Hi Petra. During the 1979 Loma Prieta quake one of the legs on my hot water heater collapsed and allowed the heater to drop down about 6 inches. My heater is located outside so they only way you can get to it is to open a small door on the outside of my mobile home. The previous owner had the heater secured with one strap about a forth of the way up the heater. I wasn’t comfortable with that so I went looking for a strap to put near the top.

Now you would think that being the “earthquake capital of world” I wouldn’t have any problems finding one. Yea, I know Parkfield lays claim to that title, but the truth is we have more quakes then they do. Anyway not a strap could be found in town. So I went out to the Hollister Airport and scrounged up some control cable. Then I bought two eye screws and two U-clamps. I ran the cable though a piece of garden hose and attached the ends of the cable to the eye screws with the U-clamps.

When the leg collapsed the heater dropped and tilted just far enough forward to knock the door open. I can’t say for sure that the cable I placed near the top of the heater kept it from going all the way out and breaking the gas line, but I can say for sure that it didn’t go all the way out. The new heater is held in place by two large straps. I like to see that turkey move when the next 7.0+ quake hits. More then likely everything else will move and we will go crashing to the ground, but the heater will still be where it’s supposed to be. Take Care…Don in creepy town