How to 'unplug' a gas tank?

[jc74]

Hi, everyone. This is my first post.

I recently returned home from Florida to find that I had no hot water. Come to find out, I was a couple months late on my gas bill and they 'plugged' the tank without any type of notice at all. I didn't have any written notices in my mail box nor were there any messages on my voice mail.

So, I call them this afternoon and they want $97 to 'unplug' my tank so I'll have hot water. That's outrageous; they didn't even tell me it was plugged until I contacted them. The bill has been paid for over a month (it was a long vacation).

To get to the point, does anyone know how to go about unplugging a gas tank? There seems to be a red disc with a slot on the top that appears to turn. From this red disc the gas line goes to the ground and apparently to the house.

I would appreciate any advice; I do want to be safe but refuse to pay that much for them to turn the gas back on. They should have at least made an attempt to contact me.

If pictures would help, I'll gladly post them. I'm going with a new gas company as soon as I figure this out. Everyone hates Tri-Gas in my area, and now I see why.

[jc74]

No one here knows about propane tanks?

I guess I'll just switch gas companies and have the new one unplug it. I don't want to blow myself up and I'm not paying $97 to have it done.

[LazyPup]

Perhaps the reason that no one responded to your question is because most practicing tradesmen know that there are some serious legal issues here.

First off, gas services may be tagged out of service for a number of issues in addition to non-payment. If it should happen to be tagged out of service for a safety matter by law only the individual who tagged it out may legally restore the service unless the entire system has been inspected by an authorized gas inspector.

When a utility service is tagged out for non-payment the utility provider is required to restore the service once the payment issue has been resolved and in most jurisdictions they are permitted to charge a service fee to restore the service. On the other hand, only the customer and utility provider have access to the actual account data, therefore it would be impossible for a third party to confirm the account is in good standing. While the customer may be able to show a paid bill for the months service there can be other financial matters that are preventing the service provider from restoring service such as an unpaid balance for installation, maintenance or a name change on the account.

If one of those conditions existed, and if a third party were to take it upon themselves to restore the service they could be found guilty of "Theft of Services" which in most juridictions would result in stiff fines, possible jail time and an immediate revocation of his or her business license. In a nutshell, while restoring the service is very simple, it is just not worth the risks involved.

[jc74]

I see. So even if my bill's been paid, it's illegal for me to turn it on myself?

They put over $700 worth of gas in my tank this winter and I didn't even use gas heat; I used electric heaters in hopes of saving money. Go figure. I should have called and told them not to deliver any gas.

With the price of gas these days, I may get an electric water heater and go with baseboard heat.

[JCA1]

Lazypup is dead on.....don't touch it. they have the legal right to plug your tank for non-payment cause the gas and maybe the tank belong to them until you pay. If they wanted they could just come by and pick it up without notifying you too, if the tank belongs to them. Keep track of your bills for now on...I know it happens...but pay for it this time and consider it a lesson learned(not being sarcastic). If you think you lost that gas and didn't burn it notify them and have the system checked now, if the TANK is theirs and is leaking they owe you. If it's the system then it's on you.