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February 19, 2009
DEP Fine for Meter in Basement?
I received a summons ($250) from the DEP because my water meter is in my basement and not on the outside of the house. Is anyone familiar with this?
thank you
Comments
Water meters can never be put on the outside, they freeze. You possibly recieved a violation for not allowing or not having an external remote reader on your meter so it can be read without entering the house.
The city is changing all its water laws and monitoring systems soon. Call the DEP water meter division- believe it or not you will actually get a helpfull ( in an old school NY way) live person on the phone
In Manhattan con ed reads the water meters
Posted by: bruin357 at February 19, 2009 2:40 AM
ConEd reads my water meter (in basement) whilke they're reading the rest here in brooklyn too.
Posted by: CGmodern at February 19, 2009 11:41 AM
Definitely call the DEP. A couple of years ago they called *us* to arrange for *them* to run a wire from our basement water meter outside, where ConEd can read it regularly. Maybe the regime has changed, but DEP treated it more like their problem then, than mine.
Posted by: Sandy Mattingly at February 19, 2009 11:49 AM
Not true. Most water meters are inside the house, however many, many water meters are outside. (Usually in a deep pit in the sidewalk directly in front of the property. They are below the freeze line.) Your violation is curious. If you can't discern the exact reason from the summons, go to Dept of Buildings website and enter your address and navigate to the violation. Here's the link. Good luck.
http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/bispi00.jsp
Posted by: Hank at February 19, 2009 11:53 AM
Additional info: Your violation is "probably" because they can't get your readings on a regular basis (done by the Con Ed meter reader every 3 months) along with the Con Ed reading. The Con Ed reader won't bend down to the meter to physically read it and certainly won't lift any plate covering it in the basement. That's if they can even get into the basement in the first place. They want you to have a remote contraption wired from the meter to a position outside the front entrance so that the reader can quickly obtain an electronic reading. Not a bid deal. They will come out and do it for you. It's only a thin wire. Call he DEP number on your water bill.
Posted by: Hank at February 19, 2009 12:03 PM
Does anyone know why ConED cannot have remote reading devices like Keyspan does? It's annoying to get an estimated reading much of the time because I wasn't there to let them in.
Posted by: cmu at February 19, 2009 12:19 PM
My understanding is that you can relocate the gas meter to the outside of the building, but at your own expense...
Posted by: SJ at February 19, 2009 12:26 PM
Even worse with ConEd is when you *are* there to let them in, but they flee 1 millisecond after ringing the bill, and you end up with an estimated reading anyway
Posted by: NorthHeights at February 19, 2009 12:54 PM
Con ed is just experimenting with remote readers. There are two counties in NY that they are trying them out and Brooklyn isn't one. BUG(Keyspan-National Grid) is not yet installing them on old meters. You can have it done by them at YOUR expense.
Posted by: smeyer418 at February 19, 2009 12:54 PM
one additional point. In no case are they putting the meter outside. The water meter is still in my basement with a remote reader attachment(that looks like a black sink stopper on the outside of the house)
My Gas meters have blue tooth type local wireless readers attached to the basement meter that can be read outside the house.
Posted by: smeyer418 at February 19, 2009 12:57 PM
wait up, you can pay to get a wireless Con Ed meter?
How much? I'd do it, I am always missing the reader.
Posted by: vanburenproud at February 19, 2009 3:27 PM
I phone the gas & electric readings in every few months. It's pretty effortless actually.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at February 19, 2009 3:36 PM
Yeah, DIBS, perhaps you're more put together than I. I have a major blind spot when it comes to anticipating the brief window during which Con Ed accepts a reading in relationship to the bill.
It would free up much-needed brainspace if I could just automate the whole chore.
Posted by: vanburenproud at February 19, 2009 3:52 PM
OK: to confuse the issue
Gas meters (National Grid) formerly Keyspan CAN be read from outside WITHOUT any wiring (bluetooth) -convert at your expense -they offered it free several years ago with good excuse-elderly, immobile, etc.- then went to about $100. per meter couple of years ago-call National Grid 718 643-4050
Con Ed -currently in Brooklyn- the entire meter must be moved outside-no bluetooth, remote,etc-process is cost-prohibitive- licensed electrician, plans, etc.-call Con Ed 800 75-CON ED
Water meters -discussed above
Posted by: Hank at February 19, 2009 5:42 PM
Just got one myself yesterday. Spoke with the man. He said that the folks who did my renovation cut the wire and covered over the remote box outside -- I got new siding. According to him and the written summons, a licensed plumber is to reinstall the remote box and connect it to the meter in the basement.
Posted by: RandiZ at February 20, 2009 4:53 PM
Further on National Grit-your-teeth: The company has started assessing a non-access fee of $25 per bill if it cannot get in to read the meter. My landlord finally got with it, and National Grid said it will wipe out those charges after he installs the remote, at his expense as several people have pointed out. You really got to love a utility that charges a fee equal to two months gas because it couldn't read the meter.
Posted by: altervoce at February 20, 2009 7:51 PM
NorthHeights, glad we're not the only ones! ConEd will go months at a time "pretending" to ring the bell, sticking the "you weren't home" card in, and cutting and running. Grrrr!!!!
Posted by: Brenda from Flatbush at February 23, 2009 11:34 AM
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