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[TheBoy]

The internal pipes should be fine, I would be pointing up around that cubicle though!

Yes, its fairly dark down there - looking at the photo is the first time I've really noticed the poor workmanship

[TheBoy]

BTW, the black lever is my stopcock.  Anglian water apparently maintain up to that point, plus the meter.

`Plumber must`ve had loads of surplus solder to use up!

Had they been 'Yorkshire' fittings, they`d have been so tight they wouldn`t need soldering!

Everywhere in the house, they haven't been shy of using the solder

Hmmm, also looking at that photo (flash fired, so easier to see that looking for real), I'm wondering if I've applied too much heat to the pipe coming out of the meter

[TheBoy]

IMHO insulating the front side of it is the best bet. That's where the problem is coming from. Is there any way you could get a little heat into the cabinet - low wattage bulb or something? Guessing the water authority wouldn't be too happy if they found out though.  :-/

Kevin

I've stuff the hole at the front with some loft insulation.

[cem_devecioglu]

yep.. agreed above ideas ..

from inside no insulation required and also heat from home will protect it by heat transfer..(up to a point)

if you can defrost the pipe, let a tap drop water ..

and use as much insulation outside as possible..

no probs with exaggeration, do as you wish

[TheBoy]

[jereboam]

One of my neighbours is a building engineer and surveyor.  I told him about your problem.  He said that the meters are designed to be sunk into the ground - the deeper, the better.  Round our way, they are all out by the road and there are plastic pipes taking the supply from the meter to the house, all buried about 20-30cms down.  Shouldn't ever freeze.

The meter itself is insulated under the inspection cover. 

Any idea why your meter is embedded in an outside wall? 

[Marks DTM Calib]

Well that looks like it should already be fully insulated

[TheBoy]

One of my neighbours is a building engineer and surveyor.  I told him about your problem.  He said that the meters are designed to be sunk into the ground - the deeper, the better.  Round our way, they are all out by the road and there are plastic pipes taking the supply from the meter to the house, all buried about 20-30cms down.  Shouldn't ever freeze.

The meter itself is insulated under the inspection cover. 

Any idea why your meter is embedded in an outside wall? 

Around here, they are all in the walls. Got a load of bumph from Anglian about it as well, in the doc pack that builders gave me

[jereboam]

We're supplied by Anglian as well, and our house dates from 1998.  Don't remember anything about water meters in the documentation though.

It was probably discovered that it was more efficient to put them in the walls.  (For "more efficient" read "cheaper".) 

On the other hand, you probably don't get bombarded with Anglian junk mail trying to get you to pay them to insure the supply between the meter and the house.

[TheBoy]

We're supplied by Anglian as well, and our house dates from 1998.  Don't remember anything about water meters in the documentation though.

It was probably discovered that it was more efficient to put them in the walls.  (For "more efficient" read "cheaper".) 

On the other hand, you probably don't get bombarded with Anglian junk mail trying to get you to pay them to insure the supply between the meter and the house.

Oh, I do!

And also from Anglia Water - a seperate company

[unlucky mark mv6]

The internal pipes should be fine, I would be pointing up around that cubicle though!

Be sure to lag any pipes under the sink unit,you will be surprised how cold it is under there,due to waste pipes etc entering the house where the outside holes have no compo round them.I was called up to my mates house today,as he had no water upstairs at all,and just cold downstairs.The problem was the rising main to the boiler which is in the bathroom.These pipes came from under the sink unit and went upstairs in the wall,so i ripped the plinth off,and left the hairdryer under there for about an hour,and then job done.NEVER RAPID THAW PIPES,AS THEY WILL BURST.

[belldarr]

A Kent meter! that is at least 17 years old - Anglian were running a replacement programme so maybe worth ringing them as those are an old meter and have been superceded at least 4 times now.  Kent Meters were bought out by ABB then Elster Metering.

And as previously stated they are better suited to being below ground level.

Darren

[Taxi_Driver]

Im glad i managed to avoid a water meter being fitted a few years back......I rented this house out for a few years, then moved back into it and according to Thames water, coz the name on the bill changed, I had to have a water meter fitted.

Thames water came out to do an inspection of where the meter should go.....couldnt go in the footpath outside.....coz i share a main with next door.....comes into my house first then goes next door.
So, inspector reckoned it should go in the kitchen, under the sink.
I asked how much their max budget was on fitting a meter, inspector told me £500.
I asked do you reckon then your intallation team, can carefully remove the worktop, take apart the units, fit the meter and then reassemble units, replace worktop and refit sink......and if im not happy with the standard of work, they will keep doing it until i am happy.....all for £500?

He said, i'll mark this job as too costly to fit a meter ....and cleared off   

[TheBoy]

A Kent meter! that is at least 17 years old - Anglian were running a replacement programme so maybe worth ringing them as those are an old meter and have been superceded at least 4 times now.  Kent Meters were bought out by ABB then Elster Metering.

And as previously stated they are better suited to being below ground level.

Darren

House is 9yrs old

[belldarr]

The house may well be only 9 years old but they dont order the meters when they build the houses

The date of manufacture will be in the serial number of the meter, usually engraved on the body or on a little tag