Welding/cutting in room with gas meter

[Tochnia]

I have tiny garage which I'm converting to my workshop.
But do you think it will be safe to weld/cut in it as in one of its corners I have gas meter for house with few meters of gas pipes
Meter is few months old and technician check for leaks when installing it, but I'm still not sure how safe will be to have sparks in same room

 

[Munkul]

how good is your sense of smell?

 

[brightspark]

make a cupboard for the meter and make sure the gas pipe cant be damaged by heavy stuff hitting it . no different to having gas bottles there

 

[Screwdriver]

I wonder if you really want to enclose it in a small bomb, I mean cupboard. Probably best to make sure it is screened and protected from knocks, direct line of sight sparks but actually leave it relatively open and not sealed.

 

[brightspark]

my gas meter is in a small cupboard in the sitting room .next to it is the gas back boiler and fire . wots the problem I have my oxy acet gear 2 propane bottles a patio gas heater bottle and a few small torch bottles in garage and never had a problem in 45 years

 

[Matchless]

and that was the last ever message from Yarm...…………. boom....

 

[mr haynes]

Where were meters kept before they invented outdoor small cupboards

 

[DAPPH]

Make a cupboard round the meter , Get yourself a natural gas alarm that triggers on domestic gas . Put it in the enclosure & wire it to a mains point
Similar to this for £ 17 ish if you're worried .

eBay item number:
333228819181

 

[Screwdriver]

There are a few other tips in this document: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/2451/regulation/13/made

 

[James1979]

I wonder if you really want to enclose it in a small bomb, I mean cupboard. Probably best to make sure it is screened and protected from knocks, direct line of sight sparks but actually leave it relatively open and not sealed.

You could leave the bottom off or put drop ours on like the gas lockers in a campervan?

depends how high up it is i suppose but drop out tubes would work whatever the height

 

[Kayos]

There are a few other tips in this document: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/2451/regulation/13/made

That covers the position and installation of external meter boxes, not relevant at all to an internal meter

I wouldn't worry about it at all, unless you already have a gas leak but that is a different concern

 

[waddycall]

Put a piece of ply or something in front of the meter to protect it from sparks.
You won’t cause an explosion or fire unless you have a gas leak. If you want to enclose the meter, put a couple of soffit vents in the side of the enclosure.

 

[waddycall]

You could leave the bottom off or put drop ours on like the gas lockers in a campervan?

depends how high up it is i suppose but drop out tubes would work whatever the height

Drop outs only really work for lpg as it’s heavier than air. Mains gas is lighter than air.

 

[RonA]

The meter & accompanying pipework should have been pressure tested for leakage on installation, although the pressure test standards for domestic pipework are in my opinion are no where as demanding as standards worked to in industry.
If want to allay your fears, mix up some washing up liquid & water to a good froth, then “paint” all the joints on your pipework. Any leakage will soon show up as bubbles around the joint.
When I was working we regularly welded stubs on live pipework. There is a HSA approved procedure for carrying out the procedure. It is impossible for an explosion to occur in the pipework because it’s under pressure & there is no Oxygen. If you had a leak the stench agent (usually Methyl Mercapatan) is detectable by the human nose at levels much lower than the Lower explosive level (LEL)
RonA

 

[Kayos]

The meter & accompanying pipework should have been pressure tested for leakage on installation, although the pressure test standards for domestic pipework are in my opinion are no where as demanding as standards worked to in industry.
If want to allay your fears, mix up some washing up liquid & water to a good froth, then “paint” all the joints on your pipework. Any leakage will soon show up as bubbles around the joint.
RonA

And why are they inadequate?

Also recommending using washing up liquid is really bad advice as the chemicals attack copper, only proper LDF must be used as it doesn't attack the copper, but it must still be wiped off

 

[RonA]

The test in industry is over 24 hours & takes account of ambient temperature.As I remember the last time I had a meter change. The pressure test was over 10 mins with a manometer
RonA

 

[Kayos]

The test in industry is over 24 hours & takes account of ambient temperature.
RonA

For what size and volume of pipe?

Compared to even small commercial a big domestic gas install is tiny, pipe volume is limited to something like 0.02m3. If it doesn't leak in the prescribed time it's not going to leak.

It is possible to be over cautious, the standards we use are very well proven

 

[waddycall]

The test in industry is over 24 hours & takes account of ambient temperature.As I remember the last time had a meter change. The pressure test was over 19mins with a manometer
RonA

That’s a bit of a generalisation. Tightness test times for industrial/commercial pipework are calculated on system volume and can often be a few minutes. I often find leaks on industrial/commercial installations that pass a tightness test!

 

[RonA]

We ch

For what size and volume of pipe?

Compared to even small commercial a big domestic gas install is tiny, pipe volume is limited to something like 0.02m3. If it doesn't leak in the prescribed time it's not going to leak.

It is possible to be over cautious, the standards we use are very well proven

We checked large & small installations in the same way.
RonA

 

[RonA]

That’s a bit of a generalisation. Tightness test times for industrial/commercial pipework are calculated on system volume and can often be a few minutes. I often find leaks on industrial/commercial installations that pass a tightness test!

I didn’t work on generalisations & applied the same safety standards to all installations where I worked.
RonA