Who felt the earthquake?

aibarr
Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:21:12 +0000

? Strap down water heater? How?



You can buy kits online… just search for water heater strap, and the California Department of Emergency Whatever (can’t remember the exact name) has a good procedure.

http://www.oes.ca.gov/Operational/OESHome.nsf/PDF/EQ%2014%20tips/$file/water_heater.pdf

I can’t remember when the code changed… I think it was mid-eighties that seismic provisions started being incorporated in homes in the midwest, so if your home is newer than that, it should have some seismic resistance built in (I’ll look into that a little more… I don’t do residential design, and I no longer do design in seismic areas), but one thing that a lot of homes don’t have is water heater straps. Basically, when full, water heaters have a lot of mass, and with a lot of shaking, they can come loose and flood your house, which can cause a big mess, but more critically, it can work loose the gas line and leak natural gas, causing fires and explosions and all sorts of badness… It’s an easy earthquake-proofing measure that’s low-cost/high-benefit. It’s a $20-30 fix.