Solved

Can I get a smart meter installed in a semi concealed gas box to end my metering woes (2 years +)?

  • 3 September 2019
  • 11 replies
  • 6518 views

Hi folks I am writing this after months of problems relating to Smart Gas meters and trying to fit one in a semi concealed meter box.

Back in 2017 OVO suggested it would be a good idea to upgrade to smart meters. A Lowri Beck engineer was dispatched and he removed our working gas meter and fitted a new smart gas meter. After he left we noticed the meter box lid was buckled and the noise from the meter was vibrating through the house.

Without boring you with the whole story...The smart meter was replaced with a new digital dumb meter.. (This engineer said "which clown tried to fit a smart meter in there")

The new dumb digital meter also failed with a blank screen after a few months ... This was then replaced with another dumb gas meter...

This latest one failed with a blank screen back in March.

Since then we can take no gas readings and have been left in limbo. 2 weeks ago my wife received an email from OVO asking us to contact a company called "Cadent" who would be able to provide a concealed gas box extension quotation which would give room for a smart meter.

We rang...The guy laughed a lot ... and said... We stopped doing those 2 years ago because it was too much hassle.

Latest advice from OVO is for us to find a builder to fit a concealed box extension which you can buy from a builders yard...I haven't found such a product anywhere yet..!!

So... sorry to drone on ... This is the abridged version … At the moment we cant read our dumb broken meter and have no idea how to upgrade the box so we can have a new meter. Apparently the dumb meters are no longer available.

Photo below is current dumb meter in box.(Digital Screen is Blank)

P.S. I see some people on this forum have had a SMETS 2 meter installed by OVO in a concealed box. Why can't we have that option ... It has never been offered..??

 

3e05b5ac-e4e0-4584-a99a-9f7bd141e266.jpg

 

icon

Best answer by Transparent 15 April 2021, 10:37

View original

11 replies

Userlevel 7
Badge +2

Updated on 21/07/23 by Emmanuelle_OVO

 

Sorry to hear your metering tale of woe - as the comment below describes an S2 smart meter can now be installed in semi-concealed gas boxes, particularly as your current meter is faulty

Reach out to our Support Team to get this arranged.

 

 

In 2017, only SMETS1 Gas meters were being supplied by OVO. They did fit within a semi-concealed enclosure, but it was tricky and almost impossible to view the integral screen.

When SMETS2 gas meters started to be installed by OVO they had just developed a “fitting kit” which resolved the problems. A steel collar (green arrow) pulled the meter to the back of the enclosure and two rigid steel pipes with complex bends (purple) allowed the input and exit pipes to line up.

The meter display could be read, although I usually put my smartphone in front and took an photo!

There was no size difference between the two versions of smart gas meters. They just used a different make of electronic unit which sits in front (red).

There is one major manufacturer of smart gas meters which uses a very different shape, and that’s Landis & Gyr:

L&G units are generally fitted by British Gas, so they’re very common. Personally I don’t like the inbuilt display. It’s tricky to read because the line-widths are so narrow.

Your non-Smart meter looks like it might be an L&G optical-measurement variety.

 

The fact that your gas meters are failing has nothing to do with them being positioned in a semi-concealed enclosure, or how damp it is. I’m not suggesting you try this, but I can’t actually think why such a meter would fail even if completely submerged in water!

Simply contact Customer Support and request that a replacement meter is fitted.

 

OVO member but not got a smart meter yet? - Book today!

 

Interested but not yet an OVO member? - Check out our plans!

 

Userlevel 7

Great advice from @Transparent there about semi-concealed meter setups and smart meters. Bit of a confusion over the photo though, as that’s not your meter. Are you able to post a photo of yours? 

 

Sounds like you’ve had a bit of a frustrating time with it all! So to clarify, you’ve had two smart meters which have now been replaced with a non-smart meter? When you say your digital meter has stopped working, is the screen now blank? As @Blastoise186 mentions, if this is the case we will replace it but it might depend on whether it will fit in your current box. Sure @Transparent will be able to help assess this once we’ve seen your actual setup... 

 

 

Userlevel 7
Badge +2

Why do you think the photo from @AL73 is not his/her meter @Jess_OVO ?

Have you checked the Xoserve database to see what type has been registered? :wink:

The first photo (above, with coloured arrows) of the Uniflo gas meter in a semi-concealed box is on my site, and was the second (of three) SMETS2 gas meters I’ve had thus far.

So I’m absolutely certain that an OVO Installer could do an identical job for @AL73. The semi-concealed boxes are made to a standard pattern, as are the “bellows type” gas meters.

 

Incidentally, whenever I get the chance, I take photos of other interesting meter installations so I can refer to them when answering questions on the Forum. The photos of the Landis and Gyr meters in the lower graphic I’ve just posted are from that library.

Hi

Attached is, a photo of my meter. It is a non smart meter with a digital display which is now completely blank.

If we could get a new smart meter fitted then that would be great.

Thanks

Userlevel 7
Badge +1

Thanks @AL73 !

That gas meter is just a bog standard Landis+Gyr G130, nothing special about it at all. But I totally agree with @Transparent as well about the displays on L+G meters. I’ve pretty much never seen any L+G electric or gas meter with a display that you can actually read easily without the help of a microscope.

By the looks of things, at first glance I’m going to say yes, a SMETS2 UniFlo gas meter should fit in that box, provided it’s installed using OVO’s special fitting kit. But let’s wait for a second opinion first. :blush:

Userlevel 7

Agree with @Blastoise186 on this one @AL73, from the photos you’ve added it certainly looks like we should be able to get an S2 meter fitted there using the fitting collar @Transparent described above. 

 

In order to get a meter replacement arranged I’d advise giving the Support team a call and explaining that your current gas meter is faulty (with an unreadable screen). They will be able to advise on whether a dual meter replacement is needed to ensure the meters are compatible with each other if you already have an electricity smart meter. Hope this helps. :slight_smile:

Userlevel 7
Badge +2

And @AL73 - if you fill out your Forum Profile page, then we won’t be having to guess whether you do or don’t have an electricity Smart Meter.

Thanks :slight_smile:

Hi,

I am having similar issues about getting a smart meter fitted and moved to a semi-concealed box at the same time. However, I am a bit confused by the comments about reading the display on smart meters. I don’t have a smart meter yet, but I thought the whole point about them being ‘smart’ was that you could access the read outs remotely, via a wireless display elsewhere in your house. Is this not the case?

Thanks

Our smart gas meter stopped working because of the damp environment (the old coal hole), and was replaced with a standard one.  If I get a cabinet, would the smart meter installer fit it?  It looks like it would just need 2 holes for the pipes cutting in the top, if it can be installed under the fixing plate (leaving the regulator and valve in the damp).  Would GRP affect the signal? Would a 400x300x200mm cabinet be big enough?

Userlevel 7
Badge +5

There are several questions here which various people might be able to help with. Here is a guide about responsibilities 

If it needs pipe work then you probably need your gas transporter involved

Userlevel 7

Hey @Dryland,

 

Welcome to the OVO Online Community,

 

I know that with OVO you can send across photo’s and we can get our specialist team to look into, you can also book a ‘site visit’. 

 

If you’re an OVO customer, I’d advise getting in touch with Support with the dimensions of the cabinet as well as photos. 

 

Hope this helps.

Reply