Cost of Plumbing Inspection for Reinstalling Gas Meter
My house, a three-family, used to have three gas meters, but maybe 30 years ago the third meter was removed. Now I want to hook up a gas stove to the old gas lines that run all the way down to the basement where the third meter used to be. This would be for a…
My house, a three-family, used to have three gas meters, but maybe 30 years ago the third meter was removed. Now I want to hook up a gas stove to the old gas lines that run all the way down to the basement where the third meter used to be. This would be for a tenant, so if it’s expensive, I might have to get her an electric stove instead.
Can anyone give me an idea about how much would it cost to get the lines inspected by a licensed plumber so National Grid will reinstall the meter? The lines all look good to me (indistinguishable from the lines that are metered), though I know that’s no guarantee that all is well.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Andy, any updates with adding that meter back? I’m in the same situation. Just wondering if DOB has to come inspect as well after you get the pressure test.
Good luck!
I have a plumber coming soon for other repairs, so I’ll ask him to test the line. I suspect (and hope) the line is fine. The key thing seemed to be the plumber notifying DOB, which Nat’l Grid would be able to tell–so says Nat’l Grid. Anyway, I’ll let you know what happens if you’re curious.
Thanks again for the responses.
Mopar, you are correct.
The gas line is tested with a glorified bicycle pump (using air , not gas) and the plumber needs to check if it holds pressure for 30 minutes.
How peculiar. National Grid seems to be incredibly inconsistent and unreliable on any number of fronts. We have had no end of all sorts of different difficulties with them.
In any case, I would concur with HDL. It’s very likely the gas line is fine. If you need to merely invite plumbers over to pressure test the line, then they would most likely charge you their minimum, since it doesn’t take long. My understanding is that the gas does not need to be turned on to pressure test the line (but ask the plumbers to be sure).
Good luck.
Most plumbers can perform a pressure test which is what Nat Grid is after.
I’d bet the line is fine, I recently moved my kitchen fron the garden to the parlor level utilizing an old gas line that had been capped in the wall. Worked perfectly.
I think you should check your gas bill and see how much you are paying for the actual gas and how much the other charges are for (the meter). I think it’s something like $20 a month for the meter and then less than $2 for the actual gas. It’s a complete rip off. It will cost you a lot more to switch the gas lines than to just pay for the gas that the tenant would be using. You can also advertise the apartment as gas included.
Thanks mopar for that helpful response. Denton, the stove is on the third floor and is now connected to the existing gas line. As mopar figured, the line leads from the third floor to the basement where the meters are. Except the meter that used to measure third-floor gas use is gone. Mopar, the problem is I called National Grid and asked them to come and install the meter, which they said would be free, but only after I had a licensed plumber inspect the lines and contact the DOB. The woman I spoke to said something about the meter being removed in the ’70s or ’80s, so maybe they wouldn’t just install a meter because it was taken out so long ago?
We had this situation.
You can simply ask National Grid to install the meter. They will test the pressure on the lines. It is free.
If they find a problem, then you can invite the plumbers over to try to fix it. Who knows how long it will take them to find the leak — if they can. Our plumbers charge $150 per hour minimum.
If the leak is not something obvious, they’ll probably just suggest running a new gas line. Running a new gas line from the meter through the cellar and up two floors will cost about $2,000 (give or take some depending on your access situation and location and length of pipe) plus $1,000 for filing.