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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Ohio
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    5

    Default no actual gas meter

    So on a house in the country, built in 2002, there is gas supplied to the house. On the exterior, there is gas line, a gas shut off valve, a secondary shut off valve, an regulator, but no actual meter. Thoughts?

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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Charlotte NC
    Posts
    2,304

    Default Re: no actual gas meter

    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Sigler View Post
    So on a house in the country, built in 2002, there is gas supplied to the house. On the exterior, there is gas line, a gas shut off valve, a secondary shut off valve, an regulator, but no actual meter. Thoughts?
    Buried LPG tank?

    The beatings will continue until morale has improved. mgt.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Spring Hill (Nashville), TN
    Posts
    5,851

    Default Re: no actual gas meter

    Like Vern said or I have seen meters out near the street a goo distance from the house, they normally are surrounded by a small pipe like cage to protect the meter.

    Scott Patterson, ACI
    Spring Hill, TN
    www.traceinspections.com

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    5

    Default Re: no actual gas meter

    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Patterson View Post
    Like Vern said or I have seen meters out near the street a goo distance from the house, they normally are surrounded by a small pipe like cage to protect the meter.
    It was natural gas, functioning, and there was nothing else anywhere to be seen. Free gas for some reason? Flat fee? I have never seen this before.


  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Knoxville, TN
    Posts
    2,560

    Default Re: no actual gas meter

    I saw something like this a week ago. The homeowner explained... There once was an oil well on the property (large farm), but the oil stopped and now it was a natural gas well. He pointed out the well head and told me the oil company maintains the well head, etc, and the home has free natural gas. There was a regulator and shut off valve next to the house.
    That natural gas had an oily smell to it.

    You might want to call the utility company in that area and ask them about meter locations.


  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Near Philly, Pa.
    Posts
    1,682

    Cool Re: no actual gas meter

    My first thought was well gas. If so, advise the client well gas is not scrubbed so it may contain impurities that could result in excessive corrosion or adverse combustion. It may also contain deadly H2S gas so a leak may represent more than just a fire/ explosion hazard. Definitely check with local utilities and your state regulatory agencies.

    FYI, there are installations where there are what appear to be NG meters on all the homes but it's actually feeding aerated LPG into the homes. I investigated such a case. All the combustion appliances had been tampered with by the local LPG provider and most were sooting and burning poorly. They were planning on providing aerated LPG for a few years until PECO's pipeline made it to them, then they thought all they'd have to do is switch fuels. They should have simply converted all the appliances to LP with kits from the mfrs. set to their specs. and converted to NG with kits again from the mfr. once NG became available.

    Back to local wells--some don't have sufficient high pressure protection as evidenced by some tragedies in recent years. Also, even where they have a high pressure regulator, they can and do fail or just wear out. Who is maintaining those devices and on what maintenance schedule? They are often installed and forgotten with the original company out of business. Caveat emptor.

    Keep the fire in the fireplace.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Fletcher, NC
    Posts
    28,032

    Default Re: no actual gas meter

    Could also be CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) - there could be a tank somewhere.

    Jerry Peck
    Construction/Litigation/Code Consultant - Retired
    www.AskCodeMan.com

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Plano, Texas
    Posts
    4,245

    Default Re: no actual gas meter

    I have seen underground gas meters is some small towns. Looks very much like a water meter / man hole cover.

    Jim Luttrall
    www.MrInspector.net
    Plano, Texas

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    5

    Default Re: no actual gas meter

    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Harper View Post
    My first thought was well gas. If so, advise the client well gas is not scrubbed so it may contain impurities that could result in excessive corrosion or adverse combustion. It may also contain deadly H2S gas so a leak may represent more than just a fire/ explosion hazard. Definitely check with local utilities and your state regulatory agencies.

    FYI, there are installations where there are what appear to be NG meters on all the homes but it's actually feeding aerated LPG into the homes. I investigated such a case. All the combustion appliances had been tampered with by the local LPG provider and most were sooting and burning poorly. They were planning on providing aerated LPG for a few years until PECO's pipeline made it to them, then they thought all they'd have to do is switch fuels. They should have simply converted all the appliances to LP with kits from the mfrs. set to their specs. and converted to NG with kits again from the mfr. once NG became available.

    Back to local wells--some don't have sufficient high pressure protection as evidenced by some tragedies in recent years. Also, even where they have a high pressure regulator, they can and do fail or just wear out. Who is maintaining those devices and on what maintenance schedule? They are often installed and forgotten with the original company out of business. Caveat emptor.

    Thanks to all! I now recall that my now deceased uncle owned a farm fairly close to the same area and he had an oil well from which he received free natural gas for his home. This could be a similar situation. I recommende my client ask the seller about all of this, and mentioned these possible implications.


  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Bennett (Denver metro), Colorado
    Posts
    1,461

    Default Re: no actual gas meter

    I can look out my office window at the lovely site of a pump jack working away. Sadly, Anadarko won't let me tap into the nat gas coming off the well, so I'm on propane. But so is the well motor.

    On rural properties that have nat gas, I often find the meter down by the main road where the gas line is. Sometimes, that's a long way from the house.

    If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

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