Gas Co. moved our gas meter on account of great danger

Turbogus

Having purchased our first home in June, we did our level best working with the home inspector but one or two things cropped up later as they're bound to with novices like us. NW Nat'l Gas had great concern with the gas line being under that rough in side porch in this great earthquake area we live in they relocated the meter to a much safer location that is considerably more stable and will never pose a threat due to the frequent earthquakes that are so well known in the Albany, Oregon area.

The old very unsafe and unstable location;



The new absolutely stable installation performed by our professionals at NW Natural Gas;



Now, isn't this so much better?

ddawg16

Who put the blocks there? You or the Gas company?

My meter is suspended in the air....and I live in earthquake country as well...

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bbo

looks like someone just put those blocks to keep it upright while installing.

Gas company have any comment for you on this?

hvac benny

I agree with the poster above: they probably just left it there to keep the meter in place until your gas fitter can pipe in a swing joint to support it on the other side.

Did they tell you why they moved it, or are you just assuming? There are clearances that need to be maintained from the regulator vent. A failed reg venting under a deck can build up gas under that deck. The rule here is the distance above the reg to overhang must be greater than the distance out from the reg to the edge of the overhang.

I work for a gas utility in an earthquake zone and regular residential meter sets don't require support as long as the house piping is black iron pipe with a swing joint to reduce strain on the meter set piping.

Also, since the riser appears to be under concrete, they may have been unable to compact the soil enough to keep the meter set from flopping around until the house lines could be connected.

Turbogus

After the Gas Co. mounted the meter and placed the blocks, the gentleman notified my wife that he was done with moving the meter. This all transpired while I was at work. The agent told me when making his detirmination that the original installation was not earthquake proof. My remarks about us being in an earthquake zone was meant to be sarcastic. Still in all this just seemed slipshod installation to my novice eyes.

I stand corrected, sorry for the post.

Moderator please remove my original post

bbo

no reason to remove your original post.

it does look amateur to leave that stuff sitting like that to me as well.

TheEplumber

Maybe, but to me, I commend the gas installer for taking the time to temp. support the meter rather then leave it flopping in the breeze

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DannyT

is that a window or a crawl space access that they installed the meter in front of?

Turbogus

That's a house vent. The NW Natural guy mention that I could run the line through that vent for the 41 ft. run of new line I'll have to get. However given all the critters around here I don't want to compromise the integrity of the screen. My best friend has been living over here and he's constantly struggling with possums, racoons, nutrea and other critter dieing under his home making for one heckofa stink.

Anti-wingnut

And if you really don't believe you are in a serious seismic zone, you are misinformed about yet another subject in your thread

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascadia_subduction_zone

Just because we don't get earthquakes and tremors on the frequency of Southern California does not mean there is not a real danger of earthquakes in the Puget-Wilammete lowlands.

I question your knowledge and attitude

Turbogus

Well, please pardon my ignorant post then Anti wingnut. I freely admit I'm no seismic engineer or even an expert on gas lines/meters as I stated before I consider myself a novice. More to the topic, if you would be so kind as to accept this apology I would be grateful. This being said do you have an opinion on the question at hand and the photos?

The Gas Co. compliance tech is stopping by today or tomorrow and, judging by these same photos that I emailed to him he turns out to be concerned as well. Perhaps I wasn't so off the mark?

Anti-wingnut

My meter minutes ago. I would think that the gas company is on the way over to offer apogies, and remove the offending blocks. It was surely an oversight of no importance

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gregzoll

Here they drive a five foot post into the ground to support the meter. Keeps it stable, in case someone hits it with a mower. Plus not all of the weight is on the piping, but distributed on the stake.

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hvac benny

There's a house vent right behind the meter? That's against code here, and I'd imagine there as well- must be 3'/1m from the regulator. Hopefully they get it sorted out for you.

hvac benny

Here we call that a trailer post. It's used for remote meter sets and, big surprise, trailers.