Hey @paulmmmm,

Welcome to the OVO Online Community,

I’m sorry to hear about the failed attempts to fit a gas smart meter. I’m not an expert in this field but I wonder if @Lukepeniket_OVO can assist here? 

Can you post a wider picture @paulmmmm ? It looks like the connection already has an odd adapter fitted 

Hello, this looks like a Legacy ECV known as a conical ECV. There's no approved gas industry fitting for these types of ECV so all you can try and do is to get the gas transporter to change the hole ecv. 

Is this a 3 storey house?

Thank you

Its a two storey house from mid 60’s.

I think the engineer did say it was a conical ECV.
If there are no approved fittings is it even safe!

How do I go about asking the supplier to change the ECV?

It’s the gas transporter who needs to change it 

*ECV - Emergency Control Valve

You can see more details here (scroll down for gas) and there’s a link for you to find your gas transporter depending on your location. 

Thanks for your replies and useful info . I’ve submitted a query to Cadent so we will see what happens!

You’re most welcome. Luke is extremely good at helping us out if even we get stumped, so no doubt we can ask him to swing by again if needed.

If you ever get any more burning questions, feel free to stop by anytime.

Stalemate!

So this is the response from Cadent Gas. Perhaps not unexpected.

Luke is highly experienced - if he can’t get the parts, chances are no other supplier can either (as in, they might not exist at all).

Hi @paulmmmm,

I’m sorry to hear that you’re still having trouble with this.

It may be worth contacting Cadent again and explaining that you’ve spoken to an OVO engineer who has advised that there is no current approved fitting to use on these types of ECVs.

Please keep us updated.

Ok, so I went back to Cadent Connections Help and basically said this:

“I have been advised by an Ovo engineer that:   ‘Sorry, the fitting on the ecv into the reg itself is an approved fitting, I should have been more clear. There is no current approved fitting to use on these.’

I have to say that to my eyes that looks like a lead pipe from the ECV to the regulator.

Would approaching this apparent stalemate as being a safety issue possibly prompt Cadent to get their fingers out and change the ECV so that it can accept an anaconda?

I realise that would probably entail engineers from Cadent and OVO attending at the same time.

Yes it is a lead pipe which of course wouldnt be permitted today. I suppose that would not in itself be unsafe. Not like if it was water.
I dont really see why an adaptor cannot be fitted to take the the taper ecv into 3/4” or whatever.

Hi @paulmmmm,

This all seems very frustrating.

Maybe Nukecad is onto something here. 

@Lukepeniket_OVO, just wondering if you’re able to give any further advice with this?

its now about a year since I couldnt get a smart meter fitted due to a problem with the connection size.

I now have a brand new pipe coming into the house right up to the meter. Now its gotta be possible to get a smart meter.
So I log on and I try to book an appointment - but NO!

It's probably still showing the block that was imposed fot the old piping. ie. The computer doesn't know/hasn't been told that it's no longer a problem.

Getting that kind of block flag removed can be a trial.

 ​@Lukepeniket_OVO  may be able to help shorten that process?

​@paulmmmm good morning,

I’m glad to hear the necessary work has been done, and you can now have a smart meter installed.

​@Nukecad is right - the previous abort / cancellation will mean that appointments are blocked. If you get in contact with our Support Team they’ll be able to get this unblocked for you. I’d recommend taking a photo of the meter and surrounding area and emailing it to hello@ovoenergy, explaining that you’ve now had the prep work done to have the smart meter installed. 

When you take the photo, please also post it in the Forum, as ​@Lukepeniket_OVO has been tagged here, he’ll be able to have a look at the photo as well and, as ​@Nukecad says, potentially expedite things. This is a simple one for Customer Services to resolve for you though, it just takes a few days for the appointment to be unblocked as it needs to be assessed by the relevant team. I might be able to get the process sped up myself for you as well if it’s delayed for any reason.

Once the appointment is unblocked you’ll be able to book the exchange via your online account. The appointment is free of charge - you just book your chosen date and four-hour window. Please note, someone over the age of 18 must be present for the duration of the appointment. You can find lots of handy smart meter guides in our Forum Library, and a guide for booking the appointment online here:

Hope this helps, cheers.

 So here is my nice shiny meter connection connection. The change was not instigated by me, all gas pipes in the street have been replaced by Cadent. I was impressed by how quickly they were able to do the job with minimal disruption. 
I’ve emailed hello@ovo. Thanks guys on the forum for your advice.

Hey ​@paulmmmm,

Wow, this is really impressive! 😊 I’ll tag ​@Nukecad so he can jump in and check it out, since he’s been involved in this thread before. If you have any more questions, feel free to reach out anytime. 

I had spotted it yesterday, but didn’t think there was much to be added.

From what ​@paulmmmm says it sounds as the whole street (perhaps more streets as well) may have had lead pipes and ancient ECV’s and it’s just taken Cadent time to schedule getting them all changed.

Here is the final chapter in this story!
Yesterday I was phoned by a nice chap from Ovo Energy in Scotland.
Unusual in itself since most phone calls are from scammers or someone selling loft insulation. Need to be careful having posted on a public forum but he was quite genuine and we agreed on a date and time for the smart meter to be installed.
So - all’s well that ends well!  😊

Hey ​@paulmmmm,

We have three offices across the UK, and my local office is in Glasgow! 

I'm glad to hear that you’ve scheduled a date for the installation. Please feel free to check back in with us after the installation to let us know how it went. 

If you have any questions, you know where to find us!