Gas meter capping - size query

Heliotrope Smith coughed up some electrons that declared:

Thanks for your concern, but I'd prefer that Ed, John and others weren't discouraged from offering advice. As you'll see from my other post, given sufficient information, I've come to my own conclusion that there are too many variables for me to feel confident at this stage - I like to be certain of things like this.

If Ed and others had clammed up and told me to get a man in, me being me would more likely have said sod it and had a go, not being partial to being fobbed off by supporters of an artisan system ;->

Please do allow some credit for folk to apply their intelligence. I know you meant well, so, sorry for disagreeing.

Cheers

Tim

Reply to
Tim S
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Might also be worth mentioning in case Heliotrope was not aware, that both Ed, and John S/YAPH are CORGI registered and can be relied upon to give sound advice IME.

Reply to
John Rumm

What!!! Run the flame of a torch over an open gas meter outlet and the thing can give a big whoop!! ....and the insides ruined.

The meter horn size is 1". I" caps are available.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

They are? All of them? New to me. In short, they are not.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

When soldering any gas pipe the meter has to be disconnected at the meter outlet. Near the meter the outlet requires a cap. We used the lid of a flux tin between the meter union and meter horn as the flux made a seal.

Being Corgi anything means sweet FA. Just look at some of the installs.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

Yes. Yes. You should check then. In short? They are.

Reply to
BigWallop

How did you clean the flux off after doing these jobs? The flux does eat through the metal, being an acidic cleaning solution, and would need to be removed by heating and wiping from the compression fitting.

If you've ever seen flux left on solder joints, that go green as the flux eats its way through the copper pipes because the joint hasn't been wiped clean, you'd know that flux should not be used anywhere near a compression fitting. Flux eats through brass much quicker than it eats through copper.

Can I have your phone number, please? Just to make a note to remind me not to call you in to do my gas installations. :-)

Being CORGI approved mean you don't do silly things like put flux on compression joints.

Reply to
BigWallop

1) I enquired about this from the (CORGI) advice line about three years back. The advise was that soldering pipes more than 2m from the meter was acceptable. All that was needed is to ensure the supply is turned off.

Pure gas (even 50:50 or even in fact 75 air: 25 gas) does not explode. A small amount of the gas may burn at the open end of the pipe. As soon as the immediately accessible gas has burnt the rest of the gas stays put, IME.

2) Purging the pipes of gas is more likely to make them full of an explosive mixture based on the gas which you did not get out. 3) All advise given here is worth what it costs. Having said that the FAQ clearly states that knowing about (say) gas fitting does not make you competent (which requires supervised experience aswell as knowledge). It is my view that although a little knowledge is a dangerous thing informed people are likely to fare better than ill informed guessers and chancers. You can't stop some people being stupid and telling other people (who in other areas of their life may well be very competent and/or highly educated) is only likely to encourage them to experiment

E.g. From time to time people suggest checking for leakage by seeing if the meter records any gas usage over time. Far better to lay out the correct procedures.

Reply to
Ed Sirett

A frequent problem with flux and gas is when it finds its way onto the semi-rigid stainless steel pipe called and anaconda (Most gas meters are connected by one and sometimes two of them). It takes about 6 months for the flux to eat through the pipe.

Reply to
Ed Sirett

The UEL (Upper Explosive limit for Natural Gas is about 15% gas in air). The gas pipes have no air in them and 100% gas.

Reply to
Ed Sirett

I think that's the joint Drivel is on about. From the flexible connector to the meter. Put the lid of the flux tin in it. The flux paste makes a good seal washer.

AAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reply to
BigWallop

All of them?

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

With a rag.

I don't need a lecture on flux. ...or corgi.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

Nope. You haven't much of a clue.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

Until some of it moves out and some air moves in. I have seen a flash down a 30 foot gas pipe with many elbows.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

Corgi registered you mean. It is a registration authority, nothing else. Corgi means a bathroom changer can do a soundness test.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

I generally try to be reasonably polite and diplomatic, but I'm having a hard time avoiding using the word "pillock" here.

I did /not/ suggest applying a source of ignition to an open meter outlet.

Perhaps I was not being sufficiently idiot-considerate in not saying specifically that one should not apply a flame to pipework close to the meter, though an intelligent reading of my post (which Dr D has even quoted in his reply) does, I think, make this fairly obvious.

Indeed. And so are flux tin lids smeared with corrosive acidic flux.

Reply to
YAPH

That came to my mind whenn read the dross all over this thread.

Soldering near one mean the flame can accidentally be passed over. See it done and a big woomp!!!!...and the dials don't turn.

Which are cheaper. It can be any lid, flux on it or not. It stops flashback into the meter when simply put between the horn and meter union. Some flux is less corrosive than others. I would not advise using Powerflux.

Reply to
Doctor Drivel

Yes. All of them. Someone told me they were filters. That's until I pointed out that all gas meters had to have anti-flash gauss in them to stop idiots igniting gas at the output side. The gauss cause the gas to flare on the outside of the meter union, like a Bunsen burner did when you were at school (?).

So I will repeat the answer, just so you understand it fully. Yes. All meters are fitted with an anti-flare gauss inside them.

Get it? Really got it? Good.

Reply to
BigWallop

So a gauss is normal. Give or take an SD or two. :-)

(Is is spelled differently up there(like lintol/lintel)? Maybe gauze for the rest of us?)

Reply to
Rod

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