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Photograph of a natural gas or piped in gas meter in a basement in New York Gas Meters Inspection Tips
for Home Inspectors & Owners

Gas meters in homes: inspection, troubleshooting, leaks, reporting.

This article explains how to visually inspect natural or piped-in gas meters for defects and safety concerns. This document provides free sample draft home inspection report language for reporting defects in oil and gas piping at residential properties.

Here we provide descriptions and photographs of unsafe gas piping, indications of unsafe or improperly operating gas appliances, gas meters, and other gas installation defects are provided.

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Safety & Inspection of Natural Gas Meters for Home Inspectors & Home Owners

Photograph of this obsolete natural gas meter located indoorsImmediate LP or natural gas safety hazards: if there is evidence of an LP or natural gas leak at a building, gas odors, for example, you should:

Indoor Gas Meter Inspection, Defects, & Recommendations

Gas meter location: gas meters are located outdoors except when special permission is given by the gas company.

Indoor gas meters increase the risk of an indoor gas leak, require special venting, and can make it more dangerous to shut off gas in an emergency.

 

Photograph of a gas meter located next to a heating system return air inletIf your gas meter is located indoors you should discuss this matter with your gas company.

In this photo the gas meter shown is an obsolete model (so perhaps at higher risk of dangerous natural gas leaks into the building (an explosion hazard), and we saw no gas regulator and no vent from the meter to outside.

This meter needs to be inspected by the local gas company. It may need to be relocated outside or vented to outside for safety.

Natural gas or piped-in gas safety warning: improper installation and even improper inspection and testing methods involving natural or "LP" gas can involve dangerous conditions and risk fire or explosion.

If you smell gas you should leave the building immediately and should do so without doing anything that could create a spark such as operating a light switch or telephone. From a safe location, call your gas company's emergency line and/or your fire department.

If the gas meter is located close to a heating system, such as in this photograph where the piped-in natural gas meter and its control valve were located next to and nearly touching a hot air furnace, you should review the safety and building code compliance installation with your gas company.

Gas piping or meters which could leak gas into a heating system or duct system are dangerous.

If the gas meter is close to or touching the ground outdoors or touching a building surface indoors, such as in the photographs above where the piped-in natural gas meter is outside partly buried and inside the gas meter resting on and touching brick in a wet basement, there is a danger of gas meter corrosion and dangerous gas leaks.

 

Gas meter needing repairs

Outside the soil needs to be removed so that the meter is not touching dirt. If this corrective measure means that we've created a low area by the foundation it's important to keep roof spillage out of the low spot or we may invite building foundation leaks and basement water entry.

A window well can be installed around such an excavation to help keep surface runoff away from the building.

Details are at GAS METER CODES & CLEARANCE DISTANCES

You should review the safety and building code compliance installation with your gas company as soon as possible.

Photograph of a gas meter with corrosion and risk of a leak

Gas piping or meters which could leak gas are dangerous. In this photograph (click the photograph to enlarge it) corrosion is visible on the bottom of the gas meter where it's supported by wet brick.

Gas Meter Capacity or Adequacy

Safety Suggestion: gas meter adequacy: If additional gas equipment has been added to this building since the installation of the original gas service meter, it is possible that the added demand can result in low gas pressure or unsafe operation.

The meter itself may need to be replaced with a higher capacity unit for safety. Please review this question with your gas supplier.

Gas Meter Venting Requirements

When a gas meter is used indoors good practice and plumbing codes require that the meter regulator be connected to a vent pipe extending to the outdoors so that in the unlikely event of a leak-failure of the gas pressure regulator, leaking gas will not accumulate in the building where it would form an explosion hazard.

Safety Recommendation: gas regulator vent: We did not find a vent pipe venting the gas regulator (located inside the building) to outside.

Such vents are recommended and may be required by local or state codes for safety.

Please review this question with your gas supplier.

Also see the US DOE publication

HOW to READ RESIDENTIAL ELECTRIC & NATURAL GAS METERS [PDF]

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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2020-11-30 by Gamble/Eury Historic House Museum - need parts for this 1960s American Gas Meter Company 5B-225

We are still needing parts/whole meter for our 1960 American Gas Meter Company 5B-225. If you know where to find any parts for this meter and/or for The Cincinnati Gas and Electric Company (CG&E) around this era, please contact us @ 937-783-2729 (landline).. I have attached a picture of our restored meter in its "close to' original color of atomic turquoise. Thank you...

1960s Gas meter needs parts, gamble Eury Historic House Museum (C) InspectApedia.com Gamble/Eury

On 2020-11-30 by Gamble/Eury Historic House Museum - The Cincinnati Gas and Electric Company (CG&E) meter parts needed

&E) around this era, please contact us @ 937-783-2729 (landline).. I have attached a picture of our restored meter in its "close to' original color of atomic turquoise. Thank you...

Anybody know where to find any 1960 American Gas Meter Company 5B-225 Cu Ft Per Hr gas meter parts?

The third picture down used on this website (green gas meter with black pipes) is a 1965ish American Meter Co 225 Cu Ft Per Hr. We are restoring our gas meter and need parts and/or whole meter

. I have attached an image of our meter.. Please give us a call at 937-783-2729.. Thank you :)

1960s Gas meter needs parts, gamble Eury Historic House Museum (C) InspectApedia.com Gamble/Eury

On 2020-02-03 - by (mod) -

Viv

I've certainly come across multiple-occupant buildings where the landlord didn't get separate meters for gas or water or electricity, and one poor tenant ends up paying for the utilities consumed by her neighbours.

Ask the gas company to come to the site - or a licensed plumber - to follow the gas piping to see who's getting fueled by which meter.

On 2020-02-03 by vivienne oneill

can the gas meter in your home be linked to another home/business? gas company just changed my meter and told me the meter they have on file is not the one they removed..

On 2020-01-26 - by (mod) -

In my opinion it's dangerous for a gas meter to be buried at all. The concern is that the meter base is exposed to additional corrosive forces and therefore could leak. The hazards of a gas leak are obvious, explosion and Fire.

On 2020-01-26 by Fran

My gas meter is half buried in dirt is this dangerous


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