hazards

protecting your property from earthquakes -
use flexible connections on gas & water Lines

are you at risk?

If you aren't sure whether your house is at risk from earthquakes, check w/ your local building official, city engineer, or planning & zoning administrator. They can tell you whether you are in an earthquake hazard area. Also, they usually can tell you how to protect yourself & your house & property from earthquakes. [NEHRP - National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program]

what you can do

Earthquake protection can involve a variety of changes to your house & property -- changes that can vary in complexity & cost. You may be able to make some types of changes yourself. But complicated or large-scale changes & those that affect the structure of your house or its electrical wiring & plumbing should be carried out only by a professional contractor licensed to work in your state, county, or city. One example of earthquake protection is installing flexible connections on gas & water lines. This is something that only a licensed contractor should do.

use flexible connections on gas & water lines

Because most gas & water lines are rigid, they can be torn from their connection points during an earthquake. The results could include not only serious damage to your house but also injury to you & members of your family. A broken gas line is especially serious because of the potential for a fire or even an explosion.

One way to prevent broken gas & water lines is to have flexible connection pipes installed between appliances & their supply lines. The figure shows a flexible connection installed on a gas furnace. The same method can be used for other appliances, such as a hot water heater, clothes dryer, or stove. A licensed contractor can usually do this for you easily.

tips

Keep these points in mind when you have flexible connections installed:

• changes to the gas lines & plumbing in your house must be done by a licensed contractor, who will ensure that the work is done correctly & according to all applicable codes. This is important for your safety.
• a flexible connection will help protect against a small amount of movement but is not designed to function when the appliance it is connected to moves extensively or falls. So you should also consider anchoring the appliance to the floor or wall.

estimated cost

Having a flexible connection installed on a furnace or other large appliance will cost you about $75.

Other Sources of Information Seismic Retrofit Training for Building Contractors & Building Inspectors: Participant Handbook, FEMA, 1995

Reducing the Risks of Nonstructural Earthquake Damage: A Practical Guide, FEMA-74, 1994

Protecting Your Home & Business from Nonstructural Earthquake Damage, FEMA, 1994

To obtain copies of these & other FEMA documents, call FEMA Publications at 1-800-480-2520. Information is also available on the World Wide Web at http://www.fema.gov.