How To Prepare Your Plumbing For A Natural Disaster
Whether you’re a homeowner, a renter, or even a child living with your parents, the last thing you want to have to think about is what could happen to your home in the event of a natural disaster. After all, your home should be a place where you feel safe, comfortable and secure, and none of us dream of having that taken away by mother nature. But, since natural disasters are not necessarily something we can prevent, the least we can all do is be prepared. Here are a few preventive measures you should take:
Secure Your Water Heater
To prevent your water heater from crashing to the floor, make sure it’s securely fastened to the wall. Since a fall from your water heater could disrupt gas lines and cause excessive damage to the area around it, you want to make sure that there is no wiggle room available for it to move.
Inspect Your Sump Pump
If floods are expected, then you’ll need to have a working sump pump to ensure that your home isn’t whisked away by water. Especially if your basement or other low places are the storage spaces for valuable items, it’s important that your sump pump is 100% capable of directing water away from your home.
Repair Leaks
This one is especially important to do in times of drought – something we are all familiar with here in California. When nature limits its water supply, you need to do everything you can to make sure you aren’t wasting this precious resource. With that said, even if your leak seems minor, have it repaired immediately to prevent an unnecessary loss of water.
Install An Automatic Shutoff Valve
In areas where earthquakes are common, have an earthquake shutoff valve installed – this will automatically shut down your gas system if an earthquake that measures more than a 5.4 hits. A particular benefit of this is that it works when you aren’t home, so you can rest assured from afar knowing that your gas will be shut off, reducing the chance of a fire or explosion.
No matter the circumstances, your best bet is to always be prepared, and that also involves knowing what to do after a natural disaster as well. If your plumbing should become damaged due an event that we can’t control, make sure to have our number on file so that we can come and help repair it.
For more information about the comprehensive plumbing services we offer, please contact us at 714.630.8766 or check out the rest of our website.
