GB2333028A

GB2333028A - Housing for a utilities meter

Info

Publication number: GB2333028A
Application number: GB9800334A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Cavie
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-01-09
Filing date: 1998-01-09
Publication date: 1999-07-14
Anticipated expiration: 2018-01-09
Also published as: GB9800334D0; GB2333028B

Abstract

A housing for eg a gas meter is made in two separable sections, the rear section 1 including a rear wall 14 and integral side walls 15 and the front section 2 including a roof 5 and integral side walls 6 and a front 4. The side walls have inwardly extending rounded shoulders 8,17, which overlie each other in the assembled housing. The shoulders of the walls 15 terminate in an upstanding lip 16 which locates behind the shoulders of the walls 14. Ventilation holes are provided in the lip and/or shoulders and may be concealed. A door 3 on the front 4 gives internal access to the housing which may be fixed to a concrete plinth or a wall.

Description

MEtER HOUSINGS This invention relates to housings for meters connected to mains supplies of utilities such as gas, electricity or water.

Gas meter housings for industrial commercial markets are presently one-piece mouldings of fibreglass formed with a front opening closed by a lockable door. This opening provides access for taking meter readings and, when necessary, turning off the supply of gas to a building. Air vents are provided in both housing sides for ventilation purposes. Two models in each size are presently provided for wall adjacent or free standing installations.

Recent changes brought about by British Gas/Transco installation specification M9 means that the housings available no longer cover the full range of meter installations. The current open backed wall adjacent model does not in itself meet with the important requirement to guard against the possibility of gas entering the building or cavity. Also, there is no purposemade provision for a supply pipe to enter the property or for exiting the housing when the supply is run along the wall. Current practice is to cut a hole in the housing side which then prevents removal of the housing for maintenance to the meter.

Wall adjacent models require fixing back to a wall via an aluminium coping and gasket, and to the plinth on which the housing is mounted with metal angle brackets. If free standing the housing is secured only to the plinth.

The square design of the door allows a finger grip to be exerted and cut-out side vents also provide relatively easy targets for vandalism.

When servicing or repairs are required, it is necessary to lift the entire housing from its plinth and over the meter and pipework protected by the housing. This is time consuming and cumbersome and on many occasions requires the presence of two engineers.

The present invention sets out to provide a housing which does not suffer from, or at least alleviates, the disadvantages referred to above.

The invention also sets out to provide a universal meter housing which can readily be installed adjacent a wall or as a free standing unit. Purpose made sleeve kits may be provided for communication with an adjoining building, or bezels for side exits of supply pipes. The meter housing is intended to provide full access for maintenance by one engineer without need for screws, bolts or the like to be undone.

A further object is to provide a meter housing having good strength characteristics and relatively high resistance to vandalism. This latter characteristic is essentially achieved by concealed air venting (thereby eliminating conventional air vents which offer opportunities for vandalism), and by rounding all likely points for forced entry.

According to the present invention in one aspect there is provided a meter housing comprising separable front and rear sections which when assembled together define an enclosure for a meter, the rear section including a rear wall and integral side wall sections each bordered by an inwardly extending rounded shoulder which terminates in an upstanding lip, the front section including a roof and integral side wall sections each bordered by an inwardly extending rounded shoulder which on assembly of the housing overlies the respective shoulders of the rear housing section with the upstanding lip of the rear housing section located behind the shoulders of the front housing section, a front wall integral with the roof and side wall sections of the front housing section and formed with an opening for access to the housing interior, a removable door for closing the front wall opening, and air venting means within the upstanding lip and/or shoulders of the side wall sections of the front and rear sections of the housing.

The rear housing section may also include a base integral with the rear wall and respective side wall sections.

The shoulders of the side wall sections of the front and rear sections of the housing may extend along lines which are inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the lower edge of the front wall to a point at or approaching the top of the rear wall. These lines may be arcuate.

The housing is preferably moulded in two separate sections from fibreglass. All housing corners are preferably rounded.

The air ventilation means is preferably provided at high and low levels on both side walls. Air vents may also be provided to the front and rear of the housing.

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front view of a meter housing in accordance with the invention when assembled; Figure 2 is a plan view from above of the housing shown in Figure 1 with its roof removed; Figure 3 and 4 are respectively a side view and side view in section of the housing shown in Figures 1 and 2; and Figures 4 and 5 are schematic front and perspective views of the housing shown in Figures 1 to 4 with its front section removed.

