gas meter safety valve price

Our Safety Relief valves offer an economical installation for large capacity relief applications. And that’s exactly the solution you need when other devices in the system don’t relieve dangerous overpressure in the transmission, distribution and use of gas. Leaking bypass valves can sometimes permit pressure to build during off-peak hours. Pressure regulators with damaged valves or seats are not able to effectively shut off when required, possibly leading to dangerous conditions.

Our mechanical safety relief valves are an economical solution with large relieving capacity. The Model 257-S features a “roll-out” diaphragm with a double-ported single valve in which diaphragm action is constantly matched with spring action. This design offers large capacity, tight seating and reseating, sturdy construction and easy servicing with no adjustments needed.

To stop the flow of gas into a building during an emergency, turn your gas off at the service shut-off valve. View instructions. Visit Turn Your Gas Off. PG&E installs gas service shut-off valves at all gas meter locations.

Keep a 12- to 15-inch adjustable pipe wrench or crescent wrench available to close the valve in an emergency. Earthquake wrenches with fixed openings may not fit your valve, so an adjustable type is ideal. To minimize the possibility of an unauthorized person tampering with the valve, do not keep wrenches near the gas meter. Shut-off the flow of gas only if you:

To turn off the gas, rotate the valve one-quarter turn in either direction. The valve is closed when the tang (the part on which the wrench is placed) is crosswise to the pipe.

Most gas appliances have a gas shut-off valve located near the appliance that lets you turn off only the gas to that appliance. Find out which of your appliances use gas and where the appliances’ gas shut-off valves are located. In some cases, you need only turn off the gas at the appliance’s shut-off valve.

Some city and county regulations require the installation of automatic gas shut-off devices. This installation may include excess flow gas shut-off valves and/or earthquake-actuated gas shut-off valves. The regulations can vary, but generally apply to:

If a customer installs an excess flow gas shut-off valve or earthquake-actuated gas shut-off valve, the valve must be certified by the State of California. A licensed plumbing contractor must install it according to the manufacturer’s instructions. We do not install or service seismic-actuated or excess flow gas shut-off valves. We do not recommend specific contractors for installation.

Excess flow gas shut-off valves and earthquake-actuated gas shut-off valves must be installed on the building’s gas houseline piping. This pipeline is the gas pipe that connects your appliances to the gas meter downstream of the utility point of delivery. It is located after the PG&E gas shut-off valve, pressure regulator, meter and the service tee. No attachments or connections of any kind are allowed on the utility facilities before the point where the service tee connects to the gas houseline piping. After installation, the valve must not obstruct any gas operations or PG&E services in or around:

The State of California requires approval for all excess flow gas shut-off valves and earthquake-actuated gas shut-off valves used within the state. A list of approved valves is available. Visit DSA Gas Shut-off Valves Certification Program.

A closed gas service shut-off valve or automatic gas shut-off device can delay the restoration of your service by PG&E. Please do not turn the gas on, yourself. Ask a PG&E representative or another qualified professional to perform a safety check, restore gas service and relight your appliance pilots, even if an earthquake did not cause the closure.

An excess flow valve is a mechanical device installed inside a natural gas distribution service line between the street and residential meter that enhances the safety of your natural gas service. If there is a significant increase in the flow of natural gas (e.g., due to a damaged line), the EFV will “trip” or close to minimize the flow of gas through the service line. Once the repair is made and the correct pressure is restored, the EFV automatically resets itself.

Note that an EFV cannot protect against certain leaks on the service line or meter such as those caused by corrosion or loose fittings. It also cannot protect against leaks beyond the natural gas meter, for example, natural gas piping inside the premises and also at or near appliances.

While the pipelines serving your community are already safe, federal code changes require that we let customers know about this supplemental device. Note that an EFV is not required on existing natural gas service pipelines.

While it"s possible to manually shut off your natural gas, the following specialized valves are available that can automatically shut off your service in case of an emergency:

Earthquake natural gas shut-off valve (also known as a seismic natural gas shut-off valve) automatically shuts off your natural gas service when an earthquake of a sufficient magnitude occurs at your home.

An excess-flow valve (EFV) automatically closes and restricts the flow of natural gas in the event an underground pipe is damaged or if there is a significant increase in the flow of natural gas to the meter.

If you want to have an earthquake natural gas shut-off installed, or are required to have one by your insurance company or the local Department of Building and Safety, the valve must be installed on your house line.

If installation requires natural gas service closure, you"ll need to contact us to shut off the service and restore service when installation is completed. Natural gas service shut off and restoration of service orders can be scheduled by contacting us at 1-800-427-2200.

