport where the meters are and I don't really want my bank account reamed out in the way that utility companies consider to be ony right and proper in order to have these meters moved.

I'm more than happy to tape cooking foil over the front of the recessed meter boxes to block the signals from smart meters if they insist on fitting them but not actually repositioning them outside. What with Maggie selling it off, then John Prescott giving plumbers the magic invoice book it's a struggle to keep the bills real

 

[SimonH2]

I'm more than happy to tape cooking foil over the front of the recessed meter boxes to block the signals from smart meters if they insist on fitting them

You'd need to do more than that.

You'd need to completely enclose the meter - so completely covering the meter box (internally or externally), with that metallic covering making a good seal round the incoming and outgoing pipes, and a conductive gasket between door and enclosure. Rather than cooking foil, a nickel loaded conductive paint may be better - that's what's used on the inside of some plastic computer enclosures.

Yes, I've thought about this too

Add in a small window* to allow the meter to be read, and there should seldom be any reason to open the door and let the meter communicate.
* It is possible to make an optically clear but RF opaque window if you understand the right size of wire mesh to use, or use one of those optically transparent conductive coatings that are available (such as used for the electrodes in LCD displays).

 

[peekay53]

when you get the guys to do an insertion please ensure that you do not want to upgrade your existing boiler with a combi of 35kw or more the insert pipework off top of my head is 19mm so you keep you existing meter position they insert biggest pipe they can up old service and you dont have enough pressure for modern combi gas hob couple of fires what ever so think what your asking for the reason new services are going in is to increase standing pressure at meter to then increase working pressure at appliances lets face it you dont think they are spending all this money upgrading to keep men in work it is necessary
peekay53

 

[namsag]

Nonsense peekay, do you not know what pressure comes up that 19mm pipe??

 

[Nige F]

Does anyone know what Wales & West Utilities policy on replacing gas meters is? A friend had one moved outside gratis recently

Is that a town in wales

 

[MeterMonkey]

when you get the guys to do an insertion please ensure that you do not want to upgrade your existing boiler with a combi of 35kw or more the insert pipework off top of my head is 19mm so you keep you existing meter position they insert biggest pipe they can up old service and you dont have enough pressure for modern combi gas hob couple of fires what ever so think what your asking for the reason new services are going in is to increase standing pressure at meter to then increase working pressure at appliances lets face it you dont think they are spending all this money upgrading to keep men in work it is necessary
peekay53

Ive only seen this once, On a U16 serving 3 boilers and a Hob. 19mm inlet pipe would be fine for a domestic with 3 appliances.

 

[peekay53]

well surely that is only true if the working pressure is good enough and you as much as any one must agree that its a lottery what you working pressure can be and although transco national grid etc will say at least 24/30 mb in reality that is not the fact or do you disagree
peekay53
sorry but dont agree at all 19 mm on 3 boilershow long is pipework run and u16 /u6 is no guarantee of good pressure what size is boilers and hob

 

[MeterMonkey]

It actually got as low as 9mb WP after the reg, but was 16.5mb before the reg, NG cut off point is 16mbWP

 

[peekay53]

It actually got as low as 9mb WP after the reg, but was 16.5mb before the reg, NG cut off point is 16mbWP[/quote
well what manufacturers are you saying will accept 9.5mb so what was actual mb at working pressure if gas pressure is 9.5 at gas valve inlet
peekay53

 

[namsag]

As i said peekay you seem to be struggling with understanding pressure before meter /governor in a 19mm pipe and what size pipe and pressure you get after the meter to give proper working pressure and allowed drop to appliance.