John Dirks Jr Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 I wrote this up because the location of the gas and electric meters were at the end of a driveway and they had no protection from vehicle impact. In addition to that, is there a rule as to how close these two services are to each other? In other words, are they too close to each other? Click to Enlarge 53.79 KB Click to Enlarge 47.45 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Simon Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 On the potential impact part, I would not have wrote it up. Seems like you'd have to drive a car on an angle to miss the bay window and the outside garage corner to try and hit the gas meter. Looks sort of hard to hit it even if you were trying. 'Course, the picture may be deceiving and it could look worse on-site. If so, a fair call. I recommend installing a protective concrete-filled metal post in such cases. Is that what you say? Clearance part...I never heard of anything prohibiting such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kibbel Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 On the potential impact part, I would not have wrote it up. Seems like you'd have to drive a car on an angle to miss the bay window and the outside garage corner to try and hit the gas meter. Looks sort of hard to hit it even if you were trying. 'Course, the picture may be deceiving and it could look worse on-site. If so, a fair call. I would have included a recommendation. I got to see what was left of a block of townhomes after a meter was hit. When they were built, it wasn't required because someone thought a vehicle would never be at that particular angle. I recommend installing a protective concrete-filled metal post in such cases.Or you could recommend a bollard. Clearance part...I never heard of anything prohibiting such.Check with the local gas co. Many require that the regulator be set more than 36" away from the electric meter and/or the meter and gas piping be 36" from the grounding electrode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dirks Jr Posted July 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 I didn't specify the exact means of protection. Here is a quote from the report. The gas meter is in a location that it is subject to damage. At the head of the driveway, it could be affected by vehicle impact. This can cause a major gas leak which is very dangerous. An appropriate barrier needs to be installed to protect this gas meter and its piping. Have a qualified contractor fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bain Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 Like Bill said, I would recommend rather than quasi-mandate. Remember that the utility company takes a look at that meter once a month and, presumably, sees nothing wrong with the installation. The meter in the photo below was beside a 50 year old house, but apparently no one from the local utility co. minded where it was. Click to Enlarge 65.19 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dirks Jr Posted July 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 If its dangerous, I say fix it. There is no "recommend" about it. If they choose to ignore my direction, that's their business. That's how I think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 I think bollards would be a good idea in that situation. Yes, a judgment call, but smart. I usually say "you should...........", instead of commanding. Mandating can get weird sounding on some stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garet Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 I would not rely on a gas company meter-reader to catch this. First, those are probably not the brightest bunch in the crop. Second, around here the meters are all read remotely. It's possible that the driveway has been made wider since the last time a gas company rep was there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichNSpect Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 If its dangerous, I say fix it. There is no "recommend" about it. If they choose to ignore my direction, that's their business. That's how I think about it. I would take a little softer stance on this issue. I agree that the meter needs to be protected from physical damage, but would not call this out as a "mandated" repair. I was taught to classify these things as "Elective Modifications" and then clearly explain the definition of the term in my scope of work. While many things we (Inspectors) come across in the field could be classified as just plain common sense, we should keep in mind that we are not there at the property to perform a "code compliance" or "safety" inspection. Assuming that we are there do conduct a Standard Inspection, of course. Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlieb Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 If its dangerous, I say fix it. There is no "recommend" about it. If they choose to ignore my direction, that's their business. That's how I think about it. I would take a little softer stance on this issue. I agree that the meter needs to be protected from physical damage, but would not call this out as a "mandated" repair. I was taught to classify these things as "Elective Modifications" and then clearly explain the definition of the term in my scope of work. While many things we (Inspectors) come across in the field could be classified as just plain common sense, we should keep in mind that we are not there at the property to perform a "code compliance" or "safety" inspection. Assuming that we are there do conduct a Standard Inspection, of course. Kevin Our role is quite simple. Look for things. Write them down. Tell the consumer what it can/will do/cause and give an opinion on what to do. The gas meter is located in a place that can allow it to be damaged. If a vehicle hits the meter, gas can escape and possibly cause a fire or explosion. This would not be a good experience. Have the meter relocated or provide physical protection to prevent it from being damaged. We have no authority to mandate anything. We issue opinions. If we are smart, our opinions are based in the code, manufacturer's installation instructions. I believe you can find the line "This code is not intended to address stupidity" somewhere in the IRC. :> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dirks Jr Posted July 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 With something that has the potential bad affect as this, you won't be able to convince me to not be direct about it. I understand I don't rule anything. However, I think that sometimes stronger words are needed. This is one of those cases. The percentage of my business from referrals of clients is growing. I see no reason to change my game plan. The beat around the bush wishy washy mush mush try to make everyone happy is not a part of my business. I find the facts, state them as they "need" be, then move on. It's working for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghentjr Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 Is it just me, or did anyone else notice the electrical box at or slightly below grade? Water? Rust? Snow? Where does the plow push the snow pile? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randynavarro Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 Folks pay me for my professional evaluation and guidance. It it's dangerous, I say it's dangerous. I need sufficient data at my fingertips, though, to be able to back that up and explain why it's dangerous. Shoot, if something was really ugly, I could also say it was ugly. The problem is I couldn't back that up with anything other than mere opinion. There's no rules about how much information I can provide my client. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qhinspect Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 I would not rely on a gas company meter-reader to catch this. First, those are probably not the brightest bunch in the crop. Second, around here the meters are all read remotely. It's possible that the driveway has been made wider since the last time a gas company rep was there. I agree. I had a radon motor located a little under 2 feet from the gas regulator port. For three years I lived here and the meter-reader never reported it. We realized there was a leak before the meter and the gas guy told me that they will fix the leak but would not turn my gas back on unit that motor was relocated outside that 3 feet. The other guy that actually fixed the gas leak did me a favor and installed a different regulator with threads and installed a pipe so it had the 3 foot clearance. Click to Enlarge 40.4 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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