Earthquake Shakes up Homeowners
November 6th, 2007 by bruce_richmondLast Tuesday’s 5.6 earthquake prompts the usual post-game discussion: are you ready for the Big One?
The newspapers are full of “how ready are you” polls. But, really, have you protected your most important assets (your home and family) as much as you can? Some companies are rising to meet your needs.
National Building Inspectors has created a limited inspection specifically designed to determine if any damage has occurred as a result of this quake. The inspection period is November 2007.
For a longer term outlook, strongly consider safety valves for gas lines. Contra Costa County requires an approved seismic gas shut-off device (motion sensitive) or an approved excess flow gas shut-off (non-motion sensitive) to be installed after the gas meter plus excess flow gas shut-off devices at each gas appliance.
It’s not yet a requirement in other counties, but it’s certainly a good idea in earthquake country.
Thanks to Earthquake Plumbing for the illustration and background info.
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November 8th, 2007 at 7:39 am
Hot water heaters: As I upgrade my home water heater to an energy efficient version, the contractors noticed a big problem: the release valve plumbing is dead wrong. The release valve
might need to vent hot water during an earthquake, and in my case the plumbing from this drain has kinks and an upward slope. This means the hot water won’t vent, and the pressure goes back into the water heater. Wow!
I’m sitting on an explosive situation! No doubt other homeowners have this hidden earthquate risk too.
One solution: Have a plumbing inspection of your hot water heater,including draining the sediment if needed, checking for the tell-tale signs of forthcoming demise, and for the vent valve plumbing.