My smart meter couldn't be installed because of an earth cable - Why?

Good suggestions @Geo.

OVO should reject what you write however, but you are to be commended for trying to find positive solutions rather than lambasting the company!

Let me first give a name to the cone-shaped bit: it's the Regulator. It takes the variable pressure of the gas supply to your house and regulates it to a steady pressure, suitable for feeding to the household appliances.

Now let's turn to that horizontal (output) pipe from the meter:

If it really can be "manipulated higher" then it isn't adequately clipped to the wall behind it!

A gas pipe shouldn't be self-supporting. There's no fixed rule on this, but I tend to use wall-fixing brackets at intervals of around 600-800mm. They cost pence; there's no need to scrimp!

Moreover, if the copper pipe is bent by simply pulling it upwards, then it may kink rather than follow a smooth curve. The kink/fold is a weak point which can degrade and leak.

Copper pipes can be bent manually by inserting a bending spring

or using a bending tool, like this one from Screwfix

The installer will be trained to do this so that there is no strain on the pipe when he attaches it to the Smart Meter output port.

It would take me less than 10mins to cut the existing pipe and add a new piece with the two soldered couplings it requires. This really is a simple task.

And if I was doing this, I'd also add at least one wall bracket to that pipe so that its weight wasn't putting any strain onto my newly fashioned meter connection/joint !


@Eva_OVO, this is an excellent Topic for your trainee Meter Installers.

Can you send the link to one of your Trainers so he can ask the current cohort what they would actually do?

Hi @Geo, @Transparent, @PeterR1947,

Thought I’d weigh in here to clear a few things up.

Though it does just look like one small wire there that could easily be moved, the earth bonding is responsible for maintaining the same electrical potential across all exposed metal parts of a supply, thus protecting the occupant from electric shock. Electricians require a qualification to do this to ensure they are keeping the property and its inhabitants safe.

Our smart meter engineers aren’t put through this particular training as it's not often that they would need to do this in their day to day role. As Eva mentioned they’re trained and qualified to isolate the incoming supplies, disconnect the meters, remove it, put in place a new one and reconnect the supplies. They do this for the electricity meter too - that’s right, but the electricity supply is off at this point. Once the supply is reconnected and the new meter is on, the engineer wouldn’t perform any further work on any electrical appliances. In the same way, an electrician will not, and should not perform maintenance work on an electricity meter or incoming supply.

Electricity and gas supplies are made up of loads of different parts and, although they’re all connected, it requires different people with a variety of training to maintain them. We should not and will not take the risk of putting a household in danger by performing works outside of our authority.

I’ve had a look at the set-up of your gas meter, and I’m assuming the engineer wanted to disconnect that particular section of pipe in order that they can lift it up and fit the Secure meter in there as its slightly taller. So if you were to move the bond to the spot indicated in your photo, this should be fine as it’s beyond the join of the pipework where they’d need to disconnect it.

Hope this helps! Keep your questions coming if you have any more :)

Nancy

Hi @Geo,

I think it has been useful to air these issues here, although the answer isn't probably what you (or I) had hoped for.

Would you please let us know when you actually get the gas-meter replaced and tell us how it went?


The remaining matter which still troubles me is what happens to other customers receiving a Smart Gas Meter install, whose earth-bonding clamps get compromised in the process, but who are then not informed that they need to subsequently call in an electrician?

Although we now know that an Installer won't touch or check the Earth-Clamp, there is still the likelihood of its resistance increasing due to heating/cooling during soldering, acid-flux dripping into the clamp-band or application of "gunk" to screwed fittings etc. Such issues will reduce the effectiveness of the earth bonding, which is there to ensure the safety of occupants.

I would've thought it very likely that an earth-clamp will be located in close proximity to a gas meter. The chances of an Installer meeting such a scenario would seem to be sufficiently high that all Customers should be issued with an official Safety Notification to have an electrician check their earth-bonding following a gas-meter replacement.

I have a very similar problem.
Just before Christmas the OVO engineer came to fit Smart meters for electric and gas. Electric was fine but he had a problem with the gas. As can be seen in the photo our existing meter is out of the arc, enormous and floor standing.

The new meter is apparently much smaller and he explained that the flexible feed pipe from the cut off valve to the regulator would be too short. He volunteered that this was a known problem but they were not allowed to carry the available longer pipe, it would have to be specially ordered. He said that someone would be in touch as soon as it was available.


