Pacific NW prepped for earthquake?

[SteveW]

I recently heard about the huge Cascadian subduction:

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/11/us/cascadia-subduction-zone-earthquakes/

I imagine this is actually common knowledge in the Pacific northwest, right?
Assuming it is, do the plumbing codes in Oregon and Washington have some or all of the same requirements as California for seismic activity?

 

[Jadnashua]

Many local codes require things like strapping on the WH so it can't fall over and flexible supply lines so things like the water and gas are less likely to rupture if they were rigid pipe.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Terry]

We know about the earthquakes here. I grew up right over the Seattle fault. The 1963 quake was a real fun one, and there have been smaller ones since. We pretty much follow the same plumbing rules as California on earthquake protection. Off of Mercer Island, when it was first found by newcomers to the area, large portions had sunken so fast and so deeply that the standing fir trees in Lake Washington had to be cut to allow good navigation on the lake between the island and Renton. Kind of mind blowing when you think of it. There are other places in the area where it's obvious that large sections of land have sunken rapidly, and then of course the uplifts that are everywhere in the Cascade range.
My brother Clare went to Alaska with my uncle Dana Packard, who was a long time plumber, to put the infrastructure back. A lot of the water and sewer lines had been severed.

 

[Bluebinky]

I remember

The 1963 quake was a real fun one, and there have been smaller ones since.

I remember that one. People kept falling down. Seems more like it was in '65 though. Our house is in Des Moines about a mile from the epicenter -- still standing today . The neighbours lost a chimney and us kids got 10 cents a brick to clean off the mortar.

 

[Dj2]

The earthquake codes are learning in process/progress.

Every new quake is something the "experts" didn't know about. Then new rules follow.

As scary as quakes are, tornadoes and floods have been causing more damages in recent history. Just ask FIMA.

 

[Asktom]

Our little mom and pop retail plumbing store sold over 1,200 copper water flex in 3 days after the Northridge earthquake. They were quickly unavailable in LA and we had to have most of them shipped overnight air from other parts of the country. Our store was in an area of mostly homes built in the 20s and 30s and piped in gal. We had only one customer have the gal above his water heater fail, and you could see it was about rusted through already. The pattern was the same in all the local earthquakes. Needless to say I am not a believer in those copper flex.

 

[Reach4]

The pattern was the same in all the local earthquakes. Needless to say I am not a believer in those copper flex.

Very interesting.

Did the galvanized hold up the WHs, and the WHs on the flex lines tipped over? Or was there some other failure mechanism?

 

[Jadnashua]

Earthquake zones require straps to prevent them from tipping over.

 

[MACPLUMB]

Yes on the CA. Earthquake straps but prior to the Northridge quake most of the straps were more of a Ideal then reality
a couple of drywall screws and some flimsy plumbers tape if anything even after the great Oakland quake of 1989,
But after the Northridge quake things changed very quickly,
As a water heater service agent I got a lot of service calls from where heaters had tipped over sometimes the copper flex were the only thing holding them in a very precarious leaning position, even 100 gallon commercial heaters were falling over
remember water weights 8.5 pounds gallon and when this starts slopping back and forth it will take down almost anything,

 

[MACPLUMB]

After the Northridge earthquake water heaters had to be secured with 1/4" lag bolts with metal finder washers ran into the studs, with heavy sheet metal straps,
100 Gallon commercial water heaters had heavy steel chains wrapped around them,
until ready made strapping became available