Gas meter locked/broken/crazy estimates!!!

cici71

Hi. My key will no longer open my gas meter box. Latch seems to be broken & key isn’t gripping it. I’ve googled and yes I can buy a new latch but I need the door to be open to do this. I wasn’t able to give a reading this month and crazily although our bills have been £100 every single month for last few months, they estimated this month at £263!! I can’t seem to prise the door open either. Any ideas please? Or do take a hammer and knock the whole box off ?? 😳
Thank you 

MikeJXE

Is it a plastic key ? It could be a worn key 

Mutton_Geoff

Snipe nose pliers to turn the triangular bit of plastic in the hole anticlockwise (lefty loosy) whilst pressing to top centre of door in a bit to lessen resistance from brass tab that locks it. Don't break it off otherwise a pig to replace the whole cabinet as gas will have to be disconnected.

Looks like it might have been painted shut? If so, run sharp knife between edge of door and box all around before trying again.

Failing that, drill 30mm hole in the right place to take picture or peek at meter reading.

cici71

MikeJXE said:

Is it a plastic key ? It could be a worn key 

No it’s a metal one 

cici71

Mutton_Geoff said:

Snipe nose pliers to turn the triangular bit of plastic in the hole anticlockwise (lefty loosy) whilst pressing to top centre of door in a bit to lessen resistance from brass tab that locks it. Don't break it off otherwise a pig to replace the whole cabinet as gas will have to be disconnected.

Looks like it might have been painted shut? If so, run sharp knife between edge of door and box all around before trying again.

Failing that, drill 30mm hole in the right place to take picture or peek at meter reading.

Fab advice thank you!! Oh wow really the gas has to be disconnected?? I literally thought it was just a white box covering it for asthetics! 

Yes it’s been a pain since painters finished outside! So I’ll try that too.
Now I know re gas being disconnected I’ll def sort a peep hole if all else fails. Thank you so much 

FreeBear

Mutton_Geoff said: Snipe nose pliers to turn the triangular bit of plastic in the hole anticlockwise (lefty loosy) whilst pressing to top centre of door in a bit to lessen resistance from brass tab that locks it. Don't break it off otherwise a pig to replace the whole cabinet as gas will have to be disconnected.

You sure about having to disconnect the gas ??

Mine, you just pull it away from the wall, and then lift the whole box up and off. The meter remains attached to the wall, and cutouts at the base of the box clear the pipes.

cici71

FreeBear said:

Mutton_Geoff said: Snipe nose pliers to turn the triangular bit of plastic in the hole anticlockwise (lefty loosy) whilst pressing to top centre of door in a bit to lessen resistance from brass tab that locks it. Don't break it off otherwise a pig to replace the whole cabinet as gas will have to be disconnected.

You sure about having to disconnect the gas ??

Mine, you just pull it away from the wall, and then lift the whole box up and off. The meter remains attached to the wall, and cutouts at the base of the box clear the pipes.

I do feel mine is just a ‘cover’ as it’s literally a white box covering it all for aesthetics. But I’m going to try the other ideas first. 

Mutton_Geoff

My last house the meter was fixed to the box which was fixed to the wall rather than a lift off, but that does make sense. Now the OP mentioned painters, I think that's what the problem is.

housebuyer143

cici71 said:

Hi. My key will no longer open my gas meter box. Latch seems to be broken & key isn’t gripping it. I’ve googled and yes I can buy a new latch but I need the door to be open to do this. I wasn’t able to give a reading this month and crazily although our bills have been £100 every single month for last few months, they estimated this month at £263!! I can’t seem to prise the door open either. Any ideas please? Or do take a hammer and knock the whole box off ?? 😳
Thank you 

If you get a knife and pull it hard it will break the latch open... I did this to mine and then I just blue tac it shut. Never had a problem with it opening without my wanting it to.

Gavin83

We moved into our house last year and despite sending the electric company a meter reading they estimated it instead. I only noticed this a few months back as I went through the bills carefully due to the increasing energy prices. Anyway it turned out they'd estimated double what we'd actually used and we ended up with a refund of £600.

Moral of this story, always check your energy bills and meter readings!

Eldi_Dos

Try a universal socket to grip spindle at latch, looks like it is painted in,I find a shoe knife handy to break the paint seal and strong enough to force between box and flap.

If not able to move spindle you could drill two small holes either side of key position and attach a couple of toggle ring bolts then put suitable screwdriver shaft through rings and give it good pull while pushing box against wall to stop movement.