A few months back National Grid sent our
road a letter saying they were going to
"renew the old pipe" which delivers gas to
your property" within the next few months.
And would need to gain access simply to turn
the supply on and off at the meter.

The meter is a Parkinson Cowan dial meter and was
fitted around 30 years ago.
Which I thought meant renewing the gas main
under the road. (There was a leak a while back
and that's where it was).
All the houses in this road were built around
1925-30.
Last week a chap called and said they may need
to install an outside meter, replacing the
present indoor meter as well.. When I asked
why he says it would be necessary if they
couldn't insert the liner (which they apparently
are going to fit in the supply pipe) all the way
along to the meter.
The problem is that my present meter is at the back
of a built-in cupboard. It can be read easily enough
and the supply lever is easily reached to disconnect
the supply. But as things stand the cupboard would
need to be dismantled/destroyed if it was necessary
to physically disconnect the old meter.

My question is, is there something simple they can do
to permanently bypass the meter by making some simple
but permanent adjustment ? Which wouldn't necessitate
dismantling the built in cupboard.

Thank you

Kevin Miller

On 10/11/16 14:48, Kevin Miller wrote:
A few months back National Grid sent our
road a letter saying they were going to
"renew the old pipe" which delivers gas to
your property" within the next few months.
And would need to gain access simply to turn
the supply on and off at the meter.

The meter is a Parkinson Cowan dial meter and was
fitted around 30 years ago.
Which I thought meant renewing the gas main
under the road. (There was a leak a while back
and that's where it was).
All the houses in this road were built around
1925-30.
Last week a chap called and said they may need
to install an outside meter, replacing the
present indoor meter as well.. When I asked
why he says it would be necessary if they
couldn't insert the liner (which they apparently
are going to fit in the supply pipe) all the way
along to the meter.
The problem is that my present meter is at the back
of a built-in cupboard. It can be read easily enough
and the supply lever is easily reached to disconnect
the supply. But as things stand the cupboard would
need to be dismantled/destroyed if it was necessary
to physically disconnect the old meter.

My question is, is there something simple they can do
to permanently bypass the meter by making some simple
but permanent adjustment ? Which wouldn't necessitate
dismantling the built in cupboard.

Thank you

Kevin Miller




Sadly no.

Unless you can intercept the output pipe outside the cupboard and let
them joint onto that with a new pipe run, leaving it in place but capped
off both input and output sides.

Really, the meter should have been accessible by them without major
aggravation, but you're starting from here, not there.

Tim Watts wrote:
On 10/11/16 14:48, Kevin Miller wrote:
A few months back National Grid sent our
road a letter saying they were going to
"renew the old pipe" which delivers gas to
your property" within the next few months.
And would need to gain access simply to turn
the supply on and off at the meter.

The meter is a Parkinson Cowan dial meter and was
fitted around 30 years ago.
Which I thought meant renewing the gas main
under the road. (There was a leak a while back
and that's where it was).
All the houses in this road were built around
1925-30.
Last week a chap called and said they may need
to install an outside meter, replacing the
present indoor meter as well.. When I asked
why he says it would be necessary if they
couldn't insert the liner (which they apparently
are going to fit in the supply pipe) all the way
along to the meter.
The problem is that my present meter is at the back
of a built-in cupboard. It can be read easily enough
and the supply lever is easily reached to disconnect
the supply. But as things stand the cupboard would
need to be dismantled/destroyed if it was necessary
to physically disconnect the old meter.

My question is, is there something simple they can do
to permanently bypass the meter by making some simple
but permanent adjustment ? Which wouldn't necessitate
dismantling the built in cupboard.

Thank you

Kevin Miller




Sadly no.

Unless you can intercept the output pipe outside the cupboard and let
them joint onto that with a new pipe run, leaving it in place but capped
off both input and output sides.

Really, the meter should have been accessible by them without major
aggravation, but you're starting from here, not there.

IME the National Grid people are very good at getting pipes through
pipes. I think they are just covering a worst case scenario. However,
they are going to have to disconnect the meter in any case, as they need
to remove and replace, the gas tap to insert the new pipe and disconnect
the gas meter on the input and possibly the output sides in order to
check that the flow rates and pressures are OK. If they fit another
meter, they will probably remove the old one as well, so prepare for the
worst!
Ours was replaced last Xmas and was also built in, I had fortunately
designed the cupboards etc to be removable, so although a pain, it was
possible.

Thanks to Tim Watts and Capitol.

It now appears the cupboard can be removed from
in front. What appears to have happened is that
it's "settled" in the 30 odd years since it was
fitted.

Anyway I'll wait until they turn up and see what
they say.

Thanks again.

Kevin Miller wrote:

A few months back National Grid sent our road a letter saying they
were going to "renew the old pipe"

Over two years ago our street got the same letter, still waiting ...

Andy Burns wrote:
Kevin Miller wrote:

A few months back National Grid sent our road a letter saying they
were going to "renew the old pipe"

Over two years ago our street got the same letter, still waiting ...

We had -4 hours notice!