An automatic gas shut-off valve is a mechanism that can be installed on the house side of your gas meter. It is designed to cut the flow of gas to your home in the event of an earthquake. In previous quakes in California, many gas lines to appliances snapped, gas built up in the house, and the resulting fire destroyed many homes.
There are plenty of people who have decided against having one installed, thinking that, if they smell gas after a serious quake, they can just turn off the gas themselves at the main shut-off valve near their meter.
No problem: if you can guarantee somebody will be home at the time of the quake. However, if the quake hits when everyone’s at work, or on an outing, or just gone from home, you may regret not having one.
The valves are activated by serious shaking (5.2 or worse), and are easy to re-set.
We use the Little Firefighter valve, which has been an approved valve by the state for many years. As of 2021 we have installed over 4,200 valves in the San Francisco bay area.
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Be safe!
QuakePrepare
Larry Guillot
510-292-6571
https://www.quakeprepare.com
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