In life, there are certain things we can do to protect ourselves and our homes against natural disasters. For example, high walls and other steps can be taken against flooding whilst the potential of hurricanes and storms will bring other precautions. However, have you ever thought about what happens during an earthquake?

 WATCH THIS VIDEO ABOUT THE EARTHQUAKE VALVE

Of course, we know that the whole ground moves during an earthquake and you will see objects falling from the shelf but what about with your natural gas lines? If the earthquake is severe, fallen furnaces and leaking gas from damaged pipes can be a real problem, so there needs to be a solution. As you have probably guessed, there is an effective product called an ‘earthquake valve’.

What Is It? - Essentially, this is a seismic valve installed outside of your home and it trips whenever there is excess movement. As soon as a potential earthquake causes enough movement, the valve will trip and automatically shut off the gas entering your home. Why? After activating, this will protect your water heater, fireplace, water heater, and whatever else you may have running off of natural gas. With this in place, you will remain protected and falling power lines and fires won’t be made worse by mixing with gas.

In truth, the valve is incredibly easy to use and doesn’t require too much effort after being installed by professionals. As you can imagine, the valve is relatively sensitive and this is because it needs to activate whenever there is a certain amount of motion. In the past, people have activated them by accident or with the lawnmower but they can be reset with ease which makes the whole experience worthwhile.

How Does it Reset? - On the device, you will see a small screen and this will be colored green when in place and ready to go. When you see this screen as green, you don’t have to do anything and your gas supply will be as normal. After being tripped, the screen will turn black and this will cut the supply from your home. If you ever aren't sure of the status or trip it by accident, the screen will tell you what has happened within an instant. If you need to reset and there hasn't been an earthquake, there is a small screw on the back you can turn 90 degrees until you hear a click. Once it has clicked and activated once more, turn the screw back and you are ready to go.

What Happens After? - Depending on the severity of the earthquake, you will need to turn the supply of gas back on but, once again, this is simple. To start, you will need to reset the earthquake valve and this is what we have just been through above. After this, you may need to redo your pilot light but, other than that, you should be good to go once again.

As you can see, the earthquake valve is extremely simple and is also affordable; not to mention how helpful it can be to shut off your gas during an earthquake. Additionally, you don’t have to worry about it taking up space since it is installed outside and the helpful screen allows you to assess its status. All things considered, it is a superb product that brings numerous benefits.