Voltage on Gas Meter pipe?

[pikapikasam]

Hello,

We were due to have our gas meter replaced by the gas board but they wouldn't work becasue voltage was detected using a 'pen' type device.

The meter is in a storage cupboard under the stairs and it has an earth bond attached on the gas lever side of the meter (presumable the consumer side). We have been using the cupboard on a daily basis and I have touched the pipes on numerous occassions without knowing about the voltage. This implies very low voltage or none at all (which I doubt).

My question is how would you go about checking it yourself? I bought a digital multimeter to investigate but how and where would you put the two probes of the multimeter?

Any advice would be greatly received.

 

[kirkgas]

Hello,

We were due to have our gas meter replaced by the gas board but they wouldn't work becasue voltage was detected using a 'pen' type device.

The meter is in a storage cupboard under the stairs and it has an earth bond attached on the gas lever side of the meter (presumable the consumer side). We have been using the cupboard on a daily basis and I have touched the pipes on numerous occassions without knowing about the voltage. This implies very low voltage or none at all (which I doubt).

My question is how would you go about checking it yourself? I bought a digital multimeter to investigate but how and where would you put the two probes of the multimeter?

Any advice would be greatly received.

my advice woyld be to get a spark to check it fully, if you are asking the question, you do not know how to interpret or indeed take appropriate readings, i dont mean to offend, far from it, it is a genuine concern for safety.

 

[pikapikasam]

Thanks for the advice Kirkgas. I do intend on getting a sparky to do what ever the resultant job needs to be done but I would like to understand what the problem is to start of with. I have not had much good experiences with sparkys in the past.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Those voltage indicator pens are a very rough guide and they often give very misleading indications. I've checked out quite a few of these in the past and have never found anything wrong.

HOWEVER

Kirkgas is correct, get someone in to check it using an approved voltage indicator.

 

[londonboy]

The last time I had that fault it was a faulty gas cooker.
The gas meter had no bonding so was sitting at 200 odd volts.

 

[kirkgas]

The last time I had that fault it was a faulty gas cooker.
The gas meter had no bonding so was sitting at 200 odd volts.

can you confirm you you had the voltage at the meter, BECAUSE there was no ME bond allowing the fault to run to earth, and if so how did it not blow a fuse or electrocute anyone who touched a gas pipe/fitting,
or why with a fault at a cooker did it not get the first person who went to make dinner

 

[doitall]

Residual current.

Check the heating pipes, water pipes, and earth wires with a Clamp meter, set on low amps. Typically you could be looking at 30Mamps ++

Cause can be Florescent lights, Phone mast, plasma TV, a fault on the incoming service.

If the property is on a slope or has a water frontage you can get the same problem.

 

[NotHimAgain]

First I agree that you should get an electrician to check it out for you.

Now this can occur with gas supplies that have steel supply pipes that also connect to other properties. This is likely if you have a pme (TN-C-S) electricity supply system. If you have there may be a notice at the electricity meter that tells you this.

These 'volt stick' instruments can indicate a voltage in these circumstances - however, it is probably very low as it may well be due to 'diverted neutral' current flowing in the gas main.

Gas fitters often mistake this for a danger. It is actually very common in the situation I described above - but they often don't detect i t .

 

[doitall]

In multiple occupancy's it would most certainly indicate an incorrectly installed earth, as well as a fault/problem..

 

[londonboy]

The last time I had that fault it was a faulty gas cooker.
The gas meter had no bonding so was sitting at 200 odd volts.

can you confirm you you had the voltage at the meter, BECAUSE there was no ME bond allowing the fault to run to earth, and if so how did it not blow a fuse or electrocute anyone who touched a gas pipe/fitting,
or why with a fault at a cooker did it not get the first person who went to make dinner

Because all the gas pipes were hidden in a cellar. The first they heard of the problem was when we turned up to install a boiler and the fitter got a belt off the gas pipe.

 

[RF Lighting]

Some of the radiators in my house light up a volt stick

 

[Johnmelad502]

Some of the radiators in my house light up a volt stick

Why do you have a volt stick near a radiator? Mine is to big to get in the house.

 

[RF Lighting]

Sorry, I meant vault stick

 

[doitall]

The last time I had that fault it was a faulty gas cooker.
The gas meter had no bonding so was sitting at 200 odd volts.

can you confirm you you had the voltage at the meter, BECAUSE there was no ME bond allowing the fault to run to earth, and if so how did it not blow a fuse or electrocute anyone who touched a gas pipe/fitting,
or why with a fault at a cooker did it not get the first person who went to make dinner

Because all the gas pipes were hidden in a cellar. The first they heard of the problem was when we turned up to install a boiler and the fitter got a belt off the gas pipe.

Static electricity perhaps Londonboy

 

[londonboy]

It was approaching 200v and it cleared to 0v when cooker was unplugged.