Smart meter installs

[Bender]

You often hear of disasters and badly fitted meters.

 

The daughters was replaced a while back, turns out the gas meter was was hanging on the pipework, it didn't reach the floor, instead of sorting the pipe properly or fixing something to the floor then fixing the meter bracket to that  they just left it hanging, the gas main to it was also replaced, in doing that the earth has been removed and shoved in the corner.

 

First pick is how far down the pipe went after removing it from the clip.

 

I've also filled in the large hole they nicely left.

 

If you've had one fitted good luck  

 

If you've had an electric smart meter fitted they are just as ropey, expect your house to burn down.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Our supplier assured us we could have smarter meters despite living in a rural location with no mobile signal.

 

When the guy arrived he was not pleased. A total waste of his time, and mine.

[Bender]

Just now, Mississippi Bullfrog said:

Our supplier assured us we could have smarter meters despite living in a rural location with no mobile signal.

 

When the guy arrived he was not pleased. A total waste of his time, and mine.

Yup no signal no point, I'm sure at some point we will be forced to have  one, at which point I'm going to make a lead cover for it  

[Fish]

At one of my customers a security guard had finished his night shift and was just about in bed when the fitted set light and burned his house down!

 

NEVER GOING TO FIT ONE IN MY PROPERTY!!!

 

Fish

[Bender]

@Fish just depends on the numpties doing it you may or may not get a good install but it's the if that's the problem, loads of stories about fires within months of an install.

[S-Westerly]

We've had one fitted since house was new. Never had an issue with it but the energy supplier? Bloody useless - for 2 years tried to say we had 2 electric meters and charged us double. Turns out they had conflated our house number with another property in the same road which had the same site number during construction. Idiots.

[Bender]

Built from new least you got same quality throughout house.

 

Problem with retro fit is they were signing up folk that shouldn't have picked up a screwdriver, do this course and off you go.

[Stu]

We had two fitted! no issues 

 

 

Next door had two fitted and ended up digging half the street up  

 

When the guy did the gas meter he used clamps on the copper pipe for when he removed the earth. He removed the meter and was just about to fit the new one and moved a clamp and had sparks  

 

Couple of phone calls later and gas and electric was around checking everything! 10pm and they start digging the street up  

 

Turns out that the wiring that runs to the lamp post outside my house had some damaged wiring and was sending some voltage down the earth lines!! 

 

I took a look in the hole the next day and there was loads of tree roots! which made me think it could have been something to do with all the tree's I used to have in my garden  

[Bender]

13 minutes ago, Stu said:

We had two fitted! no issues 

 

 

Next door had two fitted and ended up digging half the street up  

 

When the guy did the gas meter he used clamps on the copper pipe for when he removed the earth. He removed the meter and was just about to fit the new one and moved a clamp and had sparks  

 

Couple of phone calls later and gas and electric was around checking everything! 10pm and they start digging the street up  

 

Turns out that the wiring that runs to the lamp post outside my house had some damaged wiring and was sending some voltage down the earth lines!! 

 

I took a look in the hole the next day and there was loads of tree roots! which made me think it could have been something to do with all the tree's I used to have in my garden  

Yup that will do it  

 

Sparks ain't an issue, obviously there shouldn't be any, but if your completing the circuit then you become the issue, usually it's down to electric leaking from the house to ground via the gas main, pe pipe is a good insulator.

[Stu]

1 minute ago, Bender said:

Yup that will do it  

 

Sparks ain't an issue, obviously there shouldn't be any, but if your completing the circuit then you become the issue, usually it's down to electric leaking from the house to ground via the gas main, pe pipe is a good insulator.

 

Although sparks could have been an issue on the gas pipe if he had a leak  

 

It was funny as we had an LED bulb (lamp if you ask @rennie ) pop in the kitchen so I replaced it and a day later that popped! I have never known an LED to go 

 

The next day all this kicked off but no more popping LED's so I can only assume this was the cause! as about 10 houses down the street where affected 

[Bender]

Earth wouldn't affect an led but earth drawn from local transformer going wonky can cause imbalance in output, surges can blow everything in the house and on occasion do.

[Stu]

10 minutes ago, Bender said:

Earth wouldn't affect an led but earth drawn from local transformer going wonky can cause imbalance in output, surges can blow everything in the house and on occasion do.

