Quake Safe Your Home 2012

7/27/2019 Quake Safe Your Home 2012

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EASY WAYS TO QUAKESAFE YOUR HOME

A handy guide to help you prevent

earthquake damage to your home


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AFTER AN EARTHQUAKEYOUR HOME MAY BEA MESS, YOU COULDBE WITHOUT A WATERSUPPLY, AND SOMEONEIN YOUR HOUSEHOLDCOULD BE INJURED.

FORTUNATELY THEREARE THINGS YOU CAN

DO TO HELP PREVENTDAMAGE AND INJURYFROM EARTHQUAKES.

THIS GUIDE SHOWS YOUEASY WAYS TO QUAKESAFE YOUR HOME.


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Even small shakes can damage or break

ornaments and other objects. They canbecome fying weapons in bigger jolts,

and leave a mess o dangerous glass

and broken crockery. Making them more

secure is easy.

Plasc puy

Plastic putties such as Blu Tack and specialquake putties can be eective in holdingdown ornaments, glassware and similar

objects. Plastic putty is available rom manysupermarkets, stationery and hardware stores.Some art and antique galleries may havespecial quake putties, gels or waxes.

Ensure the bottom surace o the objectand the surace it is to sit on are clean.Roll pieces o putty into balls o equalsize the amount you need to use dependson the size, shape and weight o the object.One bigger piece may be enough or small

objects; others may require three or oursmaller pieces. Push on to bottom o object.

Press the item down rmly, and gently twistback and orth a ew times to get it to grip.

To remove the object, hold at the base andtop and twist slightly while gently pullingrom its position.

Non-slip mats

Non-slip mats are good or preventing squatbut heavy objects, or objects with a low centreo gravity, rom sliding.

Non-slip mats, e.g. Magic Grip, are available insome homeware stores and come in a varietyo colours to match many decors.

Simply cut a piece o mat to t under theobject. Depending on the type o base, themat can sometimes be slightly smaller thanthe object, allowing the mat to be hidden.

Ornaments &small objects


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Anything hanging on a conventional

picture hook or nail is likely to comeo, even in a moderate earthquake.

The glass on pictures and mirrors can

shatter, creating a hazard. Securing

hanging items is one o the easiest

things you can do.

Close hooks

Push hooks closed ater hanging pictures ormirrors. Single-nail conventional picture hooks

are ne or light pictures as long as the nailhas been hammered into something solid likea wall stud.

Anything a little heavier will need a two- orthree-nail picture hook, or possibly severalhooks, and very heavy pictures or mirrors mayneed something even stronger. Also, dontorget to use strong cord, not light string.

Once you have nailed the hook into place,hang the picture and then pull it out so youcan get your hand behind it and push thehook closed.

Alternative one: I the hook is hard to close,squeezing ller material into the gapwill help to retain the cord in place.

Alternative two: The hook shown here has azig-zag to prevent the cord rom jumpingout o the hook.

Pictures& mirrors


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The taller something is, the more

easily it will start rocking and topple,particularly i it is top-heavy. Falling

urniture can be dangerous and

destructive. Securing it to the wall is

usually straightorward.

Brackets

Wall units, bookcases and other tall urnitureshould be secured to wall studs. The easiestway is to use metal brackets, which can beound in most hardware stores.

Standard steel brackets (65mm) should bemore than adequate.

I you would like the brackets hidden asmuch as possible, attach them as twoupside down Ls. Start by marking on thewall where the top o the urniture comes toand then move it away rom the wall. Findwhere the studs are in the wall (by tappinglightly) and then use 12 gauge screws about63mm long to screw the brackets into placebeore moving the urniture back. Screw theother arm o the brackets down onto theurniture with eight gauge screws o 15-25mm length.

Alternative: Attach the brackets theopposite way as two Ls.

Storing heavy objects

Store heavy and/or ragile objects on lowershelves or in low closed cabinets.

Tallfurniture


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Even small shakes can cause hot water

cylinders to rock enough to crack pipes,oten causing expensive and messy

water damage. In large quakes, the

cylinder can rock on its base or slide

sideways, with hot water becoming a

hazard. Both can deprive you o your

largest source o drinking water ater

a disaster, as well as causing water

damage. Securing a hot water cylinder

is surprisingly easy.

The strap method

The best method o securing the cylinder isto use wooden blocks and a metal strap. Thestraps can be bought as part o a special kitrom plumbing supply or hardware stores, oryou can buy a length o perorated strapping(approximately 25mm wide x 1mm thick).

Screw or nail timber blocks to the foor orshelving (make sure shel is astened).

Cut timber blocks to size so they t snuglybetween the top o the cylinder and wallsand glue them into place. Ensure blocks areagainst wall raming.

Screw two 8mm screw hooks into studs oneither side at the same level as the blocks.

