I just moved into new house, and I suspect I have a gas leak somewhere. When I just moved I found (using soap water) two gas leaks, at fireplace and kitchen cooktop. So my GC made the guy who did the job fix the leaks.
I did want somebody else than original guy to do the job, because after finding TWO leaks, my confidence in him was below 0... But my GC said it's a warranty issue, so the original guy fixed everything.
But I kept an eye on it, and I noticed that my gas meter keeps turning even when there is no gas usage in the house. I take a picture of it before leaving the house for the day, and then when I return, and I see difference.
and than thereis 4 more dials on top, that say 1000x rev and more. So I'm not sure what half and two feet means - is it half per rev, or per 1/10, where marks are?
Anyway, I suspect that I have a gas leak somewhere in the bulkhead in the basement, all covered with drywall. As obvious by two leaks that I found, those idiots didn't bother to test each connection... How do I make my builder to test,find and fix it? He's not very cooperative about it Saying stuff like "it's normal", " who knows", etc.
Thanks, Vlad
Posts: 15 | Location: Grand Rapids, MI | Registered: Mar 13, 2007
1. Water heater - If you have a gas water heater most of them still use a pilot light. Even though it's a small amount, it will still show some usage. This could be your "leak".
2. Gas log fireplace - Same as the water heater. If it has a pilot light it will do the same thing.
If you do have these items, you can run a test by turning off the gas supply to them, then do your typical day long test to see if the meter has changed. You will, of course, have to relight the pilot lights.
Hard to believe that your builder is not jumping all over this - there is such a potential for major problems with a gas leak. It should be that the gas installer is the one who pulled the premits for this (although it varies from one area to another) - if you want some leverage you could always call your local building code office - they are the ones who should have inspected and passed the system. Probably even mentioning to your GC that you are planning on calling the code department should be enough to ..um....light a fire under him and make sure that your system is OK.
But, check out any appliances with pilot lights first. The other thing to consider is that natural gas has a distinctive smell. A continous leak like you suspect should make a noticable odor, even if the leak is hidden behind sheetrock.
BTW, there is a simple low pressure test that all gas guys should be able to do that can test the entire sytem at one disconnect point.
Check the items Jaybee suggested. If you truly have no pilot lights running you need to rachet this up a step.
Call the gas company. They are very touchy about gas leaks and will come and check the system for you. Call the GC to tell him that you're not satisfied with the gas meter ticking over even when everythng is shut off. Leakiong gas inside a house is not good. If the house blows up you'll have a fairly good case for compensation.
The connections should have been pressure checked before the pipes were covered or enclosed. Was that done? The gas company won't fix any leaks for free but they will check to locate the leaks. They have siffers and other detectors that can detect gas in the air. The GC is the one liable for this problem. He can go back on the plumber who installed the piping for any costs.
Caution, If the changes in the meter dials is due to an operating appliance you may have to pay for the gas company check-up. Even so, I think it will be worth it to have the gas company do the checking.
JdN
Posts: 7229 | Location: Elkader, IA, USA | Registered: Mar 07, 2004
if it were my house, i'd be jumping all over this including the registered letter to the gc detailing your problem's history,,, but 1st, i'd be calling the gas co,,, PRONTO ! ! !
yes you have a legit complaint, but you must give the g.c an oppertunity to address the problem. call him and tell him,about your worries. and that you are giving him 24 hours to have a licensed plumber,on site [and not the same deadhead] to perform a test on your gas system. hand deliver this to him in writting. after the 24 hour period,you then have the right to seek help from anyone you want.call the gas company. and the city inspectors. ask for a copy of the inspection reports. freedom of information act [aint it great] you now have ammination to go to court if need be. the insections should have happened as follows a gas rough inspection. all piping up to the valves, at all appliances. number 2 a 30 lb test after,the installation of all appliances 30 lb at a 15 minutes or whatever is legal in your area. this is the most missed inspection.
I have no pilot lights anywhere. My fireplace has ignition mechanism, and my tankless water heater does not have a pilot either. Last night I even shut the valve to the heater, so it doesn't run if somebody use faucets at night.
I didn't do anything much about it yet, because there is no smell, and we are so frikin busy. Never home, and I didn't have time to properly record meter. And also I'm not sure how to read the meter.
Attached is two snapshots of my meter showing reading change for last night. Can somebody tell me exactly how much cubic feet is that? I don't understand how to read this thing. It has dials for 1/2 foot, 2 feet, and then 1000 ft. Where are 10th? Where are 100th?
It sure looks and sounds like you are using a small amount of gas over a 10 hour period. With your lack of pilot lights the obvious cause is a small leak. It's time to get this checked out right away. Call the contractor and tell him of your findings. If he chooses to do nothing than follow the other advice in this thread.
Looking at the picture you posted it appears as if you have used at least one half cubic foot of gas. If you look at the dials you read the meter in this manner. For every complete revolution of the one half cubic foot dial, the two cubic foot dial will move one quarter of the way around. It takes 4 complete revolutions of the one half dial to move the two cubic foot dial one complete revolution. (4 times one half equals 2) Since the 2 cubic foot dial moved from the nine o'clock to six o'clock position it moved one quarter of the way around. One quarter of 2 equals .5 or one half cubic foot. Going further, the next dial on the upper right says 1000 per revolution. Therefore to use 1000 cubic feet and turn that dial one complete revolution the 2 foot dial would have had to turn 500 times. Each digit on the thousand foot dial equals one hundred cubic feet since there are 10 numbers (zero through nine). Therefore if that dial moves from the five to the six you have used 1/10 of 1000 cubic ft. Or 100 cubic feet of gas. While it appears that the 1000 foot dial meter has not moved since it takes 50 turns of the 2 foot dial to move it one number on the thousand foot dial it is possible that may be the 2 foot dial has gone 1 1/4 turns instead of just the one quarter. Due to the scale of the dials it's really too hard to tell. That's why I changed my post to say it appears you have used at least one half cubic foot. It is possible that you could have used 2 1/2 or even possibly 4 1/2 cubic feet which would hardly move the 1000 foot pointer.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: cutinzs,
That what puzzles me: why the meter doesn't have 1x10 and 1x100 dials??? How the inspector can tell how much I've used?
I called the gas company and they found couple of small leaks. One outside, right by the meter, and one in laundry room, where dryer is attached.
quote:
. It takes 4 complete revolutions of the one half dial to move the two cubic foot dial one complete revolution. (4 times one half equals 2) Since the 2 cubic foot dial moved from the nine o'clock to six o'clock position it moved one quarter of the way around. One quarter of 2 equals .5 or one half cubic foot. Going further, the next dial on the upper right says 1000 per revolution. Therefore to use 1000 cubic feet and turn that dial one complete revolution the 2 foot dial would have had to turn 500 times. Each digit on the thousand foot dial equals one hundred cubic feet since there are 10 numbers (zero through nine). Therefore if that dial
Posts: 15 | Location: Grand Rapids, MI | Registered: Mar 13, 2007
They probably charge in 100 cu ft incriments. Therefore they only incriment the bill when the last (1000 dial) moves 1 or more complete numbers. If you look at your bill you will probably see that. It's simular to the electric compamy. They change by the Killowatt hour. (that is 1000 watt hours). Therefore if you were to use 500.5 Kw they would only charge you for 500. The extra .5 would be carried over to next months bill when the meter is read.
Saying stuff like "it's normal", " who knows", etc.