Under the regulations of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), General Order 112-E, only SoCalGas® or its certified contractors are authorized to operate the natural gas service shut-off valve.

When you hire a qualified professional to install your earthquake valve, you"ll need to make sure that the valve is installed on your house line, not on SoCalGas" facilities. SoCalGas" facilities include all of the pipe fittings installed and maintained by SoCalGas, up to and including the last elbow or tee connecting to your house line. See the diagram below for to see where your house line starts.

All unauthorized valve installations found on SoCalGas" facilities will be removed. In addition, earthquake valves are not permitted in utility curb meter vaults.

If an earthquake or other significant event causes your earthquake shut-off or excess-flow valve to close, you can follow the manufacturer"s instructions for resetting the valve so that natural gas flows again. However, we recommend that you contact a qualified professional or SoCalGas to reset the valve, and to perform a safety check of your natural gas appliances before they are placed back in operation to verify that no natural gas leaks exist, and to re-light your pilot lights.

Remember that following a major emergency it may take many days or even weeks before someone can come to your location. (SoCalGas charges a fee to reset valves and re-light pilot lights when your earthquake shut-off valve has closed due to a non-earthquake occurrence.)

Price: The cost of the valve is going to vary based on the type and size of the valve, as well as the installation requirements and the company installing it.

Choosing a valve: In order to choose the right valve size and manufacturer, contact your local Department of Building and Safety to find out their earthquake valve requirements.

Where to buy a valve: You can purchase an earthquake valve at supply retailers, licensed plumbing contractors, or directly from the valve manufacturer.

Using a contractor: You can hire a qualified professional to install the earthquake or excess-flow valve on your house line. SoCalGas will not install a valve for you.

Effective February 10, 2002, California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) Decision 01-11-068 prohibits installation of an earthquake valve on SoCalGas" facilities. In addition, SoCalGas no longer installs earthquake shut-off valves for its customers, and does not allow any customer owned equipment, including excess-flow valves, be installed on SoCalGas" facilities.

If you have an earthquake valve that was installed by SoCalGas or one of its authorized contractors on or before the February 10, 2002 cutoff date, that is located on SoCalGas" facilities, with proper documentation your installation may be allowed to remain in place. Authorized contractors are those who participated in SoCalGas" earthquake program and were trained by SoCalGas to work on their facilities.

Additional information regarding earthquake valves and natural gas service restoration after a valve activates can be found in Tariff Book, Rule 10, Section G, "Earthquake Valve Service."

An Excess Flow Valve, or EFV, is a safety device installed on natural gas distribution pipelines to automatically close and restrict the flow of natural gas in the event an underground pipe is damaged or if there is a significant increase in the flow of natural gas to the meter. These conditions are typically caused by digging or construction but can also be caused by damage to your natural gas meter by a vehicle impact.

EFV can reduce the risk of explosions, fires, and personal injury because they close or restrict any unplanned or excessive natural gas flow. Installation of an EFV will not protect a customer from household appliance malfunctions, small punctures in underground pipelines, and pipeline damage from earthquakes or flooding. It is

important to understand that an EFV does not shut off the flow of natural gas completely. Some leakage may still occur resulting in a hazardous condition.

An EFV is installed on the service pipeline that runs underground between the natural gas main (usually located in or near the street, alley or easement) and the SoCalGas® meter on the customer’s property).

The best way to prevent damage to a natural gas pipeline due to digging is to call 811, the Underground Service Alert program, at least two working days before digging. Underground Service Alert will coordinate with SoCalGas to mark the locations of buried utility-owned lines - absolutely FREE.

If you are interested in having an EFV installed on the service pipeline serving you[1], please call SoCalGas at 1-800-427-2200. SoCalGas will first check to see if your service already has an EFV installed and, if not, an estimate to install the EFV will be provided. The cost to install an EFV can vary widely depending on site specific conditions and can range from $2,500 to $5,000 or more.

If you decide to have an EFV installed, we will coordinate with you to schedule the installation (note that it is possible that natural gas service will be interrupted to install the EFV). The construction crew will dig around the natural gas line in order to install the EFV and when the job is complete natural gas service will be restored (if it was shut off). If paving or concrete needs repair that work will be scheduled at a later date.

The RV10 safety relief valve is well-suited for overpressure protection of production equipment, including compressors, scrubbers, separators, pipelines or anywhere overpressure protection may be required.

While the pipelines serving your community are already safe, recent changes in federal code require all natural gas system operators to inform customers of their right to have a supplemental device called an excess flow valve (EFV) installed on their service if one does not already exist and provided the system allows for proper installation of the device. An EFV is not required on existing natural gas service pipelines.

