Nicor adds a new retrofit polymer lid for the Fogtite No. 1 box. Nicor manufactures more than 100 different sizes and styles of retrofit polymer lids; this new rectangle lid is made exclusively to fit on top of Fogtite No. 1 boxes.

Many water utilities are moving to lighter materials in a proactive effort to improve employee safety.  An effective strategy for many utilities is to replace heavier materials only when they break.

Water utilities in Washington and Oregon have thousands of Fogtite No. 1 concrete meter boxes in the ground.   With no retrofit polymer lid option until now, utilities only had two choices if a concrete lid broke: replace it with another 51-pound concrete lid or excavate the Fogtite box and replace it with a new, lighter box/lid set.

Now there’s another solution: Nicor’s retrofit Fogtite (FT) No. 1 polymer lid.

Replace concrete lids to improve AMR/AMI signal

Utilities with AMR or AMI systems are doing a disservice to their meter reading investment if still using concrete lids.  Concrete lids will hinder the radio propagation range of your endpoint communication unit.  AMI endpoints operate on batteries, and just as when our phones have a hard time getting signal, it uses more battery power to try and get a signal. This principle applies to AMR/AMI endpoints as well, so it’s ideal to replace the concrete obstacle with an RF-friendly option.

More about Fogtite No. 1 meter box 

Fogtite No. 1 lid and box have a distinct visual characteristic; the box features evenly spaced cut-outs along the top, similar to how a medieval castle protective wall looks. The box measures 20” x 14” x 10”.  The lid is 2.5” thick with 4.5” cut-outs.  Fogtite No. 1 replacement lid weighs only 18 pounds, compared to 51 pounds for the concrete equivalent.

Lucky for us, we’re not guarding a fortress.  But protecting the health of utility personnel is an equally noble achievement.  With Nicor’s Fogtite No. 1 replacement lid, utilities upgrade their materials to a safer, light-weight option and achieve better remote meter reading performance at the same time.