Gas main replacement question

TonyS82 · 8 Jun 2019

Hi,
Sorry its a long one.

I have recently requested for my gas network provider to relocate the gas pressure regulator located on my driveway to enable us to move a wall and use the whole drive. I have paid and the work is due to be carried out on 19th June.

Today i received a letter stating that the gas company will be replacing the gas main and service pipes in my street shortly and to put off any driveway works as a precaution.

If anyone can advise on the below i would be grateful:
Will moving the regulator now cause issues when the service pipe is replaced?

Would the regulator be moved during the main replacement? If so, I'll cancel and get my money back.

Will the meter need to be moved? Its currently in a cupboard in the middle of the bungalow although we are carrying out a loft conversion so it will be located under the new stairs.

Any info welcome.

Thanks for reading

ianmcd · 8 Jun 2019

BadgerAnt said:
Will the meter need to be moved? Its currently in a cupboard in the middle of the bungalow although we are carrying out a loft conversion so it will be located under the new stairs.

As far as I am aware , I have not worked for the network for many years but when I was there, you could not move an internal meter to another internal position for a primary meter , it must go outside

TonyS82 · 8 Jun 2019

ianmcd said:
As far as I am aware , I have not worked for the network for many years but when I was there, you could not move an internal meter to another internal position for a primary meter , it must go outside

sorry, to clarify we are not moving the meter. the stairs will be above the current position

ianmcd · 8 Jun 2019

BadgerAnt said:
sorry, to clarify we are not moving the meter. the stairs will be above the current position

sorry I thought that you meant that you were moving it

muggles · 8 Jun 2019

BadgerAnt said:
sorry, to clarify we are not moving the meter. the stairs will be above the current position

Some photos might help to clarify this - the regulator is normally mounted on top of the meter, so it sounds like you have a non-standard setup

TonyS82 · 8 Jun 2019

muggles said:
Some photos might help to clarify this - the regulator is normally mounted on top of the meter, so it sounds like you have a non-standard setup

Hi muggles
Its a medium pressure gas regulator the same as rhe one in this post
https://www.diynot.com/diy/posts/4327995/

The meter is standard

gas112 · 9 Jun 2019

i would hold off doing anything till they start doing their bit and when the guys have turned up to dig ask them to move the medium pressure reg they may well do it for free. All depends what is entailed because if they are renewing your service right to upto meter by inserting it they will be digging it out around it anyways and it might be easier for them to stick it elsewhere

TonyS82 · 9 Jun 2019

gas112 said:
i would hold off doing anything till they start doing their bit and when the guys have turned up to dig ask them to move the medium pressure reg they may well do it for free. All depends what is entailed because if they are renewing your service right to upto meter by inserting it they will be digging it out around it anyways and it might be easier for them to stick it elsewhere

sounds like a plan

gas112 · 9 Jun 2019

first thing you say to them is ,,,cup of tea lads

bernardgreen · 9 Jun 2019

BadgerAnt said:
If anyone can advise on the below i would be grateful:
Will moving the regulator now cause issues when the service pipe is replaced?

An opinion based on the experience of gas mains being upgraded in this village and conversations with a senior Cadent engineer at the time.

The regulator may not be needed if the the old mains are removed and new larger diameter mains are installed along the street. Larger mains can be operated at lower pressure and still supply adequate amounts of gas. The lower pressure from the new mains is compatible with the pressure regulators fitted to the meters.

TonyS82 · 9 Jun 2019

bernardgreen said:
An opinion based on the experience of gas mains being upgraded in this village and conversations with a senior Cadent engineer at the time.

The regulator may not be needed if the the old mains are removed and new larger diameter mains are installed along the street. Larger mains can be operated at lower pressure and still supply adequate amounts of gas. The lower pressure from the new mains is compatible with the pressure regulators fitted to the meters.

Thats good news if true in my case. I will be speaking with the site manager who carried out the survey tomorrow and i will make sure to ask.
Thanks

gas112 · 9 Jun 2019

so bernard did they change the house supplies in your village from medium pressure to low pressure ?
so you think medium pressure mains are small bore ?

bernardgreen · 9 Jun 2019

BadgerAnt said:
I will be speaking with the site manager

Be aware that the "site manager" will be employed by the contractors and not by Cadent. We found that going direct to Cadent was the way to get accurate information about the progress and problems. After completions ther was persistant smell of gas, contractors were on site for over a week drilling holes looking for the leak. Eventually two Cadent engineers arrived. They listened to the opinions of villagers as to where the leak was. They found the leak and repaired it in a day.

bernardgreen · 9 Jun 2019

gas112 said:
so you think medium pressure mains are small bore ?

No, I do not think that, what made you think I thought it

The medium pressure line installed through the village in 2013 to the nearby Science Park was 150 or 200 mm diameter. It was laid directly on top of the iron mains for the High Street .

gas112 said:
so bernard did they change the house supplies in your village from medium pressure to low pressure

Along the High Street the old iron low pressure mains that were starting to leak too often were lined with plastic pipe slid into the old pipes . As far as I know the pressure on that section was not changed .

It has always seemed a bit odd that a side road from the High Street and fed from the mains in the High Street has regulators.

The reason maybe that the side road was in the 1970's a new road to several new houses. At that time it was the only road in the village with as gas supply. This was LPG gas from a tank. This could explain the regulators along that road.

Mains gas came to the village about 1980 and probably used the LPG mains. The regulators necessary for LPG ( now redundant ? ) , were left in place.

gas112 · 9 Jun 2019

bernard i am so glad you explained to me how a main is inserted my 40 years in the trade involving being employed by british gas and national grid (cadent) gave me no insight what so ever

perhaps tomorrow you can teach me to suck eggs

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Gas main replacement question

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