Having heard nothing for 6 months I raised a query with customer support asking when they were going to complete my switch to smart meters. On Sat last I had a call from Ovo saying that it was nothing to do with the length of the pipe, they could not complete because I have an earth bond clamp on the pipe. They will not come back until it has been removed. I asked if that was because it was no longer required and he said "yes"!!


My interpretation of the regulations is that the bond to earth in the consumer unit is required and the clamp has to fitted on the outlet pipe from the meter prior to any branch pipes. You can just see in the photo that the clamp is fitted very close to the meter as there is a 15mm branch (to the gas hob) about 2 inches from the meter connection. This obviously precludes moving the clamp further along the pipe.


If Ovo are adamant that their engineers, although able to safely refit the mains cables in the electric meter, cannot be trained to refit and check the bonding clamp, this should be made very clear in the FAQ section of the info on Smart meters.


I would be interested to hear the Ovo moderators comments from the 'experts'

Oh @mikeb, what a palava! You appear to have waited six-months due to incorrect advice.

1. Once more I am astonished that a meter installation cannot proceed at all due to the presence of an earth bonding connection. It is blindingly obvious that a high proportion of gas meters will have this earth point very close by.

If the Meter Installers aren't even prepared to touch it, then there will be a corresponding need to revisit the same premises to complete the meter upgrade. This is a sheer waste of time & money.

Common sense suggests to me that OVO should notify all Customers in advance of the agreed Smart Meter Installation date that they should book an electrician to attend about an hour after the works commences so that a fresh earth-bond can be made and tested.

Even if the Installer finds that there is a bond in place and an electrician hasn't been called, then he could mention this at the start of his visit. You'd still have a couple of hours to call an electrician whilst the meter replacements were being fitted.


2. An earth bond to the gas pipe is a statutory requirement.

There are a number of reasons it is there, and they all relate to safety.

If an electrical fault occurs in the house which makes the gas pipe go "live" (a rodent chewing through an adjacent cable) then it is important that the fuse/trip for that circuit must operate. The 10mm earth-connection ensures that sufficient current will flow to do this.

You should certainly not have been informed that your earth-bond was no longer required! This is a safety error, and should be reported in writing (email) to OVO. Since the Installer may have been a sub-contract company, it is OVO's responsibility to sort this out.


3. The presence of the 15mm T-off close to the output of your gas meter isn't a problem at all.

The guidance is that the earth-bond should be made within 600mm of where your gas pipe enters the property. In some cases this means it will have to be on the other (input) side of the gas meter.


Please post here again if you want any further clarifications.

As a follow-up to what I've just posted, could you also have a look at a Topic I've placed here about the shortage of Smart Meter installers?

I note @mikeb, that you too are in Devon, where there are long delays in obtaining a Smart Meter appointment.

Ninja***. Many thanks for your comments. I've done a little more digging and found the following at www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/electrical-professionals/wiring-regulations

Wiring Regulations - BS 7671
This technical guidance concerning the application of the requirements of BS 7671: 2008 (as amended) Requirements for electrical installations has been discussed and agreed by a forum, the Wiring Regulations Advisory Group,

Q1.46 In a building where semi-rigid gas pipe is installed, where is the appropriate position to connect the main protective bond if the gas meter is: (a) internal to the building (b) external to the building?
No attempt should be made to make a bonding connection directly to semi-rigid pipework.
(a) Where the gas meter is installed inside the premises, the semi-rigid pipework will normally end at the meter and so the bonding connection should be made as normal to the consumer’s hard metal pipework after the meter and before any branch pipework. Where practicable the bonding connection should be within 600 mm of the meter outlet union.
(b) Where the meter is external to the premises in a wall-mounted or semi-concealed meter box, the bonding connection should be made to the consumer’s hard metal pipework and before any branch pipework. Where practicable this connection should be made at the point of entry to the building.
Regulation number(s)
411.3.1.2(i)
544.1.2



This guidance indicates that the bonding connection must be on the consumer side of the meter before any branch and if practicable within 600 mm of the meter exit union.


If we also look at http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l56.pdf (Safety in the installation and use of gas systems and appliances) Regulation 18-2 states
(2) Any person who connects any installation pipework to a primary meter shall, in any case where equipotential bonding may be necessary, inform the responsible person that such bonding should be carried out by a competent person.


