Smart meters and metal boxes

misspeaky

Hi there. A friend of mine told me that when utility warehouse came out to fit their smart meter they were told it wasn’t possible because their current meter is housed in a metal box in the porch. It looks like the one I’ve screen shotted here:

Mine is in a metal box outside on the side of my house so I felt compelled to ask in this forum if this is true and if there are any solutions. If it can’t be solved in here then I consider it a mystery!

ProDave

That looks like a normal fibreglass meter box to me.

razord

If need be, they're supposed to run an external antenna out of the box to the side, or the wall next to it.

EssexHebridean

This is interesting - we've not gone the smart meter route yet but as our electricity meter is housed in a metal box inside our property I wonder if we'll encounter any issues as and when the time comes to get our old one changed.

meximoo

I've just had an engineer to fit a smart meter was told couldn't be  fitted due to it being in a metal box. As the box blocks out the signal 

Scot_39

It's a radio signal transmitter.

Bit like a mobile phone or a car remote.

A metal box is a Faraday cage - it traps the signals - often completely.

So it is a problem.

But there are meters that will link to an external T2 antenna external to meter box.

And even talk of an outside T3 option for wall mounting at height.

These are very common in other countries like USA in remote areas.

diystarter7

misspeaky said:

Hi there. A friend of mine told me that when utility warehouse came out to fit their smart meter they were told it wasn’t possible because their current meter is housed in a metal box in the porch. It looks like the one I’ve screen shotted here:

Mine is in a metal box outside on the side of my house so I felt compelled to ask in this forum if this is true and if there are any solutions. If it can’t be solved in here then I consider it a mystery!

Hi OP

Give the supplier a call and offer pics etc and see what they say and decide after that as they will have loads of experience with stuff like that

Thnaks

molerat

Many of the excuses these meter fitters come up with is simply because they don't want to do the job because there is something a bit difficult and beyond their limited capabilities, they are not skilled / qualified electricians or gas fitters.

diystarter7

razord said:

If need be, they're supposed to run an external antenna out of the box to the side, or the wall next to it.

Hi

Exactly that but will need to be looked at to be 100% certain

Thnaks

Scot_39

meximoo said:

I've just had an engineer to fit a smart meter was told couldn't be  fitted due to it being in a metal box. As the box blocks out the signal 

Did you prewarn the installer ?

He may have had access to a model with an external aerial option if knew about it.

Others in UK have had T2 aerials fitted e.g. loft space.  There's even supposed to be an external long cable T3 option available for mounting at height.

Lorian

It would be quite unusual to be in a metal box OP are you sure it isn't fibreglass? Maybe take a photo of your actual box?