Gas Meter Variants in the UK

There are various household and industrial products available in the open market for maintaining gas in daily operations. Whether you’re a house owner, an apartment landlord or a factory manager, choosing and installing a gas meter is as important as maintaining your water and electricity flow. From the different gas pipe fittings, housings, valves, and meters available, choosing a suitable component to match any individual’s requirement can be a nightmare in terms of compatibility and durability. However, there are several items that have been recommended over the course of the application of certain components. In particular, gas meters have been an area of interest. From different variants and housings, choosing the right component for your projects requires no real decision making process if you know the basics.

Basic Function of a Gas Meter

Gas meters are used for various purposes in consumer, industrial, and commercial environments to regulate gas flow. For instance, in apartments where gas is supplied for the inhabitants (for cooking, etc.), a gas meter is used for billing purposes, which shows how much gas the inhabitants are using. If the gas meters are of higher gas flow pressure, they are often installed outside the main building of application for safety reasons. Normally, lower pressure gas meters are installed indoors. However, in the UK it’s the opposite, as usually these meters are sometimes located inside.

Variants and Build Quality

Since there are different and more complex meters available, whether you need to control and maintain gas flow for your projects or utilities, gas meters comes generally in standard and non-standard variants. For standard gas meters, they can virtually be purchased easily in most hardware stores and is always used for low-pressure gas maintenance. A maximum delivery of 1,680 kilowatts (kW) is typical in a standard gas meter. Standard gas meters are manufactured by many different companies and come in different varieties.

If you plan on having a gas service pressure in the medium to high range, you will need to purchase and install a non-standard gas meter. Purchasing a non-standard gas meter will require pre-ordering. They will be designed from scratch from the moment we order them and only produced as soon as the order and purchase have been made. Proper installation and consultation is needed and recommended before you commit to any purchases.

Different gas meters come with a wide variety of indicators. Some of them utilise multiple pointer-styled hand clocks or digital readouts, which closely resembles an odometer, to even remote readouts which are the current trend nowadays. These remote readouts utilise an electronic pulse output, which is mounted on the meter. Different styles are made available, however the most commonly used one is the contact closure switch.

Housing

If you plan on installing a gas meter and housing from scratch, it is recommended that you consult with a Gas Safe Engineer to ensure proper installation and safety measures. In general, a low-pressure gas meter can be installed inside a building, but medium to higher-pressure ones will be required to be installed outside in a suitable housing. The gas housing itself plays an important role in protecting the actual gas meters as well as the consumer from gas build-up, the dangers of explosions, theft, and even damage from the weather. A free standing gas meter will require concrete to hold it (as well as the housing), but another bolt on variant is also made available if the meter were to be wall mounted half in the wall and half out, and even a semi-concealed box which lies half above and half underground. These housings are normally made from plastic, are durable and strong, and will last a relatively long time.

Which One to Choose

Whether you’re installing a gas meter for personal or industrial use, just remember the two areas that we need to take into consideration when choosing a gas meter: the service pressure of the gas in the mains and the maximum gas load that an individual might require. Depending on what you need, there is a wide range of fittings to choose from. For gas meters, just remember that if you need low pressure with a maximum delivery of 1,680 kilowatts (kW), go for the standard gas meter. Anything higher than that, consider the non-standard gas meter. You will also need to decide on a proper housing and suitable location for the non-standard gas meter. Consult a professional before you decide on purchasing and installing one for security reasons.