Shutting down water, gas etc in prep to ride out.

[Roxy]

Hey you guys, my Fiance wants to know if he should shut the main water to the house off before the storm hits?

What about the Gas?

I don't know what to tell him so I thought I'd ask you guys who are riding it out...what are y'all doing?

[jes]

When storms have approached our area no one on the news has suggested that the public do that -- of course, that doesn't mean it shouldn't be done --- just saying it has not been suggested here as a hurricane preparation. I have turned off the gas to the outdoor grill and the gas to the fireplace ---- but not the gas to the house itself.

[Roxy]

Ok thank you.

For some reason he thinks the toilet will be blown away and the house will flood because of that water.

Hey, at least he is thinking ahead.

[tracyswfla]

Hey you guys, my Fiance wants to know if he should shut the main water to the house off before the storm hits?

What about the Gas?

I don't know what to tell him so I thought I'd ask you guys who are riding it out...what are y'all doing?

I would do it... After Charley last year, we were gone for 6 days, when the power surged back on our ice maker line detached from the fridge and caused a flood in our entire house.

Tracy

[cancunkid]

Okay not that I know anything about hurricanes but what does your gas do in your house? I think I would shut it off just in case, but then the idea of a gas explosion is enough for me to hate that I have a gas dryer. Fill up your bathtubs and sinks with water so if you don't have any water pressure you can still flush the toilet. My cousins say that is the worst thing that lack of pressure in the toilet.

[inotherwords]

Shut off the gas, definitely.

[gtalum]

On the bright side, a gas explosion could get your house covered by insurance even if it floods and you don't have flood insurance.

"I swear, the house was in pristine condition after the storm, until the darn natural gas came back on and it exploded".

[JPmia]

Hey you guys, my Fiance wants to know if he should shut the main water to the house off before the storm hits?

What about the Gas?

I don't know what to tell him so I thought I'd ask you guys who are riding it out...what are y'all doing?

I wouldn't worry about gas, unless you get a direct hit. When the power does eventually go out...you could have surges. In Katrina, our power surged about 5 times before it finally went out for 5 days! I imagine that was not good for the fridge. If your power goes out, you might want to unplug important applicances that are not plugged into a surge protector. My experience is that I leave the A/C and the fridge on full blast until the power goes out so both will stay cool as long as possible.

[angelwing]

Okay not that I know anything about hurricanes but what does your gas do in your house? I think I would shut it off just in case, but then the idea of a gas explosion is enough for me to hate that I have a gas dryer. Fill up your bathtubs and sinks with water so if you don't have any water pressure you can still flush the toilet. My cousins say that is the worst thing that lack of pressure in the toilet.

Also the washing machine, great place to have a lot of water!

[HurricaneQueen]

When you flll the tubs, sinks, etc. be sure to use duct tape to make a good seal or the pressure will cause them to leak if they don't already.

Also,once the power goes out turn everything off at the breaker box so that you don't have a surge when power is restored. We don't have gas in SW FL but we are always warned to turn of both the elcetric and water.

Hope this helps-especially the part about the duct tape.

Lynn

[Roxy]

Thanks guys, all of this info is so useful.

[Eye10TX]

Hmmm, here in Houston, the media keeps telling us not to cut off our own gas, that it should be done by a professional.

[Roxy]

Hmmm, here in Houston, the media keeps telling us not to cut off our own gas, that it should be done by a professional.

Oh shot, really? I was about to send him out there with a wrench. Well now I don't know what to do.

[Roxy]

Hmmm, here in Houston, the media keeps telling us not to cut off our own gas, that it should be done by a professional.

Oh shot, really? I was about to send him out there with a wrench. Well now I don't know what to do.

[cswitwer]

Hmmm, here in Houston, the media keeps telling us not to cut off our own gas, that it should be done by a professional.

Oh shot, really? I was about to send him out there with a wrench. Well now I don't know what to do.

When we were in Charleston, our emergency information manual said:

1. Fill bathtub and sinks with water. (Washing machine is a great idea btw for water to flush the toilet.) Also, if you have pitchers or a large pot or two, fill those with water for extra drinking water and put them up high in case of any flooding. Put all dry and canned food as high up in cabinets as you can, plus any valuables that can't get wet - you can get flooding from rain as well as surge - especially with the slowness of this storm.

2. Unplug ALL appliances before the storm except the fridge and your TV for watching emergency information. You can have power surges before a storm as well as after. After power goes out, unplug ALL appliances, including the fridge and turn off all the breakers to your house. This prevents power surges to appliances that can cause damage to them or start a fire and if there is a gas leak, prevents sparks that could cause fire.

3. Turn your fridge up to high and when you do open it, do so quickly and shut it quickly - your juice may freeze in the fridge, but that's okay - you can let it thaw to drink it. When the power goes out, do NOT open your fridge unless you absolutely must, and then do so VERY fast. Food will stay good in a fridge without power for about four hours if you don't open the door.

4. Do NOT attempt to turn off the gas to your home unless you have been instructed on how to do so safely. The risk of a gas explosion is very, very small - but trying to mess with the gas yourself without proper instruction is dangerous. However, if you have a gas fireplace, turn off the gas to it. If you have a gas water heater, turn off the gas to it following the instructions for how to do so on the water heater. Be sure to read the instructions carefully! If you have a gas stove that you KNOW how to shut off the gas to, you can do that as well. But do not attempt to turn off the main unless you have been instructed how to do so.

