IB09.PDF

Protecting Your Property From Earthquakes

F EDERAL E MERGENCY M ANAGEMENT A GENCY

A RE Y OU AT R ISK ?

If you aren’t sure whether your house is at risk from earthquakes, check with your local building

official, city engineer, or planning and zoning administrator. They can tell you whether you are in an

earthquake hazard area. Also, they usually can tell you how to protect yourself and your house and

property from earthquakes.

W HAT Y OU C AN D O

Earthquake protection can involve a variety of changes to your house and property – changes that can

vary in complexity and cost. You may be able to make some types of changes yourself. But

complicated or large-scale changes and those that affect the structure of your house or its electrical

wiring and plumbing should be carried out only by a professional contractor licensed to work in your

state, county, or city. Examples of earthquake protection are anchoring and bracing propane tanks and

compressed gas cylinders. These are things that skilled homeowners can probably do on their own.

A NCHOR AND B RACE P ROPANE T ANKS AND G AS C YLINDERS

During earthquakes, propane tanks can

break free of their supporting legs. When a

tank falls, there is always a danger of a fire

or an explosion. Even when a tank remains

on its legs, its supply line can be ruptured.

Escaping gas can then cause a fire. Similar

problems can occur with smaller, com-

pressed gas cylinders, which are often

stored inside a house or garage.

PROPANE TANK

One way to prevent damage to propane

tanks and compressed gas cylinders is to

anchor and brace them securely. The figure

shows how the legs of a propane tank can

be braced and anchored. Using a flexible

connection on the supply line will help re-

duce the likelihood of a leak. Compressed

gas cylinders, because they have to be peri-

odically replaced, cannot be permanently

anchored. But you can use chains to attach

them to a wall so that they will remain up-

right.

BRACING

WELD BRACING

TO LEGS (SEE

“TIPS” ON BACK

OF THIS SHEET)

BOLT LEGS TO

CONCRETE SLAB

Protecting Your Property From Earthquakes

Anchor and Brace Propane Tanks and Gas Cylinders

T IPS

Keep these points in mind when you anchor and brace propane tanks or compressed gas cylinders:

Before you alter your propane tank in any way, make sure that the tank is your property and not

rented from the propane supplier. Before welding new bracing to the tank legs, you MUST re-

move the gas from the tank. You should also check with your propane supplier to find out

whether additional precautions are necessary.

Clear the area around the propane tank to ensure that there are no tall or heavy objects that

could fall on the tank or rupture the supply line.

Keep a wrench near the shutoff valve and make sure the members of your family know how to

turn off the supply line if they smell a gas leak. On larger tanks, such as farm tanks, consider

installing a seismic shutoff valve that will automatically turn off the gas during an earthquake.

Provide a flexible connection between the propane tank and the supply line and where the sup-

ply line enters the house. But keep in mind that adding a flexible connection to a propane tank

line should be done by a licensed contractor, who will ensure that the work is done correctly and

according to all applicable codes. This is important for your safety.

To attach a compressed gas cylinder to a wall, use two lengths of chain around the cylinder —

one just below the top of the cylinder and one just above the bottom. The chains should be at-

tached to eye hooks that are screwed into the wall. In wood-frame walls, the eye hooks must be

long enough to penetrate not just the wall but the studs behind it as well. In concrete or masonry

block walls, the eye hooks should be installed with expansion anchors or toggle bolts.

E STIMATED C OST

Bracing and anchoring a propane tank will cost about $250. Having flexible connections installed on the

tank and at the house will cost about $75. Attaching one gas cylinder to the wall will cost about $50.

O THER S OURCES OF I NFORMATION

Seismic Retrofit Training for Building Contractors and Building Inspectors: Participant Handbook,

FEMA, 1995

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

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

To obtain copies of these and 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 .

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