Help... no gas coming through meter or regulator

[Robbitybobbity]

My daughter has just moved into her first rental house with gas stove and hot water in Melbourne. The meter (pictured) definitely has gas connected to the regulator. But gas is not getting to the stove or water heater. The previous tenant had turned the gas tap off at the meter but it's on now and no gas is coming through. Pushing the button under the regulator cap gets a big spray of gas so it's definitely connected through from the mains. At one stage after taking the cap off the regulator (also pictured) and putting it back on, she got 10 seconds of gas and could light the stove. But then it stopped again. This happened once more, so I'm thinking the gas can seep through the regulator and fill the pipes with pressure, but not enough is getting through so it quickly empties the pipe and stops once the gas in the pipe is used up. It's really weird but I'm in another state and can't try anything ... I'm out of ideas. Can anyone suggest anything??? The real estate agent isn't helping, and they can't cook or shower. We've never lived in a house with gas so don't know if there's something we have failed to do. Anything about this meter or regulator I need to know? My daughter only got the account the other day... is it possible the retailer has capped off the meter and hasn't uncapped it again (and if so, why is a bit of gas getting through)?
Thank you!

 

[Deleted member 120897]

I wonder if it’s an upso/opso regulator? Is there a button anywhere, eg on the side? As a side not, should you really be messing around with gas, if you haven’t worked on it before?

 

[Robbitybobbity]

I wonder if it’s an upso/opso regulator? Is there a button anywhere, eg on the side? As a side not, should you really be messing around with gas, if you haven’t worked on it before?

Thanks - actually not messing around with it at all ... just trying to turn the supply on and only touching the user-safe bits.
Many regulators require a manual reset by pulling the little tag inside the cap. These caps are finger tightened only as they are intended for the end user to remove the cap to reset the regulator after an upso event. An upso event can include someone turning the tap off.

 

[SimonG]

It's a rental, get the landlord on it.

 

[Basher]

Thanks - actually not messing around with it at all ... just trying to turn the supply on and only touching the user-safe bits.
Many regulators require a manual reset by pulling the little tag inside the cap. These caps are finger tightened only as they are intended for the end user to remove the cap to reset the regulator after an upso event. An upso event can include someone turning the tap off.

The regulator doesn't have any 'reset' function - seems to be an early version of this ; https://www.landisgyr.fr/webfoo/wp-content/uploads/product-files/LG_APAC_Brochure_Gas_300.pdf

Surely the gas retailer is the responsible party, and should be asked to resolve it, through the landlord as Simon just posted!

I appreciate you were wanting to ensure nothing obvious had been missed - so far nothing's emerged!
If your daughter's without gas, a phone call to the gas retailer's emergency number should resolve it

 

[Robbitybobbity]

Thanks again. The retailer was the first thing we tried (and the second etc.) Then the agent. I guess it's a time of year thing. The retailer AGL hasn't helped at all. The agent is closed over new year and hasn't returned calls. So it's not like step one was open the meter cap or ask a plumbing forum... we're already up to step 50
But thank you for the link and for confirming there's nothing else obvious. Back to AGL in the morning.

 

[Robbitybobbity]

It's a rental, get the landlord on it.

Thanks Simon. That was obviously our plan A
It's one of those "hope nothing goes wrong if you move house at New Year" things... there is nobody at the real estate office to get. They or the retailer are not remotely interested in answering the phone.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

The left hand valve is off the red one

 

[Basher]

The left hand valve is off the red one

yes first pic it's off. Third pic it's on.
OP: "previous tenant had turned the gas tap off at the meter but it's on now and no gas is coming through. Pushing the button under the regulator cap gets a big spray of gas so it's definitely connected through from the mains"

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Maybe another valve just as it enters the property? As I don’t see anywhere you can test from

 

[Gasmk1]

Are you on bottled gas ………

 

[king of pipes]

The meter outlet could be disced off for safety reasons it is often done here in the UK in empty properties. It needs a Gas safe engineer to check ? . Kop

 

[Robbitybobbity]

yes first pic it's off. Third pic it's on.
OP: "previous tenant had turned the gas tap off at the meter but it's on now and no gas is coming through. Pushing the button under the regulator cap gets a big spray of gas so it's definitely connected through from the mains"

Thanks, looked pretty hard outside and in the kitchen cupboards etc. for another tap but couldn't find one. Might crawl under the house next, but that seems a silly place to put it!

 

[Robbitybobbity]

Hi Kop
thank you, that's my guess. Strange that a small amount of gas seems to leak through. Bad time off year to get the retailer or agent to care unfortunately.
Cheers

 

[moonlight]

Looking at a meter installation like yours, you would assume there are other isolation points somewhere else. It seems like the gas is not check by a test point on the meter like in the UK.

https://www.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/203040/Regulation-Roundup-issue-37-March-2016.pdf