Tragic Fire

Larry F

The story is still scetchy but seems that the HO had been working on the furnace. I've heard the fuel was LP but I don't know for certain. Friday a week ago, the Dad and son-in-law were severely burned and I'm pretty sure the third was the daughter. Still not sure of her condition. The Son-in-law passed away last Thursday from burns suffered followed by the Dad on Friday. It's enough to break the hardest heart. To all potential HVAC DIY'ers out there, PLEASE resist the urge to tinker with the equipment. So much can go so wrong so fast. Now the only thing to do is pray for the remaining victim and the rest of the family during this sad time and also pray that others will heed the dangers of attempting to diagnose and repair their own equipment.

http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=4390422

Take Care,

Larry

Ken D.

Bad News

People really don't appreciate the potential dangers. Furnaces and boilers, by design, burn. They can be very dangerous if something goes awry. I have seen DIYers connect nat. gas, LP, and oil lines with garden and automotive heater hose. Flue outlets with dryer vent hose and aluminum foil.
Electric connections with alligator clips and paper clips.
One job comes to mind. A night service call. the burner had a bad ignition transformer. The kicker was all the boiler water pipes were connected with garden hose and radiator hose. The oil supply line was connected with automotive neoprene hose with clamps. I did not repair the unit, but shut it down. The customer was not happy when I said he would need to get the unit piped right before we could repair it. I left. Some months later, I saw a news article in the local paper that this same guy was badly burnt and died when his gas grille blew up. I don't know exactly what happened, but I can imagine. Another time, a guy used a water stop and waste valve as a shut off for an LP heater. The valve leaked and set the house on fire when the LP found an ignition source. By the grace of God, no one was injured. Everybody has many stories they could tell about this subject. Getting people to listen is the biggest problem.

Mark Hunt

Everything


we "play" with everyday has the potential to kill.

It does break your heart.

Sad story.

Mark H

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Larry F

Yikes

Brings to mind a long ago job I was a helper then. We responded to an odor complaint. The odor was strong... and it was kerosene. They had been unable to get the heat working. The customer figured the gas floor furnace was low on fuel so, and I swear on a stack of Bibles, he had attempted to fill it with kerosene through the access opening on top of the heat exchanger. I can't remember if we learned how much got dumped in it but I do remember most of the basement floor was soaked. I also remember how indignant he was that we tagged the furnace and advised him we wouldn't even try to put it back into operation until the hazard was neutralized. I'm willing to wager that sheer providence. Speaking of water hoses for fuel lines, I've got a pic somewhere of a boiler that had a hose attached to the inlet pressure tap on the main valve and the other end connected to the press tap on the manifold. Gas was controlled

Larry F

Yikes

That is tragic. Brings to mind a long ago job I was a helper then. We responded to an odor complaint. The odor was strong... and it was kerosene. They had been unable to get the heat working. The customer figured the gas floor furnace was low on fuel so, and I swear on a stack of Bibles, he had attempted to fill it with kerosene through the access opening on top of the heat exchanger. I can't remember if we learned how much got dumped in it but I do remember most of the basement floor was soaked. I also remember how indignant he was that we tagged the furnace and advised him we wouldn't even try to put it back into operation until the hazard was neutralized. A close call that one. One or two more poorly planned moves and it could have easily turned deadly.

Slightly off subject but noteworthy, while following the progress of my son's book report on Walt Disney (biography), I learned that after he hit the big time he bought a house for his parents so they could be near him and his Mother died of CO from a faulty furnace in the house. Not surprisingly, Mr. Disney felt responsible and carried the guilt the rest of his life.

Ken D.

Disney

It can happen to anybody.

Terry_14

Basement reaked of oil

No heat call customer was tired of lighting his furnace.

" Been havin a problem lightin my furnace" Glass pickled egg jar full of Kayro, rolled news paper held tight with electric tape soaking in jar.

Whats this I ask? allready knowing the answer!

"Well I open this door light the paper stick it in and hit the red button" " Runs fine till it shuts down then i got to do it again"

Oh did I mention the smoke pipe draft damper was on the basement floor?

Knowing this would continue till someone was seriously hurt I replaced the transformer realizing they could not pay, called the land lord and we all slept that night.

It scairs me what goes on in the field.

Terry

Darin(in Michigan)

OOPPs

Two jobs come to my small mind. One was a tear out and remodel on a burn out. The HO changed his own water heater and forgot to tighten the union(it happens). The resulting fire didn't level his house but it chared things up a bit. His occupation....Fireman:)
2) Met a lady again to start a furnace after a fire gutted her house. After the usual inspection of components, I went to fire it and found a bad ignitor. The home owner assured me that the furnace had not run since the accident. Curious, I asked what caused the fire. She said the stove was left on...
Guess she didn't want to pay the overtime rate for an ignitor.

Larry F

Another stove tale

Elderly lady at a no heat call. She had been using the stove for heat while waiting on us to arrive. In a very sheepish way, she confided in me something like, "...I know you're not supposed to use the stove for heat...so I've been making cakes and pies."

burnerman_2

learned a lesson

a few weeks ago i had a burner someone had loaded it with #2 fuel oil i installed a new ignitor and boom it lite rightoff and it burned for over 7 hours i took off the fuel line disconnecet the power i will never light a burner that is in that bad of shape

clammy

Oil soaked

Burnerman i know that feeling i too also used to light them off i did show more caution then others i worked with one who had lite a oil soaked weil 78 series so soaked that the chimmey went up and flames shot out the top ,fire department came sprayed the boiler with foam ended up replacing the boiler ,I always felt that the 3 times hit reset going into a hard lock out is the best .Very rarely seen a oil soaked that way plus i think nobody needs a 60 second relay that has no hard lock out .As of 2 years ago i changed my own personal view on oil soaked boiler if i feel there un safe and have to be disassembled and dryed i'll do it if the boss says just light it i'm gone i've told them you go light it not me .Plus some HO will never learn they can't help but hit that little red buttom you know it's a lot cheaper then a service call at nite peace clammy