Raising a gas meter box to the proper level

Witsend11

My first post here and hope someone can give me advice - please bear with me on as it will be a long one.

I moved into my house 18 months ago - it was built in 2003. At the time the plans were for the front door to be at the side with a couple of steps up to it. There is no front garden, just a path separating mine, and the one I'm attached to from the parking area so it was a level area. The previous owners decided whilst the building was going on that they wanted the door at the front: no problem apparently so that's how it ended up. After moving in they decided they didn't want the steps up to the front door, but the path sloped up to it instead making access easier. This also involved putting a fence along the front edge so that visitors wouldn't slip over the 2' drop!

But in doing all this the box housing the gas meter stayed in the same place, ie about 6" below the surface of the slope. It was paved almost up to the edge of the box and too deep for the box lid to be placed over it. So instead they put an aluminium drain cover over the top. This of course isn't waterproof and last
winter let it a lot of water and melting snow: it also meant the glass on the meter got a lot of condensation under it rendering it unable to be read. As I'm with nPower I contacted them to find a solution to the problem. Yes, they could come and replace the meter as it was obviously faulty but when I mentioned the water
getting into the box that put a different slant onto the problem. They then wouldn't touch it until the box had been sorted out. Oh, and in the meantime nPower needed the meter to be read so I had to lay out on the ground with a hairdryer for an hour to dry the glass enough to be able to read the figures....lol

The next problem is that its an independent pipeline company so I then made contact with them. I bounced back and forth between the pair of them trying to get someone out to look at the trouble I was having. Eventually nPower sent out an emergency engineer one evening as they thought it was dangerous for the water to be laying in the box - he agreed and said it needed to be sorted.

Nothing happened, the Spring came so I left the problem till September. I phoned the pipeline people - nothing. Phoned nPower - nothing. In the end I contacted nPower' complaints department who contacted the pipeline company who promised to get the local contractors out to have a look at the work needing
doing.

Here we are into December and I still haven't had anyone out. I have now contacted Consumer Focus who have been in touch with both companies - they promised to get back to me within 24 hours. As yet, not a word from either of them.

The box needs to be raised so that a proper lid can be attached but I need to know how much this is likely to cost. I'm a pensioner on limited income so you can imagine the sight of me laying on the ground with the hairdryer can't you?

Would the pipeline people have a comeback on the builder for creating this problem and therefore making him pay up to rectify it? Or what are the likely costs that I would incur if not?

Another point that I would add is that the property hadn't been handed over to the local authority after completion and this was only picked up when I bought the house. It does make me wonder if that was done deliberately due to the other various problems that I have found out since.

Sorry for this being so long but I thought it best to give all the background info at the start. I would be grateful if anyone could give me some advice for when nPower or the pipeline people finally make contact.

lemontart

if it is and igt site then they would probally be the ones to move it as it may involve moving the pipe which they own, the box is your responsibilty and the engineer if it was an emergency engineer would have been from the gas emergency service not npower............I know it sounds complicated but that is what comes of deregulation,

spiro

It sounds like you have a semi concealed meter and meter box. The box has a lid on top and the meter register is on the top of the meter rather than on the front like a wall mounted meter. You ECV will also be in the box.

What has happened, as you say, it that the builder has raised the ground level without getting the meter raised to the point that the top half of the box which should be above ground level is below it.

If what I have said above accurately reflects the situation you need to do two or three things and I say that because there will be 2/3 organisations involved.

1) You need the IGT to move the main intake and ECV up the wall. This will cost you several hundred may be more depending on the distance to the gas main as they will need to lay a new pipe from the main which will mean digging up the front garden. There will also be the cost of a new meter box.
2) You need to contact you supplier to move the gas meter to the new location. This will cost you but will not be as much as getting the new pipe laid. It is possible your supplier will get the IGT to do this as well but thats not guaranteed.
3) Once the meter has been moved you will almost certainly need to get the gas pipe from the meter to inside you house altered. You need to get a Gas Safe registered engineer to do this.

The issue will be that you supplier may not book a meter job until the pipe has been moved so you may be without gas for a few days.

The bottom line is that as the householder your going to be paying to put this right. If you had a survey before you bought it then I would go back to the surveyor and ask why this wasn't picked up then. On the other hand if its rented get onto the landlord and get them to sort it out.

Witsend11

Thanks for the reply Spiro, but this is what I've been trying to get established with both nPower and the pipeline people. I need someone to come out to see what needs to be done, give me a quote and then try to get the work done. But no one gets back to me, hence me now being in contact with Consumer Focus. Unfortunately I didn't get a survey done as the place was so new and I doubt that would have been picked up anyway. I had the council planner out earlier this year with regard to the various problems and was told that if he had been called to sign off the place once it had been completed things like the meter would have been picked up on and the builder made to alter it. He said do I want to go through all the mess and expense now to get things put right? Hell I sure do want to get it sorted as its dangerous! Its my own property, no front garden and the box is placed against the front wall of the house. All I can see needs doing is to change the pipework slightly putting in a bend to lift the meter box up by about 6". From what I've read you can get an extension to the box (or one could be made) so that the proper lid can be place on it about ground. But until someone comes out to have a look there is nothing more I can do.

But thanks again for the response.

spiro wrote: »

It sounds like you have a semi concealed meter and meter box. The box has a lid on top and the meter register is on the top of the meter rather than on the front like a wall mounted meter. You ECV will also be in the box.

What has happened, as you say, it that the builder has raised the ground level without getting the meter raised to the point that the top half of the box which should be above ground level is below it.

If what I have said above accurately reflects the situation you need to do two or three things and I say that because there will be 2/3 organisations involved.

1) You need the IGT to move the main intake and ECV up the wall. This will cost you several hundred may be more depending on the distance to the gas main as they will need to lay a new pipe from the main which will mean digging up the front garden. There will also be the cost of a new meter box.
2) You need to contact you supplier to move the gas meter to the new location. This will cost you but will not be as much as getting the new pipe laid. It is possible your supplier will get the IGT to do this as well but thats not guaranteed.
3) Once the meter has been moved you will almost certainly need to get the gas pipe from the meter to inside you house altered. You need to get a Gas Safe registered engineer to do this.

The issue will be that you supplier may not book a meter job until the pipe has been moved so you may be without gas for a few days.

The bottom line is that as the householder your going to be paying to put this right. If you had a survey before you bought it then I would go back to the surveyor and ask why this wasn't picked up then. On the other hand if its rented get onto the landlord and get them to sort it out.

Witsend11

Yes it was a British Gas engineer that came out and I do realise that the pipework would need to be altered slightly and maybe a new box put into the ground just to raise it above the level it is now. But until someone comes out to have a look I'm stuck!

Thanks for the reply.

lemontart wrote: »

if it is and igt site then they would probally be the ones to move it as it may involve moving the pipe which they own, the box is your responsibilty and the engineer if it was an emergency engineer would have been from the gas emergency service not npower............I know it sounds complicated but that is what comes of deregulation,