Natural Gas Explosions Last Week

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Natural gas explosions turned Merrimack Valley, north of Boston, into a war zone last week. “It is still unclear what triggered the blasts and flames. The National Transportation Safety Board on Sunday said gas was flowing into pipes at much higher rates than normal, but why that happened is unclear. NTSB investigators did find on Sunday morning that in at least one underground situation, gas pressure sensor equipment was connected to a pipeline that was taken out of service and had been capped off,” reports The Boston Globe.

Need to turn off the gas, or electricity, or water? Here’s how.

GAS

If you have to turn off the gas, it’s safer to do it on individual appliances. There are valves behind or attached to the stove, dryer, fireplace, and hot water heater that can be turned by hand — although some homes may have older shutoffs that require a wrench. Turn the valve clockwise: If it’s vertical, make it horizontal, or vice versa.

Shutting off the gas altogether requires an adjustable wrench, so keep one at the ready so you can turn it off quickly. Look for the meter, which is usually located at the front of the house, either in the basement on the wall or outside close to the ground. The meter is connected to a pipe with a shutoff valve. Using the wrench, turn the valve clockwise, changing it from vertical to horizontal, or the other way around.

Again, however, experts warn that home owners run the risk of snapping off the valve or injuring themselves — and shouldn’t attempt to do this themselves. You can also have valves installed that can be turned off by hand.

WATER

If the issue is water — say, a pipe bursts and water is pouring everywhere — head to the basement and go to the front of the house. There are two shutoff valves near the water meter, which is on a pipe near the floor — copper in newer homes, lead or galvanized ones in older homes. Look for the one that is directing water into the house, not the one on the street side, where the water comes in. Newer valves can be turned off by hand, but older ones will require an adjustable wrench, and some force may need to be applied.

There is also a dedicated shutoff valve under the kitchen or bathroom sink if you only need to stop water there.

OIL

The oil tank, also in the basement, has a valve near the bottom that can be turned off by hand. This will shut off the supply of oil to the furnace and any other appliances running on oil.

ELECTRICITY

Turning off the power is relatively simple. Circuit breaker panels are located on the wall in the basement, or in the main living area in an apartment. Just open the cover, look at the top, and flip the switch that says “main” to the left.

If you have an older house with fuses, open the panel, grab the handle of the cartridge at the top labeled “main,” and pull it all the way out.

In some towns, the main breaker is outside near the meter in a weather-proof enclosure. Just push it down to shut it off.

E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

Preparing your investments and family for when disaster strikes.

E.J. Smith is the Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH, where he completed course-work in Practical and Defensive Handgun, Conceal Carry Pistol, Shotguns, Precision Scope Rifle and Kidnapping Prevention. E.J. plays a Yamaha Recording Custom drum set with Zilldjian cymbals. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zilldjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@youngresearch.com. Sign up here to receive all the best content from Richardcyoung.com each week.