Gas meter position

[endiache]

Hi

I'm looking for a bit of advice as to what can be done about my gas meter.

A year or two ago Southern Gas dug up the road to replace the pipes along our street and to each house. I was at work but they told my wife that they had to move our gas meter because it was too far inside the house (it was at the back of the garage) and moved it to the front of the garage near the canopy door.

At the time the garage was just used for storage, so I had shelves up against the door. Now I've removed the shelving, I've found the door won't open because it hits the gas meter!

Southern Gas refuse to talk to me because I have to go through my gas supplier, Scottish Power who didn't do the original work so would charge me to fix it. They told me gas meter moves start at £500 which I really can't afford, so I'm hoping there is something else that can be done.

The supply comes straight up from the floor in screwed steel pipe to an isolation valve then a flexible metal hose to a bulbous metal thing (regulator?). The door just clears the regulator and the metal meter bracket but it hits the body of the meter. If I were to get a new 'Smart Meter' fitted, are they any thinner (do they protrude from the wall any further than the metal bracket and regulator thing?)

Reading these forums, I gather a Gas Safe plumber can move the meter within the reach of the flexible pipe. That may be enough, but probably not. Can he/she extend or replace the flexible pipe with a longer one or can that only be done by my gas supplier?

Is there something else that can be done to avoid paying the £500+ to move the meter by what will probably amount to a couple of feet..?

Thanks in advance.

 

[endiache]

Here's a rough sketch if it helps explain the problem..

 

[bernardgreen]

Contact the company that moved the meter ( Southern Gas ? ) and tell them thier technician installed the meter in a location where it was at definate risk of damage when the garage door was opened. Tell them it needs to be moved at their expense as their technician / surveyor was negligent in placing the meter where it would be hit when the door was opened.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Fancy running a spell check on that? Scottish Gas might just laugh at him .

Contact the company that moved the meter ( Southern Gas ? ) and tell them thier technician installed the meter in a location where it was at definate risk of damage when the garage door was opened. Tell them it needs to be moved at their expense as their technician / surveyor was negligent in placing the meter where it would be hit when the door was opened.

 

[bernardgreen]

Sorry about the spelling. Do you have a valid comment about the process of getting the meter relocated ?.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Not that I would advocate a DIY'er to do no. I know what I would do though .

 

[endiache]

Thanks Bernard.

I've tried contacting them several times, and just go round and round in circles; they say that I should have said something at the time and when I point out that the door wasn't accessible at the time, they say that I need to speak to my supplier.. I have no leverage with Southern Gas as I am not their customer and they pretty well said as much..

Anyway, it's been dragging on for so long now I don't mind playing someone a little bit to sort it out, but I'm hoping that that something can be done (legally) by a local plumber who isn't going to to charge me £500..

I figured by posting here I'd be able to get a few different creative suggestions and not waste anyone's time by ringing around if it really can be only done by Southern Gas.

The smart meter option would potentially cost me nothing if anyone can confirm how far from the wall they protrude..

 

[Dan Robinson]

Smart meters are the same size.

There is an obvious door related solution to this that should cost you nothing, but I am not going to elaborate.

 

[75pete]

I find this interesting. When our road and gas meter was dug up and moved, we were given months of notice of this plan. Even during the proposed movement of the meter position, we were given several days notice and new placement positions. Ours was also done by the same people as yours. We had to agree the new meter position before any worked started.
You could remove the up and over type door and have a double, out opening doors fitted.

 

[endiache]

It was a while ago, but I'm fairly sure we were only informed of the outside gas works, not the relocation of meters. There certainly wasn't any survey done prior to the day the work was done. Presumably my wife verbally agreed to the location but she can't remember. As I said it was well over a year ago and I've given up trying to argue my case to Southern Gas.

I did think about changing the door for a pair of out opening doors, but my drive has a slight slope down towards the garage so it's not ideal and even then I wouldn't have though it would be much less than £500.

 

[oph]

Its their equipment and they have the final say in where it goes.
They could be complete ****es and leave it at the boundary of your property and then you have the hassle of having a pipe run from new meter location.
Gutted I turned down an NC01 position now....

 

[stardanny]

Southern gas will not do anything as it is more than a year.

How about electric roller shutter door?

Daniel.

 

[AGAS]

Southern gas will not do anything as it is more than a year.

How about electric roller shutter door?

don't think he wants to spend anything as usual , you've had a year to sort no wonder their dragging their heels from their eyes you may have altered something in the mean time. by any chance have you had a new door fitted because i find it hard they would fit a meter in that position ( well sort off ), anyway wouldn't the fitters realise it was hitting the meter when they closed the door ???

 

[endiache]

Thanks Daniel, I hadn't thought of a roller door but a quick search suggests it won't be much cheaper than getting Scottish Power to move the meter... (£300 + installation + VAT)

 

[endiache]

Agas, of course I don't want to pay anything, (who would?) but I appreciate I will probably have to. What I am looking for before I fork out £500 on a meter move is if there is anything a local plumber is allowed to do (or change the door) which would cost me significantly less..

The door was inaccessible when they fitted the meter; it had shelves up against it.. I only found the problem a few months ago when I cleared the Garage out. To be fair to the fitters, when you look at it it doesn't look like the door would foul the meter until you open it; it's difficult to judge the trajectory the door takes as it opens..

I expect they just copied the position they had used next door, assuming the doors were the same.