ELECTRICITY METER FAULTY...is it my responsibility??

jalexa

spiro wrote: »

I think the problem is that the engineer would expect totally clear access to the meter, this is obviosuly not the case here as it would appear the gas pipe is in front of it

I agree it is still not clear from the photograph which doesn't show the supply cable and cut-out. The gas installation looks very dated - is that a lead pipe? Any gas experts know what is the black cylindrical thing going into the regulator?

If the gas was there first what's the problem? But has some building work obstructed access, not so much to the meter, but to the supply cable cut-out?

jalexa

wilkies5 wrote: »

Will wait for initial report to return from first engineer's visit...ha! It won't be a long one - and see what happens.

Can you post a photograph which shows were the red (and black) cables from the bottom of the meter go to?

Also a picture of the gas meter.

DVardysShadow

You have been in the property for 20 years. The meter would have been changed in that period, so it was acceptable in the past - hence no justification for refusing to sort it out now.

Your pics show a round yellow sticker ahlfway up the meter on the right. This si the year that the meter was calibrated [ie no later than installation date] - what does it say? and when did you move in?

wilkies5

Yellow sticker states 09/99. I moved here 1992. Don't recall having meter fitted I must admit!! My boys were young then!
Here are some pics, as requested Jalexa.
https://picasaweb.google.com/102264623595779963999/Meter302?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNyZr_S_xujDmgE&feat=directlink
Thanks all for your continued attention to my problem....you're all very kind.

DVardysShadow

Must have been changed while you have been there. I would say that provided you have not boxed it in any more since, there is no justification for an outside box and I would just be getting EDF in to fix the meter. Short letter, keep a copy, stating that you reported the meter working and it has not yet been fixed. Let them put it in writing that the location is unacceptable.

jalexa

wilkies5 wrote: »

Yellow sticker states 09/99. I moved here 1992. Don't recall having meter fitted I must admit!!

https://picasaweb.google.com/102264623595779963999/Meter302?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNyZr_S_xujDmgE&feat=directlink

I don't see what the problem is, a modern meter is half the area and less than 1/4 of the volume of the one fitted. The meter tails are long enough to reach a slightly higher mounted replacement.

You need to find out *exactly* what is you supplier's concern - in writing if you have doubts about the competence of what you are being told.

And for clarification, who when and how *exactly* was the "£1250" communicated?

On a technical point interesting that the "red" wire appears to be an "earth".

dunloadin

jalexa wrote: »

I don't see what the problem is, a modern meter is half the area and less than 1/4 of the volume of the one fitted. The meter tails are long enough to reach a slightly higher mounted replacement.

You need to find out *exactly* what is you supplier's concern - in writing if you have doubts about the competence of what you are being told.

And for clarification, who when and how *exactly* was the "£1250" communicated?

On a technical point interesting that the "red" wire appears to be an "earth".

Definatley NOT an earth...it's the live out the meter! You can see from other photos that it and the neutral from the meter are routed behind the back board to the connector block, then on to the two consumer units.

Also I would of expected to see two other cables in the teleswitch if you had a fully working eco7 system....looks like at some point in the past the property was converted to gas CH and the consumer unit for the storage heaters was wired into the supply to allow the old storage heater points to be used as normal sockets.

The 3 cables going into the teleswitch should be the live and neutral to power the box, and the flag switch connected to the meter that switches from normal to low rate at the appropriate time.

It is difficult to see in the photo's if these are wired into the teleswitch correctly, it is unusual to see an in-line fuse in the live in to power the teleswitch; in most insallations where a live in is fused like this it is to protect a contactor switch on the heating side (at a guess the white box marked 240 volts). Was the old heating a big FO storage heater with vents to other rooms by any chance?

Unable to see the bottom of the teleswitch, but there may well be an additional cable 'looped' into another terminal closer to the neutral and flag lines....if there is it may well be that the teleswitch is knacked and no longer works. It is also possible (though unlikley) that the wrong cables were removed when the original wiring was removed.

Best to get a second opinion from a different meter fitter if they have one in the area, it's pretty common to work in confined spaces, that said there should be no problems getting the meter changed where it is, the only problem I can see is the proximity of the cutout to the gas pipes, though rules differ dependant on who is doing the job.

I can't comment on the new type of meter you get as again it varies from area to area, but I'm wondering why you still need a multi rate system when you no longer have storage heating....might be worth asking about changing to a single rate meter and killing two birds with one stone.