How To Remove A Gas Meter Lock

When it's time to movement, you lot have to take everything. Even the things you don't see every day, like the barrel lock on your gas meter. This article will discuss how to remove a butt lock from a gas meter without damaging your meter or holding. When you find a new home, the outset thing you practise is remove the butt lock from your gas meter. How you do information technology tin make a difference if y'all ever endeavor to sell your house or even use the service again.

Let's wait at how you can remove the barrel lock from your gas meter without doing whatever damage. First, information technology's generally recommended that you turn off the principal shutoff valve for your home earlier you attempt to remove the barrel lock. This will ensure that an accidental gas leak harms no i if something goes incorrect during your attempt. It likewise provides that in that location isn't any gas entering your firm until you get the barrel locked off.

What Is A Gas Meter?

A gas meter is your household'south mode of measuring the amount of natural gas being used at any given time. It usually sits by itself in ane spot close to your habitation. How much gas the household uses every month determines how much you pay for it, then knowing exactly what goes on inside tin help you prevent waste and protect your family meliorate.

A barrel lock is a type of padlock used to forestall tampering with the gas meter at the side of your house. It's essential to have this protected because if somebody tampers with information technology, they tin potentially plow off your natural gas supply. While this is very dangerous and not a proficient idea, it happens and tin can be stopped after removing the barrel lock.

A gas meter is somewhere nearly the gas visitor's box on your property. The meter monitors how much of a resource, such equally natural gas, you're using and measures it in dollars and cents. If something goes wrong with your meter or line leading to it, telephone call a licensed plumber or gas fitter rather than attempting to repair yourself because high-pressure level natural gas could flow through the pipes.

Required Tools:

Pliers
Big screwdriver
Hammer
Wire cutters or snips

A Stepwise Guide on How to Remove a Barrel Lock From a Gas Meter

Step 1: Make up one's mind How the Barrel Lock is Attached to the Meter

The barrel lock you want to remove from your gas meter may be attached in one of two ways: either past a nut and commodities connection or with a crimp-on neckband. You lot will starting time need to determine how the device was physically installed onto your gas meter to remove information technology. You will demand a pair of pliers, a large screwdriver, and some wire cutters or snips for this task.

Step ii: Turn Off the Gas Meter

Earlier you begin the task of removing the barrel lock, information technology is essential to plough off your old gas meter. The best manner is to find the shutoff valve that connects your home's supply line into the primary pipage coming from your local utility company. In one case you have establish that, close it until information technology does not become further. Exist careful when doing this because if at that place is a high degree of force per unit area in your arrangement, opening or endmost the valve could cause an explosion!

If pressure does exist in your organization when you are trying to plow off the valve, release some of it by lightly borer on ane side of its confront with a hammer. Doing this will relieve plenty of the pressure to turn off the gas will non cause an explosion. This is an essential pace and must not be skipped.

Step three: Remove the Barrel Lock Nut

Your barrel lock may have been installed with a nut and bolt connection, which ways that there volition be two things you need to remove: the bolt itself and the nut holding it in place. To do this, plough your wire cutters or snips into pliers. Utilise them to firmly grip onto the caput of the bolt past inserting one jaw on either side of its face, then twist until it snaps off from its connection with the nut.

You can besides apply a hammer to help out in this process. It should but accept a few gentle taps before it pops right off! If you cannot get a expert grip on the head of the bolt, your wire cutters or snips should be able to handle this chore equally long as you take a good grip on both sides of its confront.

Stride four: Remove the Barrel Lock Crimp-on Collar

If, afterward following these instructions, yous notice that your butt lock was attached with a crimp-on collar, then congratulations! You are done and tin now motility on to the adjacent footstep. However, if it turns out that at that place is no shoulder under ane side of your barrel lock simply instead just a metal tube congenital onto the meter itself with no way for you to access information technology from underneath, yous will demand almost all of your tools over again to remove it.

Y'all will kickoff need to tap on the crimp-on neckband from underneath with a hammer until it breaks free from its grip on the height of the meter. Once that is off, grab hold of it and pull straight up until it comes loose from its connection with the metal tube coming out of your gas meter.

Step 5: Plough Your Meter Back On

One time y'all have removed both pieces of your butt lock, turn your shutoff valve dorsum on and start up your old gas meter so that you can utilise it as usual. If yous plan to reuse either part at another time because they still function as intended, store them away for hereafter use! Otherwise, experience free to discard them by bringing them to a local recycling center.

At this bespeak, you lot should also have a moment to look at your gas meter and brand sure that the way it is currently working is usual for one in good status. If at that place are any physical issues with it regarding bent caps or other damages, consider contacting a professional plumber who can accost all of your home's plumbing needs and assist go the trouble sorted out.

Once you have completed this job, y'all should be able to remove merely about any barrel lock from your old gas meter without also much hassle so long equally you know what type was installed beforehand! These steps volition help in how to remove a barrel lock from a gas meter.

Precautions:

1. Remove a stopcock key from a pocket employ it to plow off the tap of the stopcock so that no more gas flows into your home or business premises.

2. Prevent children and animals from getting nearly your projection, so they don't get burned when you remove the lock from the gas meter barrel if there is still some residual pressure.

3. Protect your face with safety goggles to avert any unpleasant accidents when removing the lock from the gas meter barrel if there is still some balance force per unit area.

iv. Open windows for ventilation, especially if you're working in confined spaces like nether lower floors or under kitchen cabinets (meliorate withal – practise this task outdoors).

FAQs

How Does a Barrel Lock Plunger Key Piece of work?

In some instances, a gas visitor volition place a barrel lock on your meter as a more secure style of protecting information technology from theft and unnecessary tampering. The plunger key that comes with most barrel locks is designed with an up and down motion; when inserted into the bottom slot of the meter, y'all'll be able to elevator on the plunger (using ii hands) until it clicks.

This will crusade one end of the barrel lock's keyhole to rise off its hinge point. You'll demand to rotate your wrist clockwise to move this pin system; keep rotating your wrist nether the meter until you hear three distinct clicks. At this indicate, the butt lock should come loose and exist able to slide off of your meter. This process can be repeated if you want to take the barrel lock with you to protect your meter from tampering with anyone else.

What Happens if You Cut Lock Off Gas Meter?

A barrel lock, or meter lock, is a keyed device that locks the flow of gas coming into your home. It is used to protect you if someone tries to tap into your supply illegally. Call the utility company immediately if you find that your meter lock has been cut off. Y'all don't want anyone tampering with the gas menses to your abode!

Depending on what type of meter lock was cut off (some are harder than others), it may be an piece of cake ready for a locksmith to supercede information technology for you. Replacing your old butt lock with a new one will ensure that no person tin can access your pipe and offset siphoning away your natural gas.

Determination:

Barrel locks on gas meters can be a pain, but they're piece of cake to remove with the right tools. Nosotros hope this article on how to remove a butt lock from a gas meter has shown yous how elementary it is to take off a barrel lock and that y'all'll never have to worry about beingness locked out of your meter again.

Yous may read likewise How to Take Lock Off Gas Meter

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