ARTICLES


"The most common cause of earthquake-related fires is broken gas lines"
(USGS earthquake hazards program - Northern California 6-14-2000)

The Berkeley Daily Planet About the House: The Truth About Seismic Gas Shut-Off Valves By Matt Cantor (10-13-06) The anniversary of the Loma Prieta is upon us once again and still so little has been done to prepare for our earthquake. That’s right. Loma Prieta wasn’t ours. It was in the mountains of Watsonville nearly 100 miles to the south. The way the news media works tends to blow things out of proportion and if you watched the news following that quake, it made it seems as the though it were 1906 all over again. It wasn’t. That quake was devastating for the very few houses that were nearby and it actually threw a few houses in the mountains near the epicenter several feet (or yards) from their foundations. Also, the downtown of Santa Cruz nearly collapsed and it was some miles away. We were so much further away that even brittle structures like chimneys were barely affected in most of the Berkeley/Oakland area. When we think about failures like the Bay Bridge and the Cypress structure, it’s easy to imagine that Loma Prieta was like a Big One but for us it wasn’t even close. These structures, as well as houses located in the Jiggly-land of the Marina district in S.F. are true exceptions and should not be how we gauge failure. When the Hayward finally slips, it might be several thousand times the shaking force of Loma Prieta for us. Berkeley seems to get it’s share of Richter scale 4’s and something closer to a 5 once in a great while. Most of us have never experienced anything more than about a 4 in Berkeley and that would be about 1/30,000 of the size of a Richter 7 in the same place. Most people assume that the Richter scale of seismic magnitude is a decimal scale with each number being 10 times greater than the last. It is, in fact, a logarithmic scale with each number being about 30 times that of the last, so a 6 is about 1,000 times that of a 4 and a 7 is about 30,000 time the same. So it’s a fair statement to say that the East Bay hasn’t really been hit by an earthquake of any significance since long before the oldest houses now standing were built. Now, this doesn’t mean that you can’t retrofit a house and withstand the shaking force of an earthquake. There’s a lot of science going on today that says that we can, in fact, built to withstand really big earthquakes and we can also retrofit houses to withstand a large force. So like Nike says, “Just Do It.” It ain’t all that much money and it’s better than giving it to the insurance companies (although you’re welcome to do that TOO if you insist … and if you believe they’ll be able to pay up after it’s all gone down, so to speak). Now, I’m not going to go into a whole retrofitting thing today and in my usual circuitous fashion, I’m finally getting around to the point I’ll like to make, that being, that in an earthquake, it’s fire that you need fear most of all. It’s actually quite unlikely that you’re going to die by being crushed under the weight of a falling building during an earthquake. These wooden packing crates we house ourselves in, seem generally to stay fairly intact during even very large earthquakes, although they may have crushed the basement or crawlspace in the process (so the basement might not be the best place to be). BUT, when gas lines break, they can fill up the interiors of houses, basement or garages and result in explosions and fires. If you followed the damage done during the Northridge earthquake near L.A. in 1994, you know that most of the damage was done by fires caused by gas explosions. Water heaters were found everywhere except where they’d been installed and some were found 30 feet away. Although data is harder to gather on the 1906, it looks as though a significant portion of damage was also caused by the same thing. This is why two special laws have been enacted in California in the past decade. One regarding the strapping of water heater and one regarding automatic seismic gas shut-off valves. The first is state-wide and pertains to the sale of all houses. A homeowner is required to properly (there’s a magical word if ever there was one) strap the water heater prior to delivery to the new owner. This is almost never done right and you can get a document from the state that has nice clear drawing that will clearly show just how wrong your strapping might be. The second law applies to the city of Los Angeles and is the first in the nation to require the insulation of an automatic seismic gas shut-off valve on any house being sold. Hooray for L.A. Allstate insurance is apparently beginning to make the installation of some type of gas safety valve a requirement for their customers and I think that’s a good thing. I also think that L.A. and Allstate are not going to be isolated in these requirements for long. Alameda county has a toothless law that I’ve never seen enforced in any way as does Marin and Contra Costa. Although these laws (mostly dating from the early 2000’s) haven’t seen much daylight yet, I’m happy to say that I think it’s just a matter of time. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if Berkeley, Oakland or El Cerrito started making these devices requisite on new construction any time now. These devices fall into two categories. There is a seismically activated type which responds to shaking force and a flow type which senses excessive flow. The first type usually contains a ball which rests in a socket of some sort. When shaking hits 5.4 on the Richter scale, the ball falls out and a mechanism of some sort triggers the valve to close. It’s actually very simple. Most of the valves sold today have some sort of reset device built right onto the valve so that you can take a little screwdriver and turn your gas back on. Be sure to get help and check the whole house thoroughly, including the crawlspace at the time to reactivate the gas. Utility reps will be in short supply so you’d best be able to do this yourself after we’ve had a quake. The second type is designed to sense breakages in the piping. When we run the stove and the water heater and the dryer, we still only allow for a limited rate of flow through the main pipe. When a pipe breaks completely, the flow will be greater than that and this is what these valves sense. When this occurs they plug shut. It’s another simple mechanism that involves a spring loaded plug that requires enough wind to drag to the shut position. I don’t favor these for us due to the fact that you can get many small breaks in your gas piping and not set them off. When an earthquake occurs, a seismically activated valves will go off regardless of the size or number of leaks created. There are a number of valves that are approved and most are quite cheap (mostly under $100). The Little Firefighter is a favorite of mine, although I also like the Northridge and the Vanguard. You can search them online and you can also check out our own Berkeley supplier, gasvalvedoctor.com. Boaz Levanda (843-3275) is a nice chap who’ll be happy to sell you one. He’s also been a one man legal squad trying to get the permit requirements reduced so that they can be installed for fewer bucks. A plumber is the right person to install such a device and the cost seems to be around $200-$300 for installation (plus the valve). It’s usually quite simple but can be more complex in some cases. If you’re in a condo or apartment complex, you’ll need one for each unit. So, If you have only $300 or $400 to spend on earthquake preparedness and don’t want to put a single bolt into anything, please, oh please go get one of these.

