Unused internal gas supply requiring a meter to get rolling, but not that simple?

[Gingerbread Man]

Hi folks.
I've a friend who has recently moved into a house. It currently has no heating in any regards, but he wishes for a central heating system to be installed. Simple.

He has two external meter boxes sunk into his external wall. The electricity meter in one, and the second would house a gas meter, but the house has never been made live for gas. There is a live (tested) supply entering the box, which has the ECV and then is capped off.

Now these external meter boxes are now internal as someone has build a small brick porch over them and the front door creating a new room.

He recently enquired for a meter to be installed. They tested to see if it was live as mentioned and then quoted £738 with the reason of, 'because it's plastic pipe, it can't go under the building'.

Is there a new regulation stipulating any new connection a have to be in external meter boxes? Many current house holds have gas metres internally.

Is there any chance that he can just have a meter attached and start paying his bills and using gas?

He's located in Basingstoke if there any local engineers.

Thanks for any help.

 

[tamz]

Nothing new in that. You never could have a plastic pipe under a building. Whoever built the porch should have had the service moved.
Pay up the cash for the transfer or you won't have gas.

 

[Gingerbread Man]

Oh so it's a simple as the builder of the porch doing a half arsed job. If the meter was iron fed, there'd be no issue. Didn't know if there was more to it.

 

[tamz]

If it was iron there wouldn't be an issue. Look up your giusp to see how it is classed

 

[Resolute]

Unused internal gas supply requiring a meter to get rolling, but not that simpl

Could always knock the porch down?

 

[Gingerbread Man]

Re: Unused internal gas supply requiring a meter to get rolling, but not that simpl

Could always knock the porch down?

I'll put it forward to him!

 

[Reg Man]

Also make sure its a low pressure supply and not medium pressure. Best method is to move the service pipe and put the meter housing outside.

 

[stevetheplumber]

i assume this doesnt apply when they push the plastic through the old steel main?

 

[Dotty]

Interesting point Steve. Where would it emerge though, on average?

 

[tamz]

i assume this doesnt apply when they push the plastic through the old steel main?

That is called an insertion Steve and can only be done in certain cases.
They put a 20mm pe up through the old steel service but terminate it with a special fitting attached to the pe and steel which is then inserted with resin through 2 small bolt holes to seal it and make it impossible to remove.

 

[Pssst]

Tell him to take the door off the porch?
How does anyone know the status of the service? Has a meter fitter been round and refused to fit? If so, when are they coming round to cut off the "dangerous" sp?

 

[Gingerbread Man]

Thought I'd update. As he'd bought the house with the violation (as it were) already in place, he managed to wangle the meter relocation for free after reading the small small print. Job's a gooden.