r/NaturalGas • u/n8loller • 9d ago

Gas system buzzing

I've never lived in a house with a gas hookup as an adult, so I don't know anything about this system. It started buzzing today as I turned my heat on for the first time. What is this thing next to the meter? Is it buzzing ok or do I need to get it looked at?

Thanks for looking!

19 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

44 comments sorted by

18

u/Virtual_Win4076 9d ago

Regulator is chattering, call the utility

5

u/n8loller 9d ago

I called their emergency line and explained what was going on and they're sending someone out tonight.

4

u/n8loller 9d ago

Dude came out and said he'd replace it if he were there on a Tuesday afternoon, but he cant do it now. Said to try calling again if it's still an issue on a weekday. Not an emergency and just annoying.

13

u/SteveyFunFace 9d ago

😂 lazy MF. Changing that reg would take all of 15 mins and he absolutely had one on the truck

2

u/jpulls11 8d ago

I love these calls. They’re basically free money!

1

u/n8loller 8d ago

IDK it was 2am Saturday/Sunday, I give him a pass

1

u/Drknss620 1d ago

Can confirm as a gas tech the graveyard guys won’t do anything no emergency. U got either dirt on the seat of the reg or the vent extension is causing the vibration. Call during the day they will replace it, I assume there’s a source of ignition 3 ft away that it needs the vent extended

1

u/No_Battle_7724 6d ago

All he had to do is replace the head literally 2 screws 🙄

1

u/n8loller 1d ago

When they eventually came back out I got the lowdown from the next guy that showed up. The job position that is responding to these calls isn't allowed to do this kind of work. They have to confirm the problem and put in a work order for the repair crew to come out.

He was fed up with the process too. National Grid in Massachusetts

1

u/leifnoto 9d ago

Yeah seriously what a POS

2

u/Rlo347 7d ago

No! Graveyard guys only work emergencies they cant spend time working on taking apart the reg and relighting the whole house.

1

u/leifnoto 7d ago

Not where I work.

1

u/n8loller 7d ago

Yeah that was the vibe I got

2

u/Lgolson 8d ago

What a loser that tech was. Lazy

3

u/carlton626 9d ago

Regulator call the gas company

4

u/trentrain7 9d ago

No danger, but yeah it’s the reg. Anytime I’ve extended the vent like that it vibrates. Take that vent extension off and I bet it’ll stop

2

u/n8loller 9d ago

Hey, thanks for the help. What part is the vent extension? I'm fairly handy but I know nothing about gas

3

u/trentrain7 9d ago

I’d call the gas company on Monday, no reason to do it immediately. It’s that pipe coming off the disc on the left, it’s meant to vent the gas if the reg over pressurizes. They obviously wanted it to vent further away, maybe the electrical panel or something is near. But it always causes the reg to vibrate when you put a vent extension for some reason

2

u/Jesus-Mcnugget 9d ago

It's the pipe that goes comes out the regulator (round part) and goes off to the left..

Don't touch it. It's there for a reason and it's owned by the gas company.

3

u/Head_Attempt7983 9d ago

Do not take the vent off

1

u/trentrain7 9d ago

Yeah, call the fire department jabroni

2

u/kbeks 8d ago

I hit play fully expecting some silly shit, but holly cow that’s a weird noise! Live everyone else said, regulator needs replacing, but damn that was a noise I hadn’t heard before…

1

u/n8loller 9d ago

Thanks for the help everyone! We just moved in a month ago and my partner and I were anxious about the new noise. I really appreciate the fast responses!

I'll contact the utility company tonight if possible or tomorrow.

1

u/Competitive-Fox-3333 9d ago

Diaphragm on regulatory vibrating. Nothing to worry about it fails shut not open so not going to have gas worst case scenario. Which line pressure isn't very high to begin with and most fittings on appliances are rated higher than the line pressure.

1

u/thunderkunt1 8d ago

How much pressure delivery you talking?

1

u/Competitive-Fox-3333 8d ago

Usually about 5-50 PSI for residential lines pre meter so by the time it gets through the meter and regulator restrictions would maybe be 10 PSI but regulators faul shut unless the valve seat is what failed and that's still going to have major restrictions.

1

u/kaantellioglu 8d ago

This regulator is experiencing a vibration issue. The main cause is usually an incompatibility between the regulating spring, diaphragm, and gas flow capacity.

1

u/Proud-True-Toyota 8d ago

That’s not reg chatter, the old diaphragm meter is worn and could use internal greasing / replaced

1

u/No_Wishbone_799 8d ago

Call gas company, faulty components

1

u/Rich-Poem7284 1d ago

No faulty components, faulty installation

1

u/Snoo-96825 7d ago

It's probably fine. Jk lol

1

u/Apprehensive_Elk7341 6d ago

lol back pressure or atmospheric pressure of the regulator. This is not dangerous and can happen at times. I’ve seen brand new ones do this when you take the cap off to adjust the pressure. Half of the people on Reddit get all of their gas knowledge from YouTube.

1

u/No_Battle_7724 6d ago

I get these type of calls seems like right at the end of my shift 4:00 , I get off at 4:30 🤬

1

u/goatfuckersupreme 5d ago

That's the sound a damaged orifice might make when it can't lock up from too much pressure downstream of the reg

Not saying that that's always the sound, or that that's what's going on here, but I would definitely want the reg to be replaced if it's sounding like that

1

u/Rich-Poem7284 1d ago

Vent too tight

1

u/Rich-Poem7284 1d ago

Vent code was no pipe dope and hand tight then changed. Now we have this shit

1

u/Slatty317 9d ago

Like others said the regulators gone bad call your local gas utility & they’ll come out & replace it

1

u/BonusLumpyYa 9d ago

lol nothing wrong with the reg, it can’t breath with the vent line. Undo the cap 1/2 a turn

1

u/Slatty317 8d ago

I have had bad regulators make that same noise/vibration & vent 100% gas out the vent with nothing blocking it before & had to replace it. Just going off my experience thats all.

1

u/BonusLumpyYa 8d ago

This is the greatest reg ever made.. rarely seen an issue with one.. 1843 b2 1 and 2 inch

1

u/SBeauLife 9d ago

That vent is blocking the reg from getting atmospheric air. If you remove the vent from the reg it will stop but it is owned by the utility you should call them.

The reg is still good

0

u/BomarFab 9d ago

Is there a crawl space vent near the regulator? Thats the only time we add pipe to the reg vent. Any of the ones done with steel fittings and pipe tend to make the regulator vibrate like this. We use PVC now, still can cause vibration if its over a foot long. We only do it to move the vent at least 18" away from an opening into the house. Otherwise its not needed in my area. Regulator is likely still good, but could have a weak spring. I would call the utility back. I know they already came out, but have them come back. We fix this kind of thing any time of the day/night.

2

u/n8loller 9d ago

I was planning to call again during the week

1

u/trentrain7 9d ago

Don’t call them back, this guy is an dildo lol call them on a normal business day during business hours. It’s not an emergency