Magnet on a gas meter - will there be consequences?

Among the types of fraud common these days, not least is the idea of ​​sticking a magnet on a gas meter. Some try to save money themselves in this risky way, others “warm their hands” by selling magnets to naive simpletons. I’ll tell you the story of my cunning neighbor: he was caught by Gorgaz inspectors, and now, from his experience, the whole house learned why you shouldn’t play with magnets.

Preamble: where it all began

This story happened before my eyes with a neighbor next door (I’ll call him Vitek). This is a man of about forty-something who lives on the floor below. Vitek was always distinguished by his ebullient disposition and desire to “spin”: he did not work anywhere, but constantly did some work here and there. Another passion of Vitka is to chat with the men living in the neighborhood, so we sometimes found ourselves in the same company or on a bench at the entrance, or at the garage.

Last spring, Vitek came up with a new idea: to reduce the cost of paying utility bills. He dug through a bunch of materials, analyzing legal, semi-legal and outright illegal methods. First, he discussed with the men the merits of various devices for saving water (like aerator nozzles), then he almost burned the wiring by connecting some kind of miracle device to the outlet that saves electricity. And then Vitek found out about neodymium magnets, and it began...

Neodymium magnet: a miracle of savings or a scam?

At one time, advertisements for the sale of these magnets were plastered all over the poles in our city.Having stumbled upon such an advertisement, Vitek cracked our ears: a small magnet is capable of developing an attractive force of up to 200 kg! This force is quite enough to stop the gas flow meter.

The sellers asked for such a magnet from 1 to 5 thousand rubles, so most of the men immediately told Vitka that the game was not worth the candle. But the restless weasel managed to get a magnet for free by destroying an old amplifier at one of the jobs.

In conversations, Vitek generously shared with listeners the secrets of stopping the meter:

• The magnet must be wrapped in a thick cloth, otherwise its hard edges may scratch the body of the meter.
• You need to sculpt the magnet on top of the mechanical scale.
• New counter models (for example, Metrix, Primagaz, Berestye G2.5–G6, Visar G4) cannot be stopped with a magnet at all.

The men just shook their heads, listening to the sly man. During the first months, Vitek boasted uncontrollably that he saved either 150 or 200 rubles. But many understood: sooner or later the fraudster would be exposed.

The magnetic field can cause sparking of some parts. Therefore, installing magnets on gas equipment may cause a fire or explosion!

Inevitable Retribution

As expected, Vitek finished the game quite quickly. Within three months, Gorgaz locksmiths began visiting the house frequently. They were busy in the basement, taking readings from in-house meters. Then an announcement appeared at the entrance about going door-to-door to check in-house equipment.

Vitek did not open the door to the masters. He previously warned the neighbors to tell the gas workers that the neighbor had gone fishing. Then the “fisherman” disappeared a couple more times. The last time the inspectors came to the neighbor’s door together with the district police officer.When the neighbor did not open the door for them, the auditor left a warning that the report would be drawn up without the gas network subscriber.

Within two weeks, Vitek showed a court order: to pay for gas for six months at average consumption rates. In addition, he was fined. The amount was impressive: more than 50 thousand rubles! Attempts to appeal were unsuccessful, and Vitka had to fork out money.

Legal consultation: a few questions and answers

After this whole story started, I called a former classmate who has been working as a lawyer for twenty years. This is what I learned from him about the punishment that a person can face for installing any device that interferes with the operation of gas meters (including a magnet).

Vitka’s example demonstrated to all residents of our building that attempts to save gas using magnets do not lead to anything good. Even if the controller does not expose the fraudster, 200 rubles. The monthly benefits are not worth the risk that the cunning man is exposed to. It’s better to pay honestly for gas and live in peace. And what do you think?