5. During the storm, stay away from all windows, keep your emergency radio if you have one on hand in case of tornado warnings as well as other vital information. If the winds become intense, go into an interior bathroom or closet much like in a tornado and surround yourself with thick blankets and pillows to protect against flyind debris.

6. Do NOT go outside during the eye if it passes over you. The other eye wall can arrive in an instant and you will be unprepared for it. Do NOT go outside at all during the storm as you can be killed by flying debris in a minute. If your house begins to flood, move as high as possible in the house. If you are forced into your attic - make damn sure you have a way to get through your roof!!!

[digitaldahling]

I'd turn off the gas but not the water. We never turn the water off. If you're going to be in the house, you would be there if a water problem occurred due to plumbing. If you have an icemaker, you'll want it making ice as long as possible.

If you can find something like a fairly thin raincoat that is rubberized or a pair of old cheap rubber boots, cut a circular piece from it and use it as a cover over your tub drain. Do you have one of those "grippers" used for opening jars? If so, that's perfect. You could even use duct tape around the edges for an even better seal. Pressure from a tub full of water helps seal the drain.

Best of luck to you guys. Keep everyone up to date if you can. Everyone affected is in my thoughts and prayers.

[cancunkid]

Hmmm, here in Houston, the media keeps telling us not to cut off our own gas, that it should be done by a professional.

Oh shot, really? I was about to send him out there with a wrench. Well now I don't know what to do.

When we were in Charleston, our emergency information manual said:

1. Fill bathtub and sinks with water. (Washing machine is a great idea btw for water to flush the toilet.) Also, if you have pitchers or a large pot or two, fill those with water for extra drinking water and put them up high in case of any flooding. Put all dry and canned food as high up in cabinets as you can, plus any valuables that can't get wet - you can get flooding from rain as well as surge - especially with the slowness of this storm.

2. Unplug ALL appliances before the storm except the fridge and your TV for watching emergency information. You can have power surges before a storm as well as after. After power goes out, unplug ALL appliances, including the fridge and turn off all the breakers to your house. This prevents power surges to appliances that can cause damage to them or start a fire and if there is a gas leak, prevents sparks that could cause fire.

3. Turn your fridge up to high and when you do open it, do so quickly and shut it quickly - your juice may freeze in the fridge, but that's okay - you can let it thaw to drink it. When the power goes out, do NOT open your fridge unless you absolutely must, and then do so VERY fast. Food will stay good in a fridge without power for about four hours if you don't open the door.

4. Do NOT attempt to turn off the gas to your home unless you have been instructed on how to do so safely. The risk of a gas explosion is very, very small - but trying to mess with the gas yourself without proper instruction is dangerous. However, if you have a gas fireplace, turn off the gas to it. If you have a gas water heater, turn off the gas to it following the instructions for how to do so on the water heater. Be sure to read the instructions carefully! If you have a gas stove that you KNOW how to shut off the gas to, you can do that as well. But do not attempt to turn off the main unless you have been instructed how to do so.

5. During the storm, stay away from all windows, keep your emergency radio if you have one on hand in case of tornado warnings as well as other vital information. If the winds become intense, go into an interior bathroom or closet much like in a tornado and surround yourself with thick blankets and pillows to protect against flyind debris.

6. Do NOT go outside during the eye if it passes over you. The other eye wall can arrive in an instant and you will be unprepared for it. Do NOT go outside at all during the storm as you can be killed by flying debris in a minute. If your house begins to flood, move as high as possible in the house. If you are forced into your attic - make damn sure you have a way to get through your roof!!![/quote

Okay I admitted I didn't know anything about the gas. That makes sense you should have a pro shut it off. Smart thing about the fridge. They tell us that in the winter here during ice storms because of the possible power loss. NOt like it isn't cold outside then but they tell us to crank heat in the house too.....not that THAT is needed in Rita's path. Good Luck Roxy we will all be thinking of you and hoping and wishing the best for everyone in the area

[Roxy]

cswitwer: That is great advice thank you!!

I guess I will try to seal the drains now...

[/quote]

[TampaBay]

Hmmm, here in Houston, the media keeps telling us not to cut off our own gas, that it should be done by a professional.

Well, OK then be sure to schedule an appointment for the week of what, October 4th?

The Red Cross web site has more practical advice:
http://www.redcross.org/services/prepar ... 0.html#gas

Shutting Off Your Gas

If you need to have your gas shut off, call your gas company to do it, if possible. However, in an emergency when you need the gas shut off immediately, take these steps:

* Locate the shutoff valve on the riser pipe (the pipe running through the ground or foundation wall to your meter). To turn the valve, you will need a crescent or pipe wrench, or a special wrench available from your local gas company.

* When the valve head is parallel to the riser pipe, it is in the "on" position. Turn the valve head crosswise to the pipe and it will be in the "off" position. There are also shutoff valves on the lines feeding individual gas appliances.

* Once the gas is off, leave it off. Call the nearest gas company office when you are ready for the gas to be turned back on. A qualified technician will check your system, turn on your service and relight the pilot for you.

[sponger]

For those who have ice, I reccomend a separate cooler with Lunch meat juice, some snacks and of course beer. If you havent already, freeze a water jug or two, turn fridge to max and dont open at all until tommorow or Sunday. If you can keep it shut it will stay cold for 2-3 days.

This applies even if you have a generator as you cannot run it in the rain. (Portable that is)

When you do open fridge you will need to empty your ice maker or it will leak everywhere.

Florida hurricane vet