 

Well one of the top sparkies from northern power said that it was caught in time and that its lucky people's TV's didn't blow up or at worst cause a big fire  

 

[Bender]

3 minutes ago, Stu said:

 

Well one of the top sparkies from northern power said that it was caught in time and that its lucky people's TV's didn't blow up or at worst cause a big fire  

 

Yup that's a phase going down, probably energised the earth, it's usuall result is sudden jump to 400v  

[Stu]

2 minutes ago, Bender said:

Yup that's a phase going down, probably energised the earth, it's usuall result is sudden jump to 400v  

 

As I say it was something to do with the wiring outside my house where there is a lap post! 

 

A mate lives 3 doors down and they dug all his drive up  

[Bender]

I think it's pme systems that make things go bang.

 

I got sent to someone having trouble with electric tripping on a tourer on a big site, as I stepped in I touched the frame of door and got a tingle and off it went, luckily for me and them next doors dog which had been crawling under the van had got well and truly fried and was making a circuit every time electric was put back on.

 

Dead dog, site closed lots of un happy campers.

[Stu]

2 minutes ago, Bender said:

Earth's are independent on houses, I don't know of any that have a distributed earth but when electricity goes wrong it's usually interesting.

 

I got sent to someone having trouble with electric tripping on a tourer on a big site, as I stepped in I touched the frame of door and got a tingle and off it went, luckily for me and them next doors dog which had been crawling under the van had got well and truly fried and was making a circuit every time electric was put back on.

 

Dead dog, site closed lots of un happy campers.

 

God knows what was going on but it took a whole team of about 30 work men and about 10 men in suits  

 

They started digging at 10.30 but once they had started you wouldn't even know they was there! very little noise they started 3 doors down but ended up digging half the path up outside my house which I found out in the morning  

[Bender]

Some lucky folk have 3phase supply into the house, they just don't realise, bloody great if you want a fast charger fitted, bank of meters to go with won't look so good  

[onesea]

The problem with smart meters is with many companies if you don't get a smart meter you don't get the best prices.

My mobile phone signal in the house is appalling, they still try and push one on you.

[rennie]

We've had a smart meter for a couple of years, no problems so far!

It does lose the signal sometimes but we just leave it and it comes back.

I need to switch suppliers but want to keep the smart meter

[S-Westerly]

In the long ago our first (new) house was in Washington New Town. About two weeks after we'd moved in there was a bang and a flash and every single electric device that was live (Inc. the heating system) was toast with the exception of our insanely expensive Bosch oven which survived. Turned out that down the road where they were installing mains the jcb driver managed to partially sever the mains electric and sent all the live current down the earth.  About 15 houses affected and a huge amount in compensation to pay out for all the destroyed kit.

[husoi]

here's my ridiculous story... 

 

Had smart meters installed by Pure planet. They never managed to get a proper reading out and I would have to send readings every month.

Then changed to Outfox the market, cheaper and a wee better costumer service.

A few months down the line I went to take a read from the gas meter and I couldn't turn it on.

Contacted OtM and they said I needed smart meters and they will replace the existing ones.

Well.. I know I'm a numpty but I know the difference between a smartarse and a dumb meter. But they said it must be replaced so I just played along.

 

On the set day the guy come to install the meters and told me. "You already have smart meters, they just haven't been commissioned properly." 

"Oh really?? I told them that the problem was the battery on the gas meter but they said it needs replacing."

 

For a moment I thought I was talking klingon considering the way he looked at me.

After 2 hours he come back saying that there was a problem with the system and he couldn't commission the meters. "Someone will book an appointment to do it in the next few days."

Got an email booking the appointment for 2 months later... 

In the meanwhile lockdown come and nobody showup.

Called the cowboys and was told the appointment was cancelled.

"When are you making a new one?"

"We can't tell until the lockdown will end."

"So, say 2 months of lockdown, then 2 months for a new appointment. I'll be 6 months stuck to the same supplier because I can't change until you finish the job you were supposed to do."

"I apologise..."

"Sure, are you giving me the difference for the cheaper energy?"

"Errr. no."

"We'll see about that... I'm not spending money that I don't need to just because you have no idea what customer service is."

"Yes, please gives us a call as soon the lockdown ends and we will sort it."

 

Now! (Billy Connolly's "Now") 

I'm not going to phokeng call anybody so I've emailed OtM yesterdayas they are the suppliers and I don't deal with cowboys.

Today got a reply with a long apology and that they will have it sorted. 

Edited February 15, 2021 by husoi