When you live in California, earthquakes are something you should be prepared for. Part of ensuring your home remains as intact as possible during such a potentially disruptive event includes having a retrofit inspection and choosing the best earthquake valves for gas shutoff.
If you don’t have the latest information about purchasing and installing earthquake valves, you must learn and have your home prepared accordingly.
What Is Retrofit Inspection?
A retrofit inspection involves taking a thorough look at the inside and outside of a dwelling, making sure that all features and fixtures are up to the city’s code. In terms of making sure your home can stand up to earthquakes, having a retrofit inspection is the first step.
Information About Purchasing And Installing Earthquake Valves
Different types of valves can be used to shut off the gas in the event of an earthquake. Some are manual while others don’t need you to intervene if an earthquake occurs; they will switch off your gas by themselves.
An earthquake-activated gas shutoff valve detects when an earthquake happens so that it can automatically shut your gas off. Tremors have to be powerful to activate this type of valve, which is ideal since the worse the earthquake, the more harm your home could see. An excess flow valve will turn down the gas when it can feel that something in your gas system has been damaged.
Your water supply can become damaged or shut off for some time after an earthquake. Some valves can be installed on your plumbing as water conservation fixtures so you can avoid having contaminated water flows through your pipes.
Rules About Purchasing And Installing Earthquake Valves
In areas that are prone to earthquakes, there are certain legal requirements that each type of dwelling must meet to be considered safe. Furthermore, each locality has their own rules surrounding what kinds of earthquake valves are allowed to be installed. A retrofit inspection helps to make sure that your home complies with all these regulations.
Outside of earthquake valves, different cities in California are expected to comply with other regulations that are set to make sure the interiors and exteriors of homes can stand up to the seismic activity of an earthquake. A retrofit inspection helps to make sure that your home complies with all these regulations.
If an earthquake occurs and your earthquake valves are activated, your valves will have to be reset once the activity subsides. You have a choice to open your valves back up on your own, but it may be better to hire someone to do it for you to make sure your valves are only reset if it’s safe to do so.
Need Help?
To get the latest information about purchasing and installing earthquake valves and retrofit inspections, Retrofit Express is the place to call. Retrofit Express can assist with retrofit inspections in Los Angeles or real estate inspections to establish all appropriate safety measures and fit earthquake valves to your needs.