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Checking Gas Meters to Be Sure They Can Be Shut Off in An Emergency
For some time now, we have been hearing that there is a problem with the shutoff valve on our gas meters. In an earthquake, this could be a serious matter because the shaking can cause an appliance to be dislodged and break the gas line. If that were to happen, the only way to stop the gas leak would be to shut off the line coming into the house.
The concern has been that the shut off valves have been painted over the years and there may be a buildup of paint. In talking to the gas company, we have learned that in most cases the paint buildup is not thick enough to cause a problem. Nevertheless, some of the shutoff valves are very hard or impossible to turn off. This is caused by the hardening of the packing around the valve which has occurred in the forty years since the gas meters were installed.
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The Emergency Preparedness Committee has begun checking the shutoff valves in the community and has found that most of the valves do not pose a problem. We find that about 10% of the valves are either very stiff or are “frozen.” In those cases, we have informed the homeowner of the problem and told them to call the gas company to ask for a service call, which the gas company is more than happy to do.
Here are a few things you should know about how we are checking the valves:
1. We have divided MCC into 13 Areas for emergency planning. We are checking shutoff valves in one area at a time.
2. We will notify the residents of the area when we are scheduling a check.
3. We only check the valves on meters where the homeowner has asked us to do so.
4. When we check a valve, we only move it ¼”. We do not shut off the gas to the house. The people checking the valves are trained beforehand to make sure they do it appropriately.
A few more things to know about gas meter shut off:
• After an earthquake, you should not shut off your gas line unless you smell gas in the house. If you do, you will have to wait for the gas company to come out and turn it back on, and that will take weeks following an earthquake.
• The Monterey Country Club HOA has a supply of shutoff wrenches for anyone who wants to have one. Many people attach the wrench to their gas meter with a zip tie, which comes with the wrench.
