Turn off the gas at the meter: where it is and how
Your gas meter is usually under the stairs, in a kitchen or hallway cupboard, in a box on an outside wall or set into the ground near the front door, or, in a block of flats, in a shared meter cupboard. To turn the gas off, find the emergency control valve on the pipe going into the meter and move its lever a quarter turn so it sits at right angles to the pipe. When the lever lines up with the pipe, the gas is on. If you are turning it off because you smell gas, open windows, avoid light switches and naked flames, get out, and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.
Loyal Plumbers · Updated
Discuss your plumbing workWhere your gas meter is likely to be
Most people only go looking for the meter when something is already wrong, which is the worst time to discover it is behind a pile of boxes or in a locked cupboard two floors down. Find it now, clear the space in front of it and make sure everyone in the home knows where it is.
In London the meter position depends mainly on the age of the building and whether it has been converted into flats. Victorian and Edwardian houses often have the meter under the stairs or in a front cellar. Many post-war houses have an external box on the front or side wall. Converted and purpose-built flats vary the most: the meter may be inside the flat, in a communal cupboard on the ground floor, in a basement meter room, or in a riser cupboard on each landing.
| Type of home | Where to look first | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Terraced or semi-detached house | Under the stairs, front cellar, or a box on the front wall | A grey or white meter with a yellow pipe or a steel pipe running into it |
| House with a newer supply | A white or cream box set into the wall or into the ground by the front path | A box with a hinged front that opens by hand or with a meter box key |
| Converted flat | Kitchen cupboard, hallway cupboard, or the communal hall | Meters labelled with flat numbers; if the meter is outside your flat, a second valve inside it |
| Purpose-built block | Ground-floor or basement meter room, or a riser cupboard on your landing | A bank of meters with flat numbers, often behind a door opened by the managing agent's key |
| Shop or office | Rear store room, under the counter, or an external box | A meter with a larger pipe and sometimes a separate valve for the kitchen |
If you rent, ask your landlord or managing agent where the meter and any second valve are when you move in, and ask for a key if the cupboard is locked. You should not have to wait for someone to arrive with a key while there is a smell of gas.
How to find the emergency control valve
The emergency control valve is the handle on the pipe that runs into the meter, on the supply side. It is usually a lever about the length of a finger, sometimes yellow or red, and it may have a small label or arrow showing open and shut. The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations require the open and shut positions to be marked on the valve or shown on a notice beside it.
Some flats have a second valve, often called an additional emergency control valve, where the gas pipe enters the flat. This is fitted when the meter is somewhere you cannot easily reach, such as a basement meter room. Where a valve is not next to the meter, the regulations require a notice by it explaining what to do if there is a gas escape. If your meter is outside the flat, look for a lever on the gas pipe just inside the front door, in the kitchen, or near the boiler.
A smart meter does not change any of this. The in-home display shows usage, but it cannot turn the gas off. The lever on the pipe is still the control you use in an emergency.
Which way is off? Turning the lever
The rule is simple. When the lever runs in line with the pipe, the gas is on. When the lever sits across the pipe at right angles, the gas is off. It only needs a quarter turn. Where the lever moves up and down rather than side to side, it is designed so that pushing it down as far as it will go shuts the gas off.
Move it firmly by hand. Most valves are stiff because they are rarely used, but you should not need tools. Do not hit it with a hammer or lever it with a wrench: a broken valve is far harder to deal with than a stiff one, and the pipe or meter union can be damaged.
- Gas on: lever parallel to the pipe
- Gas off: lever at right angles to the pipe, a quarter turn from on
- Vertical lever: pushed fully down is off
- Valve will not move by hand: stop, leave it, and call 0800 111 999 if there is a smell of gas
When to turn the gas off at the meter
The main reason is a suspected gas escape: a smell of gas, a hissing sound from a gas pipe or appliance, or a carbon monoxide alarm going off. In each case, turn the gas off only if you can reach the valve safely and quickly. If the smell is strongest near the meter, or the meter is in a basement where gas could collect, get out first and let the emergency service deal with it.
Our guide to what to do if you smell gas at home covers the full first-response routine, including why you should not operate electrical switches or use a phone next to the leak. For a carbon monoxide alarm, see the carbon monoxide signs at home guide as well.
You do not normally need to turn the gas off before a boiler service or a repair. A Gas Safe registered engineer will isolate the supply at the right point and test the installation afterwards. Turning it off at the meter yourself before going on holiday in winter is usually a bad idea too, because the boiler's own frost protection needs gas and electricity to work. The same goes for a frost stat protecting a boiler in a garage or loft, and our guide to boiler frost protection in an empty home explains what to leave on.
Turning the gas back on safely
If you turned the gas off because of a suspected leak, leave it off. The emergency engineer will find the source, make it safe and tell you whether you can turn the supply back on. If they have capped or disconnected an appliance and fixed a warning label to it, do not use that appliance until a Gas Safe registered engineer has repaired it.
If you turned it off for another reason and there has been no smell of gas, you can turn it back on yourself. Check every gas appliance is off first: hob and oven knobs, gas fire, and the boiler controls. Then move the lever back so it lines up with the pipe. Relight or restart each appliance following its instructions. A modern combi boiler usually starts on its own when the heating or a hot tap calls for it, and it may show a fault until it is reset once. An older boiler or gas fire with a pilot light will need relighting; see our guide to a boiler pilot light gone out.
If you smell gas at any point after turning the supply back on, turn it off again and call 0800 111 999.
Who deals with what
The National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 is free and open 24 hours a day. In London, the call is answered for the gas network that serves your street: Cadent in north London and SGN in south London. Their engineer's job is to make the situation safe. They do not repair boilers, cookers or fires, and they will not fix pipework inside the home beyond making it safe.
A stiff or broken emergency control valve, and anything on the meter itself, is for the gas network or your meter operator, not for you or a plumber. Do not try to remove, move or adjust the meter. Everything after the meter, meaning the pipework and appliances inside your home, is repaired by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Getting the appliance or pipework repaired
Once the emergency engineer has made the supply safe, the fault still needs fixing before you have heating, hot water or cooking again. Loyal Plumbers carries out boiler repairs, gas pipework repairs and gas safety checks across London and everywhere inside the M25. Gas work is done by Gas Safe registered engineers, we run 10 vans 24 hours a day, and our call-out charge is £60.
Call 020 4652 8585 or send an enquiry. Tell us what the emergency engineer found, whether an appliance has been capped or labelled, and where the meter and boiler are, so the engineer arrives with the right equipment.
Common questions
- Which way do you turn the gas off at the meter?
- Turn the lever a quarter turn so it sits at right angles to the pipe. In line with the pipe is on; across the pipe is off. A lever that moves vertically is off when pushed fully down.
- Can I turn my gas back on myself?
- Yes, if you turned it off for a reason other than a leak and there is no smell of gas. Make sure every appliance is off first. After a suspected leak, wait until the emergency engineer says it is safe.
- What if the gas lever will not move?
- Do not force it with tools. If there is a smell of gas, leave the property and call 0800 111 999. The gas network deals with a stiff or broken emergency control valve.
- Where is the gas meter in a flat?
- Inside the flat, in a communal cupboard or meter room, or in a riser cupboard on your landing. If the meter is outside the flat, there is often a second valve where the pipe enters it.
- Will turning off the gas at the meter affect the electricity?
- No. It only stops the gas. A gas boiler, hob and gas fire will not work, but electric appliances, lights and an electric shower carry on as normal.
Sources and further reading
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