Hi would there be there any reason that we cannot get a corgi registered gas man to re-site our gas meter from one side of the kitchen wall to the other (ie fom indoors to outside in the garden?) There is a path all the way round the outside to the proposed location, and there is a manual lever to turn the gas off just before the meter. It would make meter reading so much easier, and give us another cupboard space in the kitchen. The gas suppliers have quoted £495 to move it 0.2 meters, since this is the minimum charge they make. They would not even have to drill a hole in the wall since there is a vent-brick right beside the meter anyway, and I think we can buy the meter boxes from Ridgeons. Thanks in advance Mara
Firstly, there are all sorts of different qualifications which gas engineers need to have, one of them being fiddling around with meters, so you can't assume all CORGIs will be able to do it. If you look at:
you should be able to find one who's registered for this; although when I tried, most of the guys I phoned seemed to deny it!
However, presumably you're going to have to move the main gas stop c*ck too? I *suspect* that will mean you are compelled to use Transco - have you contacted them? In the end, that's who moved mine, but they did it FOC on the basis of it being unsafe. 495 GBP is outrageous, you could have a whole new supply installed for that sort of dosh!
The whole area is a minefield, like all the other utility companies, none of whom have a clue about whose jurisdiction different parts of their systems come under. So be prepared to receive conflicting answers from whoever you contact (and yes, that includes different employees within the same outfit...)
I payed £200 (about 5 years ago ) to have my meter moved outside. As Dave says, they moved the stop c*ck outside. They also dug up my patio to replace the connecting pipe. I guess that this type of work isn't done by your normal Corgi gas fitter.
This reminds me of the first time I moved my gas meter 20 years ago.
I had just move into the house and was installing new kitchen units. The meter was in the way of the new units so I decided to move it. After I had the meter move and checked the joints with soapy water I though I would call Scottish Gas (.long before privatisation) for a safety check. The conversation went like this.
I have moved my gas meter and.. YOU'VE WHAT I have moved my gas meter and.. YOU CAN'T DO THAT I've already done it and want a safety check. You are not allowed to move your meter- its illegal. I am fitting new kitchen units and the meter was in the way so I had to move it over a bit. O I don't know about this. I'll need to report it. You may not have heard the end of this. Ok but can you send somebody out to check it?
The gasman duly arrived, had a quick look at my soldering then got his manometer out to check for leaks. Everything was OK and he left after a few minutes. I got a bill for about £8.
After 15 years, SWMBO wanted a new kitchen and the meter got in the way again. At this time I decided to have the meter moved outside. I new that the connection into the house would requite a U shaped loop out from the wall. I drew a line on the wall where the uprights would be and asked my father in-law to make sure that the U joint was to the left if this line. When I got home from work I was dismayed to find that although the elbow was to the left of the line, it was at an angle which would interfere with the base unit. What should I do? take a day off work and make the do it again or just fix it myself?
After I fixed it myself, ( I really needed to get on and fit the new units) I rigged up a "sort of" namoneter out of clear plastic tubing and checked for leaks. I couldn't make up my mind if there was a small leak or not. It could just have been movement in the plasic tube but I rechecked my joints with soapy water. Everything was OK on the bits I had done so I checked the quick release connector for the gas cooker which had be previously fitted by a Corgi man. There was a tiny leak there so I tightened up the joint and stopped the leak.
Paying for a Corgi man is no guarantee of getting a proper job done.
This isn't what the gas company told a friend recently when she rang to say water was leaking through in on the pipes. In the end they agreed to send someone out who's organised work for summer.
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