State Approves New Valve Made by Quakemaster

Officials of Quakemaster Inc., the Anaheim-based company that manufactures valves designed to cut off the flow of natural gas to homes during an earthquake, said that a larger valve for use in schools, hospitals and other commercial buildings has been approved for use by the state. The new valve is made of an aluminium alloy similar to that used in airplanes, and is triggered by earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.2 on the Richter Scale and above, said Edward Seay, Quakemaster’s president and co-founder. Seay said the temblors cause a ball inside the valve to drop into a hole, blocking the flow of gas and preventing fires caused by a gas line rupture.

The commercial valve retails for between $1,500 and $2,000, Seay said, while the smaller residential valve retails for $300. The company has sold several thousand residential valves since the Office of the State Architect approved them for use in 1984. Quakemaster’s residential and commercial valves are the only valves of their kind certified to meet state design and safety standards, Seay said.

One of the new commercial valves is being installed in a Mexico City hotel, Seay said, and the company is now working to set up a network of distributors for its products.