Earthquake emergency shutoff valves are precautionary devices that everyone living in earthquake-prone areas like Orange County should take advantage of. After all, earthquakes are traumatic and damaging enough on their own. You don’t need to have your gas lines leaking or causing an explosion on top of that.
In fact, the damage caused by broken or leaky gas lines after an earthquake or other traumatic event is often much more destructive than the event itself. Here at Saddleback Plumbing, we know that keeping your family safe is your number one priority. That’s why we offer full installation services for earthquake shut off valves that can help you prevent further damage in the event of an earthquake.
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What Is an Emergency Shut Off Valve?
Emergency shutoff valves are designed to block the gas lines to your house in the event of significant seismic activity. They are often used in conjunction with excess valves, which can detect when a leak in your gas line is present and act to shut off the gas at that point as well.
Types of Valves
All of the earthquake valves that we install here at Saddleback Plumbing are approved for residential use by the proper government agencies. Depending on where you live, you may be required to have an earthquake valve installed. But even if it’s not the law where you live, it’s still an important precaution to take.
These valves do come in multiple different sizes, however, so you’ll need to have a professional inspect your gas line to see what type is most appropriate. Here at Saddleback, our technicians have extensive experience with this type of work. We can quickly walk you through the process and help you choose the right valve for your system.
What to Do if Your Valve Shuts Off Your Gas
Of course, ideally your earthquake shut off valve will never go off. If it does, however, you should know what to do and what to expect. When you realize that your gas has been cut off, it’s important that you call us right away. Your gas will be shut off until our technicians can come out and perform a thorough inspection of the gas lines leading to your home to ensure that there is no damage anywhere in the system and that no leaks are present.
After that, your gas will be reinstated, but you will need to relight all pilot lights on any gas appliances you have in your home. Be sure you know how to safely carry this out and let our technicians know if you need help with any gas appliances or equipment.
Coordinating Installation
When you schedule your earthquake valve installation, it’s also a good idea to let your neighbors know what’s going on. We’ll need to shut off your gas throughout the installation process, but it’s preferable if any of your immediate neighbors can shut theirs off as well.
This is particularly important if you live in a densely populated area or if your house is very close to that of your neighbors. While it’s highly unlikely that anything will go wrong during the installation, it’s a good idea to be as safe as possible throughout the process.
The installation itself shouldn’t take more than an hour or two, as we’ll need to check the gas line thoroughly for leaks once the valve itself is in place. It may be a small disruption to your life, but it’s well worth it for the peace of mind that having an emergency earthquake shutoff valve in place can give you.
If you’d like to know more about these devices and what our installation process is like, feel free to give us a call today. We’ll be glad to add you to our long list of satisfied customers.