# turning gas on/off at the meter



## amakarevic

dear experts,

i want to turn my house gas supply off so i can knock out some redundant pipes and put a cap. as i am a rising plumbing junior, i have only not dealt with gas so i meant to ask how it is done with my particular meter, in case you are familiar with such model (as i am sure that you are).

so please see the pix. the first one shows the whole thing on which i detected two valves, at least one, if not both, of which must be it. i circled them and marked them 1 (between the ground and the meter) and 2 (between the meter and the house). i think it is 1. the second one shows the 1 zoomed in. you can see that it shows 75 on the side (bonus question: what does that mean ?).

my common sense tells me it should be 1, as it seems easier to turn (i turned about 45 deg with channel locks but then turned it back). the thing is, it is hard to check whether there is flow past the valve as the only clients that use it are the h20 heater and the furnace, which is right now disabled because of radiator pipe rearrangements, so it is really only the h20 heater. since it does not work on demand like a gas stove, i.e. is automated, i do not know how to check through it. i looked through the little gate at the bottom of the heater and there is a small pilot flame. i guess that will be out if the gas is properly turned off. i am not sure if i am supposed to use a long stove lighter or a match to reignite it though.

so my questions are:

1. which, if any of the two valves are it ?

2. how many degrees do i need to turn it ?

3. once i have done so, how do i check for the flow on the h2o heater (should i use the pilot flame as the indicator) ?

4. should i reignite with a match or a stove lighter is fine ?

5. what are the best ways to make sure that, once i have done the capping, there is no leaks ?

thanks.


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## concretemasonry

Do not play with gas unless you not care about tomorrow. Fires and explosions are not forgiving. You do no know about a bad guess until it is too late.

You probably broke a law if you tampered with the gas company side of the meter. - Good luck!

You may have also shut off you pilot lights that will have to be relite so you do not die.

DIY is great, but don't play around things if you don't know and ask the kind of questions you are asking. Your neighbors may appreciate it.


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## amakarevic

the pilot light is still on, thanks sir !


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## skymaster

*FROM THOSE PICTURES NUMBER TWO IS NOT I REPEAT NOT A VALVE DO NOT I REPEAT NOT UNSCREW IT. iT IS A PLUG .:no:*


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## amakarevic

so it is #1, correct ?

if yes, do i just turn it until it can't go no more ?

thanks.


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## rjordan392

You say you are a rising junior plumber. Well you should not try to learn a trade in a forum. When you have to ask how to shut off a gas main, it means you have no business touching it at all. Go to a trade school or serve an apprenticeship before touching something you have no knowledge of. You are facing danger to yourself and your neighbors by learning how to work with gas plumbing on the wing.


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## redline

There should be a shut off inside the home.


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## Malcolm

You are asking some pretty basic questions. I wouldn't attempt to repipe anything just yet. You should learn a little more about gas lines first. I always use a manometer and do a pressure test. I remember seeing a DIYer trying to hook up nitrogen to his gas line to pressure test it. He was about to put 100 psig on his gas lines lol...


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## redline

call the gas company and have them turn it off.


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## bigMikeB

redline said:


> There should be a shut off inside the home.


 Not in the real world, the only shut off is out on the meter set for the main line into the house and one for each individual appliance branch.


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## bigMikeB

amakarevic said:


> so it is #1, correct ?
> 
> if yes, do i just turn it until it can't go no more ?
> 
> thanks.


Not to be rude, but if you can't tell the difference between a gas cock and a plugged tee do you really feel comfortable fitting gas piping? Take some night school vocational classes. Gas fitting isn't something to learn hit or miss.


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## Buckeyetech

You're in over your head. Call a pro.

Go Buckeyes


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## slakker

Call the gas company and they should be able to help you. We live in a earth quake zone, so it's quite important for home owners to know how to turn off the main in case of a leak caused by a quake, so it's good to learn how and where to turn off the gas.


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## gregzoll

You can shut the meter off yourself, without contacting the gas company. It is just that you cannot remove the device without the gas company coming to remove. as for the so called shut-off at the top of the meter, that is a threaded cap, not a valve. The valve is where the line comes out of the ground.


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## gregzoll

amakarevic said:


> so it is #1, correct ?
> 
> if yes, do i just turn it until it can't go no more ?
> 
> thanks.


Number one will turn a full rotation, no matter the direction. You turn it 90 degrees, until the valve head is in this manner -, not | with the pipe.


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## cindi

*natural gas*

question: my pilot light went out on my hot water heater and i can't get it to relight. i turned off the gas at the meter just in case. when i turn it back on is there anything i need to know?


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## merle

You need to know the phone # of the Gas Co. and a licensed plumber.


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## plumber666

DIY meets Darwin Awards?


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