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Contractors break gas main inside JP building, which fills with gas
By adamg on Fri, 02/19/2016 - 3:09pm
UPDATE, 3:27 p.m. National Grid arrived and shut off the gas.
Firefighters and police are on Amory Street between Boylston and School streets for a natural-gas leak inside 192 Amory St. that started around 2:50 p.m.
Police have blocked Amory and are evacuating neighboring buildings as they await somebody from National Grid to try to shut the gas off. At least 14 neighboring residents are now being sheltered on Marbury Terrace.
Police had to ask pilots of news helicopters to back off because of the risk the building could explode.
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Comments
If the gas main break is inside
the building, presumably it is AFTER the gas meter, which has an emergency shutoff valve. Or are firemen not entrusted with the wrench to close that valve?
There's a lot of inside gas
There's a lot of inside gas meters in Boston.
Firefighters will secure utilities at the meter, but this required a shut off in the street and they do not do that.
The break could easily be
The break could easily be inside the house but before the meter, or at the point where the pipe connects to the meter.
And a break in the underground pipe -- outside the house, but in the street or the front yard -- will often cause gas to travel alongside the pipe, then enter the house through the hole in the foundation that the pipe enters through. This can cause the basement to fill up with gas even though the leak itself is outside the house. Lots of houses have been lost that way.
Our meter is not on outside wall
There's a run of nearly 30 feet from where the line enters our basement to the meter.
Self-activating, quick
Self-activating, quick operating shut-off
valve for service lines
Clever idea, but...
Clever idea, but how do you go about installing them in the first place? Turn off gas to an entire neighborhood and then excavate each service-T? That's a lot of effort/time! I can totally see doing this for new construction, but not so much for existing buildings.
I'd also be concerned that a few decades after installing them, they'd corrode and have to be replaced.
Well thats what they are
Well thats what they are doing on new services , eliminating curb box shut offs! Here is the report on the Danny Rd house expolsion , scroll to the pictures on page 74 & 75 to see what else can rust out in the ground. ( http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dpu/pipeline/incident-reports/12-03-2014dan... )
Gas Shutoff Devices
Gas Service Shutoff Valves
Manually turning off the gas service shutoff valve is the most common method to stop the flow of gas serving a building, or part of a building, in case of an emergency. Gas service shutoff valves are installed by PG&E at all gas meter locations or outside locations if the meter is not accessible from the outside.
Keep a 12 to 15-inch adjustable pipe wrench or Crescent-type wrench available to close the valve in case of an emergency. Earthquake wrenches with fixed openings may not fit a particular valve, so an adjustable type is best. To minimize the possibility of unauthorized operation of the valve, wrenches should be located nearby, but not at the gas meter location.
Shut off the gas service shutoff valve only if you smell gas, hear gas escaping, see a broken gas line, or if you suspect a gas leak.
To shut off the gas, rotate the valve a quarter turn in either direction; the valve is closed when the tang (the part you put the wrench on) is crosswise to the pipe.
In addition, most gas appliances have a gas shutoff valve located near the appliance that lets you turn off the gas to that appliance only. Know which of your appliances use gas, and where the appliance gas shutoff valves are located. In some cases, turning off the gas at the appliances shutoff valve will suffice.
Automatic Gas Shutoff Devices
Gas Shutoff Devices
Some cities and counties have regulations that require the installation of automatic gas shutoff devices, which may include excess flow gas shutoff valves and/or earthquake actuated gas shutoff valves. Regulations vary, but generally apply to new building construction, or significant alterations or additions to existing buildings. Check with your local city or county agency to see if regulations apply in your area.
If a customer installs an excess flow gas shutoff valve or earthquake actuated gas shutoff valve, it should be one that is certified by the State of California and it should be installed by a licensed plumbing contractor in accordance to the manufacturers instructions. PG&E does not install or service seismic actuated or excess flow gas shutoff valves, or recommend specific contractors for customer applications.
The State of California is required to approve all excess flow gas shutoff valves and earthquake actuated gas shutoff valves used in the State of California. The State of California is required to approve all excess flow gas shutoff valves and earthquake actuated gas shutoff valves used in the State of California. A list of approved valves is available on the DSA Gas Shut-off Valves Certification Program webpage.
Excess flow gas shutoff valves and earthquake actuated gas shutoff valves must be installed on the buildings gas houseline piping (the gas pipe connecting your appliances to the gas meter) downstream of the utility point of delivery; i.e. after the PG&E gas shutoff valve, pressure regulator (if installed), meter(s), and the service tee. No attachments or connections of any kind are allowed on utility facilities prior to the point where the service tee connects to the gas houseline piping. Once installed, the valve must not obstruct the operation or serviceability of PG&E’s piping, gas service shutoff valve, gas meter or gas pressure regulating equipment.
In the event that a gas service shutoff valve or an automatic gas shutoff device is closed, there may be a considerable delay before PG&E can turn your service on, but do not turn it on yourself. PG&E or another qualified professional should perform a safety check, restore gas service, and relight any appliance pilots, even if the closure was not caused by an earthquake.