Attach a 6mm turnbuckle to one hook andthe end o the strap.

Cut the strap to the length required, connect

it to the other hook and use turnbuckle tomake it tight.

Emergency water supply

How to get water out o the hot water cylinderin an emergency:

Shut water supply o at the toby i.e. thetap or valve on the water supply pipe to thehouse, to stop dirty water (rom any brokenstreet pipes) fowing back into your house.

I any pipeline between the toby and yourhouse is broken you should clamp thepipe or improvise in some way. Turn o theelectricity beore you start draining. Openthe drain valve at the bottom o the cylinderand collect rom the drainage point outsideand near the cylinder.

Hot water cylinders& water supply


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Most homes have a wide range o

appliances rom microwaves to TVsand computers. These can slide o

benches and topple rom cabinets,

becoming hazards both during and ater

an earthquake.

Small appliances

Non-slip mats are good under smaller, squatappliances like microwaves and DVD players,where most o the weight is low down (see

Ornaments & small objects). Rubber cupsthat sit under the eet o an appliance or sel-adhesive Velcro pads can also be eective.Both are available rom many appliance andhardware stores.

Built-in appliances and items in wall unitscan be secured with wood battens oraluminium moulding or trim screwed to theedge o shelves to create a lip o at least15mm in height.

Many appliances such as microwavescan be astened with proprietary restraintstraps available rom specialist saety orhardware stores.

Televisions

Modern TVs are oten tall and narrow, and canbe prone to toppling orward. I the TV is on abase or stand, this can be astened using anynumber o strap restraints or similar products,which are available rom specialist saety orhardware stores.

Using a non-slip rubber mat or rubber eetcan also prevent movement but these shouldbe used in conjunction with strap restraints.

Appliances


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Bookshelf wires

Cord, nylon or curtain wire can be strungin ront o books etc on a shel to lessen thechances o them alling or fying o ina shake.

Posive-catching latches

Use positive-catching latches on cupboarddoors and drawers. Make sure these latchesarent magnetic, as they will not hold during aquake. Child-proo latches with a mechanicalaction are best.

Bookshelves& latches


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Flexible ngs

Have fexible gas and plumbing ttingsinstalled (by a tradesperson). Flexible ttingsbetween your house and the ground areparticularly benecial in an earthquake,as they allow or the extra movement andprevent breaks and leakages.

Gas boles

Make sure you know where your emergencycut-o switches or gas, power and water are.The chain should be near the top i thebottom o the bottle is restrained rom slidingon the ground, otherwise it should sit at aboutmid-height.

Free-standing burners

Secure your wood burners, standing stovesand gas appliances with bolts and/orangle brackets, or an anchored metal tray witha 12mm or greater lip.

Flexible ngs &log burners


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Chimneys

The portion o the chimney that sits above theroofine can be particularly hazardous. Thiscan be braced, or even removed and replacedwith a lighter metal fue in conjunction withthe installation o a solid uel heater.

Header tanks

Some homes have header tanks in theroo space or on the roo. These should besecured. The diagram to the right showsyou what should be done or tanks in theroo space. On the roo the straps mayweaken under the sun and should bereplaced regularly.

Securely nail wooden blocks at ourlocations around the perimeter o thetray and t wooden blocks between theperimeter o the tray and the tank.

Foundaons

Check that your house is well-xed to itsoundations and that it is properly braced.I not, you can:

Wire, bolt or bracket bearers to piles awide range o bracket options are availablerom most hardware stores;

Nail strong plywood sheets to the inside othe raming in the sub-foor space;

Nail strong plywood sheets to brace andclad outside piles.

I extensions have been made to the property,it pays to ensure the oundations are well-tiedtogether to avoid the potential or the twoparts to separate or grind together duringa strong quake. Advice rom a licensedbuilding practitioner is recommended beorestarting the work.

Chimneys,

header tanks &foundaons


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Getting the materials

The ollowing places should stock theproducts you need:

Brackets, screws, Blu Tack, picture hooks,cord, etc at hardware stores

Various picture hooks, quake putties etc atart supply and antique stores

Non-slip matting, curtain wire, etc athomeware stores

Search the Internet or earthquake

saety products.

Geng someone to help

Home handypeople and tradespeople,e.g. carpenters, may be able to help.

Plumbers can secure your hot watercylinder, put in fexible ttings, etc.

When disaster strikes, you could be on yourown or several days. Check the back o the

Yellow Pages to make sure you know what todo beore, during and ater.

How to get help

to quake safeyour home


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The EarthquakeCommission

Level 20

Majestic Centre

100 Willis Street

Wellington

Email [email protected]

Webwww.eqc.govt.nz

Phone 04 978-6400

Fax 04 978-6431

Documents

Quake Safe Your Home 2012