Earthquakes have always been notorious for causing massive destruction in just seconds. Among the many dangers of an earthquake, an important one is the impact of a city’s gas lines. Earthquake induced gas line damage can even take out whole city blocks and cause unimaginable harm to life and property.
Ensuring gas line integrity after earthquakes is not just a matter of property preservation—it’s about protecting lives. It is thus important to understand how seismic activity impacts gas lines and what you can do to safeguard your home or business.
Earthquake Induced Gas Line Damage
Earthquakes test the integrity of the very ground we stand on. Just how homes and offices are susceptible to falling apart, underground gas pipelines are also susceptible to seismic damage. The rigid nature of gas pipelines makes them even more vulnerable to breakage. The pressure of shifting tectonic plates causes the pipes to dislodge, leak, or completely break. It goes without saying that the more intense a quake, the larger the earthquake induced gas line damage. But it also depends on the depth of the gas line as well as the soil composition. Professional plumbing services help to prepare for these incidents in advance.
Why Gas Line Integrity After Earthquakes Matters
The answer is obvious. Gas is highly flammable and once ignited it has a tendency to explode. The resulting explosions cause widespread damage in a wider radius than normal fires. In 1906 after the terrible earthquake of San Francisco, explosions from damaged gas pipelines caused almost as much loss of life and property as the quake itself. Seismic effects on gas lines caused them to break and resulted in widespread catastrophic fires. A compromised gas line, no matter how slim the crack or small the leak, poses a risk of explosion. Additionally, a leak in a gas pipeline also hampers the availability of a valuable natural resource and impacts homes and offices.
Inspecting Gas Line Integrity After Earthquake
After a quake, the first step in ensuring gas line safety is to conduct a detailed inspection. For city level inspection, government or utility departments use special equipment like gas leak detectors and ground-penetrating radar to spot potential leaks and damages. In recent years, utility companies have also been using drones with thermal imaging cameras which has helped by drastically reducing the time needed to assess seismic effects on gas lines.
Now when it comes to checking gas line integrity after earthquakes for homeowners, they may not have access to sophisticated technology or drones. That’s why they need to be even more cautious and employ the right kind of help to check for signs of gas leaks. The first step would be to look out for foul smells like that of rotten eggs, or sulphur to be more precise. Homeowners should also look out for hissing sounds of leaking gas, and in some extreme cases even dead or decaying vegetation close to where gas lines are placed underground.
In case there are any such signs present, homeowners must immediately contact trusted gas line repair experts and also evacuate their home along with their family and pets.
How to Minimize Seismic Effects on Gas Lines
Newer gas pipelines in the country are made of flexible material, mostly polyethylene, and are able to endure regular earthquakes. The flexible material new pipes are made of is built to absorb shock and move in resonance with the tremors. This means minimal chances of the pipe breaking or cracking. However, in several areas across the US, even in earthquake prone areas like California, there are several households where the gas pipes are still made of old, rigid material.
In such cases, homeowners must install tools like automatic shutoff valves that self-activate during an earthquake. These valves are a very critical safety feature because they cut off gas supply at various intervals and isolate the damaged spot, thus reducing the risk of explosions and fires.
Prepare for the Worst
While technology and better material for making pipes are vital for gas line safety after earthquakes, homeowners should also be aware of steps they can take to safeguard their home and family. But in case of some homeowners, they may not have the time to deploy all these safety measures, or update them regularly. It could also happen that during an earthquake they may not be at home or could be travelling, and their home could be in danger.
To ensure continued safety and protection from seismic effects on gas lines, it is a good idea to hire professionals who are experienced and can keep doing what’s necessary. They know how and where to install an automatic gas shut off valve, how to check for gas leaks, and what immediate measures to take after an earthquake and prevent a potential explosion.
Stay Alert, Stay Safe
Homeowners like you need to frequently review and update your emergency plan to maintain gas lines integrity after earthquakes. If you do spot a leak, contact us immediately.