Cavity meter box: lintel required?

Hi

I need to install a cavity gas meter box into an existing (brick) wall. Will I need to place a lintel above it, and if so what width?

TIA

Reply to
Ror
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I take it you are bustin out a hole in the wall?

If so, install a lintel for the width of the brick (normally 100mm i stretcher bond facework) x the width of the opening plus 100mm bearin each side

-- Cordless Crazy

Reply to
Cordless Crazy

Looking at mine, the box only has to support 1 brick immediately above it. If you put a lintel in instead, then the lintel would be supporting no bricks as it would replace the 1 brick which needs supporting. Hence, no lintel.

A friend of mine who built an extension some years back built a catflap in one of the walls. He put a lintel over that, and the BCO thought it was very funny.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

I don't have a definitive answer for the OP, but I noticed that Catnic make a steel lintel (ref CNZ94A; only in 600 or 750mm lengths) specifically for use over meter boxes. So presumably applications must exist where they are needed.

David

Reply to
Lobster

Technically ,yes. There will be some movement in the box which can cause the bricks resting on it to move and a little stepped crack in the joints above.

Structurally though, there is no need for a lintel as the small area of bricks above will self-support.

And if you are going to do it properly, don't forget the cavity tray and a couple of weep holes

dg

Reply to
dg

Many thanks for all your replies. A friend advised that a lintel

*should* be installed, but then challenged me to look at boxes on other properties as he had never seen a lintel installed anywhere (not only is he right so far, he pointed me to my own electric meter box not having one which I had failed to notice!) dg could you please tell me what a cavity tray and weep holes are and what they're for? I know I should install a damp-proof membrane behind the box somehow, but I'm not sure if this is to prevent damp or to stop any gas leak in the box escaping to and building up in the cavity. If it makes any difference it's a PRC repaired house, so I have an outer skin of brick, a middle skin of concrete and an inner skin of some sort of fibrous board.
Reply to
Ror

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