My home is about 8 years old. Despite being painted, my external gas meter has rust at every thread/joint location. The rusting is mainly on the pipe threads. I'm afraid this could eventually lead to leaks.
I have several questions:
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Is this a significant enough problem to warrant removing the rust and repainting?
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If "yes" is the answer to the above question, what is the best way to remove the rust and repaint? Based on other posts and my experience, I would wire brush the rust spots then use CLR, Evaporust, or some other rust-removal solution. Then I'd paint with a rust-proof paint.
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The answer to this post implies the Gas Company is responsible for maintaining the gas meter. Should I just notify them?
Best Answer
No. The rust is inconsequential and those pipes will likely outlive the gas meter equipment itself. The reason that the rust is at the threads is because the threads are not painted well on purpose; it prevents a good seal when they're putting the gas meter together.
Depending on your gas company's policies, painting the gas meter could be a violation of your customer agreement with them.
Using evaporust, CLR, TSP, or some other cleaning agent on the threads could dissolve the pipe dope and cause a leak. I would leave it alone.