Gas and electricity meters too close together in same cupboard

[Deleted User]

I'd be grateful for any light you can shine on this.

Selling our flat, and the buyers survey gives us a red 3 for this:

"Gas meter is too close to the electricity meter and is not separated by a fire resistant partition and is a safety hazard. You should ask an appropriate qualified person to inspect the gas installation system now".

Does anyone know what regulation this refers to, and what would be the best fix? Does one meter have to be moved elsewhere? Would a fireproof box fitted over one or other meter be needed? If so, which one?

Many thanks in advance.

Risteard

How close are they? Are they touching?

[Deleted User]

Risteard wrote: »

How close are they? Are they touching?

I'll get out the measuring tape tonight, but they are not touching.

I have seen 150mm quoted in bs6891:2005. But I'm just a layperson googling, so if anyone knows more about this (or had the same issue) it would be a big help.

Frank99

My energy company sent out an engineer to move mine!

[Deleted User]

Frank99 wrote: »

My energy company sent out an engineer to move mine!

Did they charge for this?

Both meters were installed long before we lived here, and I obviously have no idea who the energy company would have been then.

Does the current energy company have an obligation to put it right, when it was not their installation?

dunroving

Cherry_Gale wrote: »

Did they charge for this?

Both meters were installed long before we lived here, and I obviously have no idea who the energy company would have been then.

Does the current energy company have an obligation to put it right, when it was not their installation?

I'm not 100% sure, but moving a meter may be something done by the behind-the-scenes gas supplier, not the company that you pay the bill to. I looked briefly into moving my gas meter (which comes up through the concrete floor), and am pretty sure that was the situation.

ETA: Looks like I was right and wrong!

See this CAB page (click on link).

Look in particular at the heading "If your energy supplier can’t move your meter"

Frank99

Cherry_Gale wrote: »

Did they charge for this?

Both meters were installed long before we lived here, and I obviously have no idea who the energy company would have been then.

Does the current energy company have an obligation to put it right, when it was not their installation?

Have you asked Cadent or National Grid for information, they should at least point you in the right direction.

[Deleted User]

Risteard wrote: »

How close are they? Are they touching?

The meters themselves are 590mm apart, and the closest electrical wire and gas pipe are 200mm apart. Which would seem to be within regs afaik.

I think I'll politely ask for the buyers surveyor to say what distances he is referring to, and what regulations.

[Deleted User]

Frank99 wrote: »

Have you asked Cadent or National Grid for information, they should at least point you in the right direction.

Thanks, I will try them in the morning.

[Deleted User]

Cherry_Gale wrote: »

The meters themselves are 590mm apart, and the closest electrical wire and gas pipe are 200mm apart. Which would seem to be within regs afaik.

I think I'll politely ask for the buyers surveyor to say what distances he is referring to, and what regulations.

Not quite the same thing, but the gas board once condemned my water heater on the grounds that it was too close to the boiler. When I pointed out that they were the ones who installed it, and the boiler was already there at the time, they decided it wasn't dangerous after all.

TELLIT01

jack_pott wrote: »

Not quite the same thing, but the gas board once condemned my water heater on the grounds that it was too close to the boiler. When I pointed out that they were the ones who installed it, and the boiler was already there at the time, they decided it wasn't dangerous after all.

At least you had a successful outcome. When I had a new boiler installed they ran the condense pipe above the roof of the carport (corrugated plastic roof), when the condense pipe froze they refused to go up to fix the problem saying it was against H&S rules. They put the damn pipe up there!