check your safetys on your boilers!!!

[clueless]

check your low water safetys,your pressure safetys and such on your steam and hot water systems.they could lead to a disaster.

my neighbors boiler safety stuck and his furnace exploded this morning,nearly killing him and his family,luckly he,his wife and son got out with no major injurys,as the boiler was located under there bedroom,it blew out the walls,and floor right under them,pushing them through the wall out into the yard.all got minor bruises,shaken up,but 1 dog died due to he slept on the floor over the boiler in the bedroom.the pictures are horendous and in person it really brings home the safety checks that should be done before the heating season!

remember,check those safetys!

 

[jayoldschool]

Please elaborate on what I need to check. My new place has oil fired heat. There is an oil burner that heats water, then air is blown over to heat the house. The burner also heats water for the plumbing, the radiant in the basement, and a water/glycol heat exchanger for the radiant in my garage.

Don't want to blow my house up!

 

[CowboySS]

I never really gave much thought to the danger of a water heater explosion.

Then I saw the MythBusters episode and was dumbfounded.....the power of a water heater explosion is absolutely incredible. I obviously realized they could explode but never imagined they could truly fly through a ceiling like a small rocket!

It is unreal how powerful it is.....watch this.

Glad to hear your friend and his family were alright.

 

[clueless]

check the pressure relief valves,they have a lever on them,they should be free moving,and you should excercise them once a month to keep scale buildup off them.low water cutouts should shut down the burner.just a few things to look for.consult your manual on your stove/furnace/water heater.

 

[bmwpower]

check the pressure relief valves,they have a lever on them,they should be free moving,and you should excercise them once a month to keep scale buildup off them.low water cutouts should shut down the burner.just a few things to look for.consult your manual on your stove/furnace/water heater.

holy ****...I just watched that video.

So I just move the lever up and down? No pressure or water is going to be released right?

 

[ol55]

holy ****...I just watched that video.

So I just move the lever up and down? No pressure or water is going to be released right?

The pressure release valve will release hot water under some pressure when the valve is released, so be careful and have a bucket or something ready to catch it if its not plumbed directly into a receptacle.

 

[clueless]

that was just a water heater,picture a furnace with a bigger capacity than the heater.

 

[NWOhioChevyGuy]

One thing to keep in mind also, if you do excersize it for the first time in years or ever, is it might stick open.

Know how to call a plumber or replace it if it does.

All in all even if it does not re-seal, it is much more costly to ignore it and have it explode or fail.

 

[The Alchemist]

Every spring and fall I have a ritual where I reactivate the humidifier on the furnace, drain any setiment out of the water heater, and check the release valve. It's good preventative maintenance to clear the setiment out of the bottom, and the pressure valve is a simple test as well.