The meter housing illustrated in the drawings comprises a rear section 1 and a separable front section 2. The front section 2 is formed with a lockable door 3 to provide access to the housing interior. Specifically the removable door enables meter readings to be taken or the supply of a consumable to a building to be turned off without a need to disassemble the housing sections. The section 2 has a front wall 4 in which is formed the access opening closed by the door 3, a pitched roof 5 and side wall sections 6. The roof 5 is extended at its rear end to define a downwardly extending extension piece 7. The side sections 6 and the roof extension piece 7 are bordered by inwardly extending rounded shoulders 8. The opening within the front wall 4 is bordered by a lip 9 which is set back from the front wall surface by a step 10.

As will be seen, the rear housing section 1 comprises a base 12, a rear wall 14 and side wall sections 1 5. A lip 1 6 is upstanding from the front of the base 12, the side edges of the side sections 1 5 and the upper margin of the rear wall 1 4. The side sections 1 5 and rear wall 1 4 are formed with inwardly extending rounded shoulders 1 7 which, on assembly of the housing sections, lie in contact with the rounded shoulders 8 of the side wall sections 6 and roof extension piece 7. When assembled the upstanding lip 1 6 is located within the housing front section 2 and behind the boundaries of the rounded shoulders of the front section.

The housing sections may be produced from a plastics (eg a fibre plastics) material.

A gas meter and associated piping is shown positioned within the housing in Figures 5 and 6.

The front and rear sections 1 2 are assembled simply by positioning the rounded shoulder of the extension piece 7 of the roof 5 behind the upstanding lip 1 6 of the rear wall 1 4 and rotating the front section downwardly until the rounded shoulders of the front section make contact with the rounded shoulders of the rear housing section. Bolts 1 9 positioned on the step 10 are then slid into place to secure the housing sections together. The access is then closed by means of the lockable door 3. When the front section is to be removed, the door is unlocked and removed, and the front section tilted and then lifted a small amount to remove the extension piece from contact with the lip 1 6 upstanding from the rear wall 14.

Venting of the housing interior is achieved by apertures positioned in the lip 1 6 and/or shoulders 8, 1 7 of the housing sections. These venting apertures may be positioned at both high and low levels in each housing side wall. Venting apertures may also be provided within the lip upstanding from the rear wall 14; further venting apertures may be provided in the lip 9 which borders the access opening in the front wall 4.

All housing corners are rounded thereby making it difficult for someone wishing to vandalise the housing to grip any part thereof.

Additional anti-vandal features include the concealed ventilation between the cooperating shoulders of the housing sections. As explained above, this concealed ventilation may be provided at both high and low levels in each side wall, and the front and rear of the housing.

The lack of protrusions on the housing sections enable the housing sections to be boxed and stacked while in transit, thereby offering greater protection.

The housings will normally be mounted on a concrete plinth, the housing base being secured to the concrete plinth by plugs and screws or other conventional fixings. For securement to a wall of a building, similar fixings can be employed. Mostly, only four fixings to the plinth and wall are required.

Typical housing dimensions are length 1000 cm or 1 600 cm, depth 540 cm or 850 cm and height 960 cm or 1450 cm.

It will be appreciated that the foregoing is merely exemplary of meter housings in accordance with the invention and that various modifications can readily be made thereto without departing from the true scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A meter housing comprising separable front and rear sections which when assembled together define an enclosure for a meter, the rear section including a rear wall and integral side wall sections each bordered by an inwardly extending rounded shoulder which terminates in an upstanding lip, the front section including a roof and integral side wall sections each bordered by an inwardly extending rounded shoulder which on assembly of the housing overlies the respective shoulders of the rear housing section with the upstanding lip of the rear housing section located behind the shoulders of the front housing section, a front wall integral with the roof and side wall sections of the front housing section and formed with an opening for access to the housing interior, a removable door for closing the front wall opening, and air venting means within the upstanding lip and/or shoulders of the side wall sections of the front and rear sections of the housing.
2. A meter housing as claimed in claim 1 wherein the rear housing section also includes a base integral with the rear wall and respective side wall sections.
3. A meter housing as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the shoulders of the side wall sections of the front and rear sections of the housing extend along lines which are inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the lower edge of the front wall to a point at or approaching the top of the rear wall.
4. A meter housing as claimed in claim 3 wherein the lines are arcuate.
5. A meter housing as claimed in any one of the preceding claims which is moulded in two separate sections from fibreglass.
6. A meter housing as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the air ventilation means is provided at high and low levels on both side walls.
7. A meter housing as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein air vents are provided to the front and rear of the housing.
8. A meter housing substantially as herein described and as described with reference to Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.