VA earthquake note - check your brick chimneys

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begreen

begreen

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Nov 18, 2005
104,658
South Puget Sound, WA
After a tremble like this be sure to check you chimney's integrity, especially if it is an older one and unlined. Earthquakes are notorious for wiggling free the top part of chimneys. The last big one we had, our chimney top rotated 45 degrees. The only thing that stopped it from toppling was the solid stainless liner in it.
 
Yup, good idea. Felt it very clearly here. I figured I'd get a nap in after I laid my toddler down. Within seconds, the bed was rocking pretty decent. I could hear the rosary beads bouncing off the mirror. Lasted like 15 seconds. First time ever feeling one. Pretty weird and scary.
 
Felt the quake in south-east PA too. Felt like a big gust of wind shaking the walls. Except the floor was moving too! My first time feeling a quake....

Chimney looks good...
 
I was at work, in a blockwall building...makes me think check the ole foundation too.
 
BeGreen said:
After a tremble like this be sure to check you chimney's integrity, especially if it is an older one and unlined. Earthquakes are notorious for wiggling free the top part of chimneys. The last big one we had, our chimney top rotated 45 degrees. The only thing that stopped it from toppling was the solid stainless liner in it.
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I actually was thinking of this a lot today - about whether I would change my inspection habit if I was in that area. I imagine I would have to pay closer attention to structural elements.
 
Monday night had southern Colorado rocking to the tune of a 5.3 earthquake. The largest natural quake in 100 years in Colorado.
 
Pineburner said:
Monday night had southern Colorado rocking to the tune of a 5.3 earthquake. The largest natural quake in 100 years in Colorado
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I hear ya. In the last two years we have had 100 year heat, 100 year snow and a hundred year earthquake today. Do they measure anything GOOD in hundred year increments?
 
BrotherBart said:
Pineburner said:
Monday night had southern Colorado rocking to the tune of a 5.3 earthquake. The largest natural quake in 100 years in Colorado
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I hear ya. In the last two years we have had 100 year heat, 100 year snow and a hundred year earthquake today. Do they measure anything GOOD in hundred year increments?
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Next year will be all the 500 year events. 2012 ya know.
 
cmonSTART said:
BeGreen said:
After a tremble like this be sure to check you chimney's integrity, especially if it is an older one and unlined. Earthquakes are notorious for wiggling free the top part of chimneys. The last big one we had, our chimney top rotated 45 degrees. The only thing that stopped it from toppling was the solid stainless liner in it.
Click to expand...

I actually was thinking of this a lot today - about whether I would change my inspection habit if I was in that area. I imagine I would have to pay closer attention to structural elements.
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Yes, sweeps should be extra vigilant. Sometimes this damage is subtle and other times blatant. I suspect there will be a lot of calls as folks start looking at their roofs and their neighbor's chimneys.
 
We got hit pretty hard up here...

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mhrischuk said:
Capt Ron said:
mhrischuk said:
We got hit pretty hard up here...
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I'll come clean up your mess for $10,000
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And take all of my insurance money?
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Standard homeowner's policies don't cover earthquake damage.
 
BB - Standard homeowner’s policies don’t cover earthquake damage.
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You are right BB. We had a small quake here in I think '88 and it did a little damage to my foundation. So I got an earthquake rider. It wasn't very expensive.
 
There are at least a couple kinds of earthquake coverage riders. One covers just the contents of the house from earthquake damage and then there is an overall property coverage. Needless to say, out here the later is more expensive and sometimes not available locally.
 
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