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seismic emergency preparedness
Monday, June 25 2001
In addition to all the other stresses and strains in my life, today I confronted one whose nature can only be described as "only in California." The other day the Los Angeles Department of Building Inspection sent me a "second notice" about my need to install a seismic emergency shutoff valve for my gas line. Evidently this valve is somewhat more complex than the simple manual shutoff I'd thought would suffice some months ago (when I last investigated this issue). Last night I looked at the gas line setup for my condominiums and saw that there was a mysterious newish box intercepting the gas line, but I couldn't tell from its unhelpful markings whether or not it was in fact a seismic emergency shutoff valve. The markings included a bunch of mysterious language-non-specific-but-still-incomprehensible graphical icons as well as a blurb stating something to the effect that improper installation or "removal of cap" may void the warranty or cause the gas to shut off unexpectedly. Nowhere did it make any reference to earthquakes or fire hazard suppression. I was, however, working under something of a handicap, since the device was located behind a mechanical gate for the garage belonging to the other two residences in the complex, and I don't have any way to get into this garage. I could have just asked one of my neighbors to let me in, but the last thing I wanted to do was tip off anyone that I was legally required to install this device; I certainly didn't want to be asked to help pay for it.
Lacking a telescope or binoculars, I tried using my telephoto-lens-equipped video camera. But for some reason it refused to focus in the dim light across the length of the garage. I was forced to investigate through the slats from the side, but I didn't manage to see anything beyond the full text of that one unhelpful warranty blurb.
So I just decided to call the Los Angeles Department of Building Inspection and tell them I had a seismic emergency shutoff valve and could they please come out to do one of their free inspections and confirm that I am not in violation of the laws of the city. A simple database lookup confirmed that the box I had seen was in fact a seismic emergency shutoff valve, and my name was cleared, meaning I was no longer facing an unscheduled $1000 installation ordeal.
Interest in renting my condo seems tepid at best. After the initial flurry of interest a few days ago, no one has been calling at all. So I'm trying a few other tricks. One of these was pure supply and demand capitalism, simply lowering the asking rental rate on the condo. The other was to attempt a refinancing of my home. I'm actually having good luck with that second trick. I'm just hoping it doesn't turn into the sort of proctological nightmare I experienced when I first bought the condo.
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