An An excess flow valve is a mechanical device installed inside a natural gas distribution service line between the street and residential meter that enhances the safety of your natural gas service. If there is a significant increase in the flow of gas (e.g., due to a damaged line), the EFV will “trip” or close to minimize the flow of gas through the service line. EFVs do not stop the flow of gas for any leaks or faulty equipment on the customer’s side of the gas meter. Once the repair is made and the correct pressure is restored, the EFV automatically resets itself.

We install EFVs on all new services where the system operating pressure is appropriate, and many customers on our system already have the devices in place.However, EFVs will not work properly on all natural gas services, which means not all customers qualify for an EFV.

If you are interested in having an EFV installed on your gas service line, or to see if you already have an EFV installed at your location, please contact Valley Energy at or

If there is not an EFV on your existing service line and your service pressure is compatible with proper operation of an EFV, we will install the device on your line at your request. Generally, the cost to the customer to have Valley Energy install an excess flow valve on an existing line ranges from $800 to $1,500. The process of installing the EFV requires excavating to expose the gas service line where it connects to the natural gas main. While the work typically takes no more than one day, restoration of the excavation site may take longer. Since an excess flow valve must be sized to operate properly under current load conditions, any significant load changes that would require a larger meter, such as installing an emergency generator or pool heater, may also require the replacement of the EFV at an additional cost.

Many customers already have an EFV installed in their existing natural gas service line. However, EFVs will not work properly on all natural gas services, which means not all customers qualify for an EFV.

Generally, the cost to the customer to have Valley Energy install an excess flow valve ranges from $800 to $1,500. The process of installing the excess flow valve requires digging to expose the gas service line where it connects to the natural gas main. While the work typically takes no more than one day, restoration of the excavation site may take longer.

Since an excess flow valve must be sized to operate properly under current load conditions, any significant load changes that would require a larger meter, such as installing an emergency generator or pool heater, may also require the replacement of the EFV at an additional cost. Call Valley Energy at

The City of Mesa installs Excess Flow Valves (EFV’s) on service lines to limit the flow of gas in the event the line is broken or is severely damaged. This is most often associated with excavation or vehicle impact with the meter assembly. If you have an existing EFV, it is typically installed either at the service line connection to the gas main or at the customer’s property line.

The EFV and gas meter are sized based on the total anticipated load of the existing gas appliances. When gas appliances are turned on, the flow is not enough to push the valve shut. However, if the service line pressure drops suddenly due to gas escaping from the damaged pipe, there is enough pressure differential to close the valve allowing only a slight bleed-by. Bleed-by, or bypass of gas, is achieved with a small notch in the valve seat. Once the damage downstream is corrected, the bleed-by flow of gas allows for pressure equalization of the upstream and downstream sides of the valve, allowing the valve to reset into the open position.

An EFV should not affect the delivery of your gas service as long as the service line is intact. If gas appliances are added, such as a barbeque, pool/spa heater, or fire pit, the additional gas appliances may make your total gas demand too high for your current gas meter and may affect the operation of your EFV. Contact gasinfo@mesaaz.gov to check if your meter or EFV can handle the additional load. If it is determined the EFV needs to be upgraded to meet additional load, it will be replaced at the customer’s expense.

It is important to note that an EFV does not shut off the flow of gas completely. A very small amount of gas may bleed by. The gas may not be escaping under full pressure, but there will typically be enough gas to provide a gas odor, indicating there is a problem. Because an EFV restricts the flow of gas, it reduces the potential for explosions, fires, and personal injury. To report a damaged service line or if you smell gas in or outside your home call 480-644-4277 or 911.

The City of Mesa has installed EFVs on new and replaced residential gas services since January 2008. In April 2017, Mesa expanded installation to include multi-family residences and single, small commercial services not exceeding 1,000 SCFH (Standard Cubic Feet per Hour). A visual indication of the presence of an EFV is the installation of a washer on the meter riser.

To check if your gas service has an EFV or to learn about the requirements to have one installed, contact the City of Mesa at gasinfo@mesaaz.gov. As a customer, you have the right to request an EFV if your service does not have one, and the gas service does not exceed 1,000 SCFH or those exceptions identified in 49 CFR 192.383(c).

The cost to the customer to install an EFV varies depending on site conditions, most often associated with replacement of concrete or pavement and if traffic control is necessary. In 2021, fees ranged from approximately $1,000 to $5,200 depending on the scope of work. The installation of an EFV involves excavation of the pipeline and may temporarily interrupt gas service. The City of Mesa will be responsible for the future costs to maintain or replace a malfunctioning EFV.

Contact the City of Mesa at gasinfo@mesaaz.gov to check if your service has an EFV. Please include your full name, telephone number, preferred email address and the property address you are researching.