LOS ANGELES TIMES
No Gas Shut-Off Valve Yet? The Clock's Ticking (selected paragraphs)
SUNDAY, MAY 2, l999, REAL Estate Part K. Page 1
By Julie Tamaki
TIMES STAFF WRITER

LOS ANGELES TIMES
Quake-Proof Your Home Before the Shaking Starts
SUNDAY, July 16,2000, Real Estate part K, page 1
By LIZ PIILUAM WESTON
TIMES STAFF WRITER

University of California engineers demonstrated graphically last week how ordinary household objects can become killers in an earthquake.
'The engineers simulated the 1994 Northridge earthquake's impact on a model home, using a 6-by-20-foot 'shake table' to reproduce that 6.7 temblor's massive horizontal motion. While the structure survived intact, heavy furniture and electronics were sent flying. A television shot out of an entertainment center a stereo speaker tumbled from a shelf onto a child's bed, a heavy hot water heater crashed to the ground and a file cabinet fell over.
Then there was all the other damage: picture frames that tumbled from walls, glasses and plates that shattered, flowerpots list slid off window boxes and crashed to the ground.
All this happened in a few seconds-far too quickly for anyone to react or get out of the way.
The engineers made the point that the wreckage was unnecessary. For less than $200 and a few hours of work, most Southern California homes can be made much safer in an earthquake A somewhat larger investment-say $300 to $3000-could help save your financial investment in your home.
The issue of containing earthquake losses is more than academic for Californians. Homeowners insurance does not cover damage from earthquakes. Four out of five Californians don't have earthquake insurance, and most of those who do have 15% deductibles, which means that the homeowner pays for the first $35,000 of damage to a home that is insured for $200,000.
Modern earthquake insurance also typically has low limits on coverage, typically replacing only $5,000 of furniture electronics and other possessions yet many Californians do nothing to protect their lives and their property from earthquake damage. The reasons seem to be a deep-seated sense of denial, said Mark Leonard, spokesman for the California Earthquake Authority, the state-rum insurance pool that is conducting consumer research on the issue.
Californians seem to be largely divided into two groups--those who are risk adverse and those who aren't. Leonard said. Those who aren't are unlikely to take any steps to protect themselves.
"They don't believe themselves to be at risk," said Leonard. "In focus groups, they will actually say things like, 'I won't be at home when the earthquake hits' or 'We've already had our earthquake "-as if earthquakes are a predictable or once-in-a-lifetime event.
Some earthquake protection measures cost little or nothing. Moving heavy objects from high shelves to lower ones can minimize damage, for example, as can positioning beds away from windows, to protect occupants from flying glass. Removing glass from bedrooms and not hanging pictures or heavy items over beds is another free safety measure. Finding the locations of shut-off valves for gas, water and electricity takes only a little hunting (or a call to the utility for help).
Other solutions are relatively low cost Heavy furniture such as bookcases entertainment centers and free-standing cabinets can he bolted or strapped to wall studs. Hardware stores and home improvement centers sell a variety of L shaped braces and heavy nylon straps for $15-to $20 each that can be used. The straps include Velcro pads that may eliminate the need to drill holes in the furniture.
By California law, water heaters must be strapped to wall studs at the top and bottom using metal tape.
It's important that heavy items be secured to studs, not simply to the drywall or other relatively thin wall covering. Hardware stores have inexpensive stud finders that use magnets to detect nails in the underlying studs; since the magnets also detect galvanized pipe and metal conduit, some cross-checking is needed. Such stores also carry more expensive electronic versions that measure wall density. Electronic equipment should also be secured. Lightweight nylon strap kits that cost $10 to $15 each are available for computers, televisions, stereos and home office equipment.
Cabinet latches used in childproofing typically cost less than $1 each and can keep dishes, cutlery, pantry supplies and the contents of the medicine cabinet from spilling onto the floor.
