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November Wind Storm

Overnight, crews made steady progress restoring power to customers impacted by Tuesday’s windstorm, restoring more than half the total customers who’ve been affected since the start of the storm. However, we understand that for those still affected it remains incredibly challenging, especially with the cold conditions. For customers needing support, please check with your local government or call 211 to find warming shelters and other resources. King 5 also has this list of resources. We are working around the clock and will continue to do so until every customer is restored.

Crews have been able to restore power to 57 schools with known power outages over the last two days, with continued efforts to restore remaining schools, medical facilities and hospitals. The high winds and resulting tree damage not only downed the smaller, local power lines, but also damaged the larger transmission lines – the larger lines that bring power into communities. Crews are beginning to bring transmission lines back online; these lines need to be brought back into service before crews can focus on the local distribution system. Please note that as transmission comes online, there will be temporary spikes in data as those systems are energized, you may see numbers go up and down on the outage map as the process occurs.

 

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Safety first. Never touch or go within 35 feet of downed power lines because they might be energized. Call PSE at 1-888-225-5773 or 911 to report problems.

Report and track power outages online

Excess flow valves

An excess flow valve (EFV) is an underground device that automatically restricts the flow of natural gas if there is a sudden break in the service line. PSE began installing this device in 2006 with new or replaced services to single family residences and expanded the practice to include small multi-family and commercial service lines in 2013 when possible. As of April 14, 2017, certain residential and small commercial customers who don’t have an excess flow valve may request to have one installed by PSE at the customer’s expense.

How does an EFV work?

An EFV is usually located near where the gas service joins the gas main (e.g., close to the street or near the property line). If the service pipe downstream of this valve is severed, the sudden increase in the flow of gas may trigger the valve and reduce the flow of gas under certain conditions. It will not protect against a malfunctioning appliance, a leak on any of the pipelines on the customer’s side of the meter, a meter leak, or small punctures in the service line. An EFV may not protect against damage to a service line from earthquakes or flooding.

How to request an installation

Most residential and small commercial customers can have an EFV installed if the site meets the installation requirements. Customers who wish to have an EFV installed should contact us at
1-888-321-7779 to arrange installation at a mutually agreed upon date.

Please note:

  1. An EFV may not be feasible for some customers due to design constraints; for example, where gas pressure is too low to trigger the valve.
  2. The installation may only be performed by PSE or one of our approved service providers.
  3. The cost of installing the EFV depends on the particulars of the job. Costs will typically not be lower than $1,500 and could be significantly higher if the installation requires restoration of paved or concrete surfaces. You will be billed for the estimated costs associated with the installation.

Call 811 before digging

EFVs are best suited to protect against breaks caused by excavation. However, the surest way to avoid breaking a gas line during excavation is to call 811 two business days before digging. PSE will mark the locations of our gas and electric lines at no cost to you so that you or your contractor can dig safely to avoid them.