Gas meter removal from a subsiding garage wall for demolishing and re-build. Catch 22!

Linty7

I have an integral garage with a subsiding walls and concrete floor. We are in the process of demolishing the structure, making good and re-building. The gas meter is mounted on a steel pipe and is situated on the left hand wall which is subsiding, it is moving away from the main structure of the house and is in a dangerous position. The flexible pipe is now stretching where it connects the meter to the inner house pipework. In order for the wall to be taken down and rebuilt the gas meter needs to be temporarily removed and the supply pipe capped in the driveway. Then, when the wall has been rebuilt, the meter needs to be reinstalled and the gas supply and pipework reinstated. Cadent have been out to inspect the meter and have deemed it safe when it most clearly isn't!

The only options we are being offered are a meter move (at a cost of about £800) or a total disconnection and reconnection (approximate cost £3,500!). They are saying if I have a disconnection they won't just simply re-connect supply, they will have to dig up the drive and re lay a new pipe (we understand the current pipe in the driveway is plastic, it would have been installed in approximately 1970). I am willing to pay for a meter move but there is no where for it to go until the garage walls have been re-built. This would involve doing the meter move in two stages, which they aren't willing to do. They are giving no options at all for simply capping the pipe. We are in a real catch twenty two situation and we are going around in circles trying to come up with a solution. Cadent are being totally inflexible and for either option they are quoting 8 - 10 weeks!

Any help anyone could offer would be greatly appreciated. 

JC_Derby

Why do you need to move the meter twice? Can’t you find a permanent position to move to first time? Ie front of house?
im afraid the 8-10 week turn around will be standard, there will be dozens of similar small jobs in the queue before yours, which is where that lead time comes from.

spiro

In my area where they have been replacing old pipework all the meters have been relocated to an outside meter box on the front of the house regardless of where it was before. Is that not an option?

Linty7

JC_Derby said:

Why do you need to move the meter twice? Can’t you find a permanent position to move to first time? Ie front of house?
im afraid the 8-10 week turn around will be standard, there will be dozens of similar small jobs in the queue before yours, which is where that lead time comes from.

It's an intermediate house with an integral garage. A block of four houses and mine is one of the centre ones. Unfortunately there is no outside location suitable. The garage is the only option.

Linty7

spiro said:

In my area where they have been replacing old pipework all the meters have been relocated to an outside meter box on the front of the house regardless of where it was before. Is that not an option?

At the moment I am waiting for a survey to be conducted by Cadent but as things stand I can't see where it could go. If they do manage to come up with an outside location that would be great and I would go with that no problem at all.

ASavvyBuyer

Not sure if this would help, but Octopus have recently stated on their Agile forum that they are willing to cap a supply at no cost.

However, there may be a charge to re-instate it at a later date.

If the incoming gas pipe can stay in the same location, but just be capped off until you are ready to have it connected up again, would that be possible?

thorganby

I don't believe that it is necessary to move the meter once let alone twice, as this is unnecessary expense that you can work around yourself without involving Cadent.

Simply create a support for the gas meter shelf, attached to the sound right hand wall pillar e.g. a piece of 4" x 2" timber.

Demolish and rebuild the wall, remove the temporary support and reattach the gas meter shelf to the newly built wall.

Keep it simple this is MSE

couriervanman

As above.....sounds like a good idea keep it simple

theoretica

Do you actually need the meter gone while the building work takes place?  I think a local gas engineer could disconnect the meter from your house so those flexible pipes were not in the way.

MWT

ASavvyBuyer said:

If the incoming gas pipe can stay in the same location, but just be capped off until you are ready to have it connected up again, would that be possible?

The problem they will have based on what has been said so far is that you can't get a new service on a pipe that isn't up to current standards so once it has been capped it would stay capped until the work is done to bring the supply pipe up to spec. all of which will be at the consumers expense.

Linty7

ASavvyBuyer said:

Not sure if this would help, but Octopus have recently stated on their Agile forum that they are willing to cap a supply at no cost.

However, there may be a charge to re-instate it at a later date.

If the incoming gas pipe can stay in the same location, but just be capped off until you are ready to have it connected up again, would that be possible?

Unfortunately the incoming pipe can't stay where it is. It needs to be cut right back to where it enters the garage from the driveway. It is an integral garage (half within the main structure of the house and half outside). This section needs to be completely demolished., then new foundations and drainage installed. The pipe the meter is mounted on is steel, apparently you aren't allowed to dig around steel gas pipe. According to Cadent they think the pipe leading to the property would be plastic, it's just the final stage that is steel. My supplier is Scottish Power but they aren't responsible for this sort of work, for my area it is Cadent.