Who Needs Seismic Shut Off Valves?

The shaking of an earthquake can leave behind a lot of damage including shattered glass and the destruction of buildings. However, the most dangerous consequence of earthquakes is the risk of a natural gas leak because they are notorious for starting deadly fires and explosions. Seismic Valves Shut Off Valves (SSOVs) are essential to preventing gas fires for those who live in earthquake-prone regions.

Why Do I Need A Seismic Shut-Off Valve?
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In high-risk earthquake zones like California, seismic shut-off valves are not a luxury, they are a necessity. Most of the damage that comes from earthquakes are from secondary sources such as fires caused by a gas leak. These gas line explosions are so prevalent that natural gas contributes to one of every four fires after an earthquake. Seismic valves will stop gas flow when an earthquake of significant magnitude occurs and decrease the chances of a fire or explosion.  Installing seismic valves will greatly reduce the risk of an explosion if a gas line is broken or damaged after a major seismic event.

Who Can Install Seismic Valves?

Contractors must have a C36-Plumbing license to install these valves.

MBS Engineering has installed over 100,000 seismic gas valves in countless facilities throughout Northern and Southern California. Seismic Gas Shut-Off Valves are usually installed on the exterior of your facility. Our experts ensure the proper size and fit so your facility remains as safe as possible from gas leaks in the event of an earthquake. Every Californian knows that earthquakes are possible and have maintenance plans in place in the event an earthquake, yet many business owners don’t account for how sudden earthquakes occur. In many cases, manual shut-off valves often can’t be reached in time by your staff. Even small earthquakes nearly undetectable by us can result in a natural gas leak—which can create problems for your facility.

How Do you Maintain SSOV’S?
Having your natural gas lines inspected bi-annually by the engineers at MBS plus having seismic valves in place can help protect your facility against the danger of deadly gas leaks caused by earthquakes both small and large.

Unattended gas leaks can not only compromise your facility’s safety but also put employees and customers at risk. Whenever there’s a leak, there’s a danger of fire (or even explosion) from the tiniest of ignition sources, including sparks from static electricity that you may not notice. Preventing damage to your expensive equipment as well as minimizing downtime after earthquakes will greatly reduce the financial loss from earthquakes.