Safeguarding hanging pictures can be cheap or expensive. The cheapest solution is to simply remove any glass-covered framed objects from the home. A more practical solution is to make sure the pictures are well secured to walls. Picture hangers should be attached to studs, or use toggle-style bolts that distribute the weight of the picture on the walls' surface, Earthquake hangers are special picture hangers hat secure the frames wire in a small plastic box. Replacing glass with plexi glass is a more expensive solution.
In addition, a pry bar, flashlight, shoes and heavy gloves should be stowed under the beds of anyone able to use them. The pry bar can help open stuck doors or windows; the flashlight will be necessary to navigate in the dark if the electricity goes out; and the shoes and gloves can help avoid injury front broken gloss and other hazards.
Seismic gas shut-off valves, which are required in Los Angeles as well at some other California cities, are more expensive. These valves automatically stop the flow of natural gas into a home when triggered by an earthquake. Your plumber can install the valve for about $300.
Bolting a house to its foundation and strengthening flue cripple walls underneath the house can be an expensive proposition; contractors typically charge $2000 to $3000 to bolt an average sized house. But structural engineers agree that bolting a home properly is one of the best ways to avoid catastrophic damage. The Assn. of Bay Area Governments at (510) 464-7900 offers do-it-yourself an instructional video, 'Stand Up to the Quake," for $10.83 including tax and shipping and handling.
Many earthquake retrofits are designed to reduce physical damage to a home and its contents. The following actions could also save a life or avoid serious injury and should be standard procedure in Southland homes, retrofit experts say.
I. Bolt the foundation. The easiest way to avoid catastrophic damage to most homes is to make sure they remain on their foundations in a quake.
2. Safeguard the bedrooms. Remove, bolt or strap down any heavy objects that could topple or fly onto the bed, including bookcases or pictures. Remove all glass; glass in picture frames can be replaced with safer plexiglass.
3. Bolt or strap furniture and electronic equipments elsewhere in the home. Televisions, stereos and computers can become deadly flying objects in a strong earthquake. Bookcases, tall furniture and filing cabinets can topple over.
4. Strap the hot water heater. Heaters should be properly strapped, top and bottom, with solid metal bands connected to studs in the walls.
5. Install an automatic gas shut-off valve. These valves, which cost about $300 to install, are required for Los Angeles and are a smart idea for any Southern California resident.

Reeves Journal
All Levels of Government Now Recognize
the Need to Install Earthquake Shut-Off Valves
The Federal Government has recognized the need for shut-off valves since January of 1990 when President Bush signed Executive order 12699. The Executive Order states: "The purposes of these requirements are to reduce risks to the lives and occupants of buildings…to protect public investments..." The provisions of the order apply to "all…new construction activities..." Today, many Federal Government employees and buildings are protected by Shut-Off Valves.
On November 22, 1994, the City of Los Angeles enacted an ordinance that requires the installation of shut-off valves on all new construction and remodeling and repair of residential, commercial and industrial structures valued at more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or more. Under the leadership of City Councilman Hal Bernson, the city recognized the dangers of gas-fueled fires following earthquakes and took action to protect the lives and property of the residents of the city.
On Thursday, December 8, 1994, the Seismic Safety Commission of the State of California approved and adopted a report entitled, "Northridge Earthquake: Turning Loss to Gain". ''In that report, the Commission declared: "The combined loss of water pressure, electrical power and communications, coupled with significant gas-related fires, presents a clear and unacceptable hazard with far-reaching implications..."
The Commission also recommended the mandatory installation of Earthquake Shut-Off Valves at the service entry point of all mobile home parks in California" and that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issue recommendations and regulations to "ensure improvement in safety and seismic performance of gas... lines, including…the use of automatic shut-off valves..."

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Earthquake Gas Valve Source home for a $69 Seismic Safety actuated Automatic Gas Shut Off Valve Little Firefighter San Francisco Bay Area

		The Earthquake Valve automatically shuts-off the gas flow when earthquake strikes