national grid gas meter exchange

JHEATON_2

If you've got a E6 digital gas meter and National Grid want to exchange it,DO'NT.
My gas meter is situated inside my house.
Approx 6 years ago my gas meter became noisy only when the central heating boiler operated, my gas company replaced it for a digital meter.
August 2008 a letter arrived from national grid asking to change my meter because it was coming to the end of its useful life. Now the trouble started.
6th August meter exchanged from E6 digital to a G4 bellows type, noise starts from meter when boiler operates, called national grid back, who changed it for another G4 type.
3 more visits from national grid over the next month, total of 4 days off work waiting in for national grid to rectify the noise problem.
Various engineer's have said we do not fit E6 meters any more because its too costly to change the battery that runs the dial.You could ask to have the meter put outside the house but the cost would be £600 to £700.The engineers have said there are a few E6 meters about, its just a case where they can find one.
I am still waiting for my gas supplier and national grid to rectify this problem, the noise is becoming unberable. Who many more people are there with noisy gas meters?

spiro

If they want to change the meter you can not stop them. They are right in saying they are taking out the digital ones becuase of problems with battery life. I have an old meter indoors and have never heard it. Try asking your supplier if there is an alternative to the G4 model, I'm sure there is.

brysiewysie

A noisy gas meter can be a sign of a dangerous problem (that's what our info at Eon says) and we arrange for customers to get a prompt exchange if that is happening, all via Nat Grid Gas of course.

Gman0365

The E6 meter is completly silent when operating as there are no moving parts inside it. The mechanism is described as being ultrasonic. With the G4 type gas meter you will hear it when gas is passing through it. To be honest I've fitted a couple (out of an awful lot) that have made a kind of clunking noise when working. Unfortunatley the only kind of ultrasonic meters now installed by National Grid Metering (NGM) are Electronic Token Meters. If you read the other threads on here relating to prepayments meters then you'll see that they are a much more expensive alternative.

NGM use two manufacturers for their G4 meters, George Wilson Industries (GWI)/Kromshcroder and Schlumberger Industries. I can't say I'm aware of any problems with either of them. I'm kinda guessing here, but the noisy bellows could be caused by the meter being brand new. Sometimes NGM install refurbished Schlumberger meters typically 7/8 years old. There is nothing wrong with these meters they have perhaps been removed due to a customer have a card meter fitted. Anyway one of these refurbished meters should be more "worn-in" than a new meter. This might solve the problem. Alternatively the meters you have had installed may be refurbished and as such may be noisy simply because they are old!

As you can see its not a very common occurence so I'm kinda guessing what could be wrong. I've seen problems with the burner on the central heating boiler cause noise from gas meters before and also the gas pressure at the meter regulator could be wrong. Any numnber of reasons.

I understand what brysiewysie is saying regarding the procedures that gas suppliers must following regarding noisy meters however they do tend to play the "safety" card a little too quickly! If you've had several visits from NGM engineers then i'd imagine that the noise is posing no safety risk, only an inconvenience.

Incidentally I'm not employed by National Grid or National Grid Metering.

Hope this helps

Pssst

E6 ultrasonic meters used to be de-riguer and the latest thing,the way forward. A few years ago it was decided that they would nolonger be fitted. There were various reasons. The indexes were difficult to read,sometimes they blanked out or misted over,some even ran backwards or behaved erratically but of course the other thing was that they are battery powered with a finite life and so eventually the meter or its battery has to be replaced. National Grid metering have decided that,in general,rather than replace the battery,they will replace the meter.

Obviously an E6 meter with no moving parts,makes a lot less noise than a traditional bellows type mechanical meter with moving parts.

Further to this, the Kromschroder meter does tend to be a little clunkier!

Of course the amount of noise and any annoyance is related to where the meter is fitted. In addition,its normal noise may be being amplified by the surrounding structures and connections and so it may be possible to reduce such amplifying effects.

The noise will me more under higher flow conditions i.e a combi in hot water mode.

Is your meter sat directly on a wooden floor or cupboard? could some insulating material under or around it help?

JHEATON_2

spiro wrote: »

If they want to change the meter you can not stop them. They are right in saying they are taking out the digital ones becuase of problems with battery life. I have an old meter indoors and have never heard it. Try asking your supplier if there is an alternative to the G4 model, I'm sure there is.

THANKS SPIRO

JHEATON_2

Gman0365 wrote: »

The E6 meter is completly silent when operating as there are no moving parts inside it. The mechanism is described as being ultrasonic. With the G4 type gas meter you will hear it when gas is passing through it. To be honest I've fitted a couple (out of an awful lot) that have made a kind of clunking noise when working. Unfortunatley the only kind of ultrasonic meters now installed by National Grid Metering (NGM) are Electronic Token Meters. If you read the other threads on here relating to prepayments meters then you'll see that they are a much more expensive alternative.

NGM use two manufacturers for their G4 meters, George Wilson Industries (GWI)/Kromshcroder and Schlumberger Industries. I can't say I'm aware of any problems with either of them. I'm kinda guessing here, but the noisy bellows could be caused by the meter being brand new. Sometimes NGM install refurbished Schlumberger meters typically 7/8 years old. There is nothing wrong with these meters they have perhaps been removed due to a customer have a card meter fitted. Anyway one of these refurbished meters should be more "worn-in" than a new meter. This might solve the problem. Alternatively the meters you have had installed may be refurbished and as such may be noisy simply because they are old!

As you can see its not a very common occurence so I'm kinda guessing what could be wrong. I've seen problems with the burner on the central heating boiler cause noise from gas meters before and also the gas pressure at the meter regulator could be wrong. Any numnber of reasons.

I understand what brysiewysie is saying regarding the procedures that gas suppliers must following regarding noisy meters however they do tend to play the "safety" card a little too quickly! If you've had several visits from NGM engineers then i'd imagine that the noise is posing no safety risk, only an inconvenience.

Incidentally I'm not employed by National Grid or National Grid Metering.

Hope this helps

Thanks.
Ive had both G4 fitted both noisy, npower phoned today they wont fund £600 to £700 to move meter outside.My meter is in my porch which backs onto my lounge. In the meter cupboard the wall is made up of wood and plaster so there is no insulation and the meter bracket is screwed directly to the wood.