The guidance included with Regulation 18-2 states
202 The person who installs a section of pipework which connects with the primary meter or emergency control, whether or not the meter or control has yet been fitted, must inform the responsible person for the premises (builder, owner or occupier) of the possible need for MEB where such a requirement did not exist before the work was undertaken. Such bonding should be carried out by a competent person (see regulation 3, Qualification and supervision, for details on training and competence). The advice should be in writing. Although the regulation applies only when new systems are installed and existing ones are modified, similar action needs to be taken if an engineer notices an apparent defect in bonding in other circumstances, eg during maintenance checks (this applies to both main or supplementary equipotential bonding


The emphasis in this para is mine.

I would suggest therefore that the simple solution is that if the Ovo engineer has to remove the bonding to carry out his installation of the smart meter he issues a notice in writing to the consumer telling him that it must be reconnected by a competent person. I do feel however that Ovo should make clear the possibility of this situation arising in their information about the smart meter installation process. That way people can make their own decision to proceed and fruitless visits possibly avoided.

That's excellent research @mikeb. 🆒

... and by the way, my Forum User-name is @Transparent, whereas Ninja*** is the badge given to me by the Moderator team!

1. I think your analysis of the Regulations is correct. There should be a Notification about Earth Bonding given in writing when Smart Meters are installed. There are three places where I think the Notice should be provided:

• on the OVO website page when booking a Smart Meter installation
• on the email/letter confirming the booking (so as to ensure those who didn't book online still receive the Notice)
• on a card to be given to the householder at the start of the installation works

Frankly it shouldn't matter whether an earth bond gets disturbed or not during a gas meter installation. If the card is properly worded, it should serve as a timely reminder that we are all responsible for checking that we have homes with safe electrical connections!


2. I've also just checked Part-P (Approved Document) of the Building Regulations. It starts like this:

1.1 Electrical installations should be designed and installed in accordance with BS 7671:2008 incorporating Amendment No 1:2011.

Provision of information
1.2 Sufficient information should be provided to ensure that people can operate, maintain or alter an electrical installation with reasonable safety.

The information should comprise items listed in BS 7671 and other appropriate information including:

a. electrical installation certificates or reports describing the installation and giving details of the work carried out

b. permanent labels, for example on earth connections and bonds, and on items of electrical equipment such as consumer units and residual current devices (RCDs)

The provision of Information therefore lies at the very foundation of Part-P.

The next page states:

1.6 Regulation 4(3) states that when building work is complete, the building should be no more unsatisfactory in terms of complying with the applicable parts of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations than before the building work was started...

I would claim that the installation of a Smart Meter without providing the Earth-bonding Safety Information has left the "building work" in a less satisfactory state.

Of course the Meter Installer could claim that they don't work to BS 7671 in the first place...
... to which I think we could now all say "believing that we can work on a building without reference to the regulations is what happened at Grenfell Tower!"


3. I take your point that the equipotential bond should be within 600mm of the output side of the gas meter. However I've seen domestic dwellings where there's 10m of copper pipe running next to electrical cables before it even reaches the gas meter!

So common sense suggest to me that a competent electrician would probably place a bond both at the point of entry to the building, and on the output of the gas meter.

There's no harm in having extra earthing connections. Looping the (uncut) bonding cable across multiple copper pipes is very much at the heart of equipotential bonding!

This is a section of the earthing for my own water pipes leading to/fro my thermal store. Note also the clear printed label on a valve and red colour-coding on two of the pipes!

Good morning Transparent,

I have just come off the phone after a long discussion with a lady at Ovo. In simple terms the issue with my installation is that in order to fit the smart meter the engineer may have to alter the outlet pipework which will require the removal of the bonding clamp. As the engineer is not a bonding clamp competent person he is not allowed to do this and the installation would be aborted. If however the clamp is not in its present position there will not be an issue and he can do the job. Simple!
I suggested that this must be a common enough situation to warrant inclusion in their 'get a smart meter' blurb to avoid the inconvenience and aggravation of aborted installations. It also calls into doubt the claim that smart meters are free if the customer has to pay (possibly £30-£40) for reconnection and testing of the equipotential bond. She accepted these points and said she would feed it back.

Interestingly there was no mention in the engineers report of the need for a longer inlet pipe - the only reason he gave me for not being able to complete the installation. I now have a date at the end of July for the job to be completed.