Tank storage in places with earthquakes

[guruboy]

Aside from securing tanks to keep them from falling over, any other concerns?

Being crushed by a collapsed building?
Secondary fires?
Potential high pressure hazard during cleanup?

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Why not lie them down if you are that concerned?

Collapse - The only folks worried about building collapse are the First Responder's. If you are under the rubble you have other things to worry about - like survival.

Secondary fires - Are you storing more than 40%? Most First Responder's are more concerned with propane tanks than O2 - unless it is in huge quantities - generally these are external and need to be noted via Right To Know laws (at least in NJ). Fire arms and ammunition are more of a fire hazard.

Potential high pressure hazard - again most of us are more concerned about weapons / house hold poison's and such than scuba tanks.

So after all that - if you wanted to be super cautious - go to your local fire house. Introduce yourself and tell them your concerns. They will tell you locally how they would like you to handle it. And if nothing else it may give you peace of mind - if they say - no worries.

 

[Bob DBF]

In my last two houses I built a dive closet in the garage that was, shall we say, overbuilt a tad. In my new place I built a shed for the dive gear, boat gear, and some odds and ends. The earthquake danger here is low, and if the building fell it's not big enough to make a dent on the tanks.


Bob

 

[guruboy]

To clarify, the concerns are for the safety of the tanks and for them to not become additional hazards for people.

1) crushing - if a structure collapsed, how likely is that to cause enough damage to compromise the structural integrity of the tank, which could then rupture/explode

2) fire - if earthquake related damage results in a fire, would the tanks burning in the fire cause enough damage to compromise the structural integrity of the tank, which could then rupture/explode

3) hazard - if the tanks get buried without exploding or leaking, how big is it a concern to workers who might be using heavy machinery to clear the rubble? I doubt they want to hit a full tank with a backhoe.

 

[broncobowsher]

1) compared to the energy of the collapsing building, it will just be a puff of dust. Nothing to worry about.
2) and this would be different from any other fire? Burst disks pop, vents in a hiss, some near by wood will burn slightly faster, problem will solve itself before any first responders get to the scene. Nothing to sorry about. Ever seen a burst disk pop? Loud for a couple of minutes and done.
3) 1 of a million hazards. Hitting a propane tank would be a bigger worry. Some ordinary household cleaners getting mixed together would be a bigger worry.

Many years ago there was a huge flood in Colorado. Washed though a welding supply company. Hundreds of welding bottles (many oxygen) were washed down stream. The locals know about it (old co-worker was there). One of those quick mountain flash floods. Decades later they are still finding filled bottles that rattled down a river bed, filled, and being used by the local farmers who find them.

Yes, there is a lot of energy in a filled scuba tank. but they are not that bad.

 

[Scared Silly]

I live less than a mile from a major fault. My cylinders are in the garage laying down on the bottom shelf. They are of no concern to me. The bottles I worry more about are those in the beer and wine cellar. They are more valuable, especially during a natural disaster.

 

[Bob DBF]

One of those quick mountain flash floods. Decades later they are still finding filled bottles that rattled down a river bed, filled, and being used by the local farmers who find them.

One difference between industrial and scuba cylinders is that industrial cylinders have a cap protecting the valve, except when in use, so there is little worry about a valve getting knocked off.


Bob