Gas Meter Removal

[johnthestudent]

If a gas meter has to be removed because of adding a tee downstream in the gas pipe.
Should just the meter be removed and the resulting open ends of the gas pipes be plugged with
1 inch male plugs, or should the nut at the top of the emergency control valve be removed also and blanked off with a end cap.
I don't intend to remove any meters , its to help me write up my college notes.
Thanks

 

[big-all]

no expert as a chippie

but shurly the answer must be the meter can only be moved or touched [upstream] by the "gas company " or there agents !!!!!

 

[Alfredo]

Hmm

Strictly speaking everything upstream of the Meter is Transco, everything downstream is Corgi engineer. If you are inserting a Tee downstream then you do not want that pipe capped at all, as you need it as gas free as pos.

IMHO you should..remove meter and cap both meter inlet and outlet, to prevent foreign body contamination, and then you should have one of those screw seals that screws into the meter union nut below the regulator..with ECV turned off naturally.

I think that covers you...and don't forget the continuity bond as you have removed a link..the meter.

Now someone is going to tell me I've got it all wrong..wouldn't surprise me

Alfredo

 

[Agile]

Continunity bond first.

Its generally accepted that all you need to do is loosen the inlet to the meter and dis the outlet and swing the meter out of position, cap it and tighten the inlet connection.

Ideally you should blow through the outgoing gas pipe before you do any soldering but in practice the small amount of gas left in the pipe is unlikely to cause a problem but its best to allow 10 minutes with good ventilation so thats the time for a cup of tea.

Now the bit no one knew! You fit your SECOND bond across the pipe where you are going to cut it to fit your new tee !!!

Tony

 

[Alfredo]

Tony's right of course...2nd continuity bond!!!!.Doh!!

Alfredo

 

[ChrisR]

Its generally accepted that all you need to do is loosen the inlet to the meter and dis the outlet

Not by Corgi it isn't.
Remove meter and cap/plug 3 ends.

the bit no one knew

why would no one know ?

 

[doitall]

Spade the inlet and cap the meter, the pipe is ok disconnected/uncapped if your working on it.

 

[Paul Barker]

Gas sg being .6 and air being 1, take meter off turn it upside down.

But in reality 90% of us just solder with meter in place or at most disk it. I am not saying where in the 100% I stand.

When I take meter off, which is my most common method I put it in the back garden or yard out of thieves reach and where should it spontaneously combust it would do no damage.

 

[namsag]

God paul your risking the wrath of others by possibly admiting to being in that 90% In reality in well over twenty years with BG and being at countless briefings an meetings over that time. When we spoke about situations that had occured no one had ever seen a meter get damaged by soldering a joint with the meter still connected. Not to say it never happened .

 

[ChrisR]

Spade the inlet

Is that how you cut a gas pipe and seal it at the same time?

 

[johnthestudent]

Thank you gentlemen for your replies.
The question that was asked was - If you were going to add a tee into an existing gas pipe for a cooker connection, what precautions and checks would
you make at the meter.
I think to play safe i am going to go with -
Remove meter and cap/plug 3 ends.
and two continuity bonds.

 

[Alfredo]

Whilst lighting up a fag

Alfredo

 

[dan the man]

the old meter could blow number..

whatever!"

 

[doitall]

Spade the inlet

Is that how you cut a gas pipe and seal it at the same time?

Stick the brass blanking plate under the inlet nut and do it up, cap the outlet on the meter to prevent dirt getting in, the pipework is then isolated and can be worked on.

To quote the obvious, do a let-by and soundness test before you start, comes in very handy if there's a problem later

For larger domestic and industrial we would then purge the line with an inert gas before disconnecting.

 

[cjb1971]

remove meter,cap open ends of pipework and cap meter inlets aswell-then place meter in safe place away from where you are working-thats way i was told to do it in acs exams