This is why gas scares me so...

Le John

This is why gas scares me ..........
http://news.yahoo.com/blast-tears-off-part-hotel-191452888.html

ChrisJ

Gas should scare you.

It deserves respect just like electricity and those who don't respect it often pay the full price.

Rich_49

Walking across the street scares me , does not mean I'm not gonna do it . There is natural gas in millions of buildings around the world . Maybe you should not fly either because I am almost positive that as safe as that is statistically Natural gas is much safer .

JStar

"Hinds, manager of the three-story motel that reopened last fall after an extensive remodel, said a guest reported seeing someone jump out a window and land on or near the gas line just before the leak."

Gas doesn't scare me - people do.

ChrisJ

JStar said:

"Hinds, manager of the three-story motel that reopened last fall after an extensive remodel, said a guest reported seeing someone jump out a window and land on or near the gas line just before the leak."

Gas doesn't scare me - people do.

People is a given.

I forgot to mention, everytime I've seen someone who won't allow gas in their home because they're afraid of it, they still have electricity in their home. Why is this?

What are the statistics in electrical fires vs gas explosions?

KC_Jones

I don't disagree with having a healthy respect for gas, but having worked for a utility for 7 years I don't worry about it. If you are scared of gas, you should be completely paralyzed by the terror of having electricity in your house. Electricity causes WAY more fires and other issues than gas does. That being said the reason people have this fear of gas is because when it does go wrong it's really really bad. So you get reports like that, but the news didn't talk about all the electrical fires on the same day as well as all the electrical fires that happen all the other days. Here are some statistics from NFPA:
During 2007-2011, an average of 13,730 fires per year were reported as having begun with the ignition of natural gas as the type of material first ignited. These fires caused an average of 35 civilian deaths per year, 254 civilian injuries per year, and $303 million in direct property damage per year.

In 2011, an estimated 47,700 home structure fires reported to U.S. fire departments involved some type of electrical failure or malfunction as a factor contributing to ignition. These fires resulted in 418 civilian deaths, 1,570 civilian injuries, and $1.4 billion in direct property damage.

Electrical wins 3.5 to 1 on number of fires, 12 to 1 on deaths, 6 to 1 on injuries and 4 to 1 in money. That's only fires, how about electrocution as well? I respect them both.

hot_rod

Wait until you see an LP fire I saw pictures of the LP fire at a dealer up in Jackson, Hole last year. A friend was working at the supply house nearby and took pictures as they ran. It looked like a river of fire, when it first ignited.

jonny88

Let's not comment on dryer vents the flexi crap.

ChrisJ

jonny88 said:

Let's not comment on dryer vents the flexi crap.

Speaking of which why do dryers still not have something similar to a spill switch on the vent so if it gets too hot it shuts down?

jonny88

Good ? Maybe it could be a warranty issue or $$$ issue.Was taking to sa local firefighter and he said most fires were related to dryer exhausts.Correct me if I am wrong but i believe NYC has made it code for hard pipie on exhaust

ChrisJ

jonny88 said:

Good ? Maybe it could be a warranty issue or $$$ issue.Was taking to sa local firefighter and he said most fires were related to dryer exhausts.Correct me if I am wrong but i believe NYC has made it code for hard pipie on exhaust

Not sure in NYC, but I piped mine hard originally, and then swapped out the 4" pipe for one of those telescoping boxes. I don't have any pipe, just that box direct into a damper so it's not quite as good as it was, but the dryer is further back against the wall which I wanted.

But, I do clean it several times a month. The box doesn't get much in it, but the louvered damper does.

I have to think the flexible crap would be fine as well as long as it's maintained and I still don't see why we don't have safeties on it.

Noel Kelly_3

Here are some interesting house fire stats...
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/res_bldg_fire_estimates.pdf

SWEI

Remarkably consistent, though cooking does seem to be getting more dangerous of late. Hmmm....

Bob Bona_4

Could be some co-relation to wanna be Iron Chefs with thier 48" plus Vikings or Thermador. Seems all I do is 10" venting in residential!

KC_Jones

I guess by these statistics we should keep our gas, but take the kitchen out of the house? I know...outdoor kitchens for everyone! lol

ChrisJ

Isn't a Thermador something you keep cigars in?

Fred

ChrisJ said:

Isn't a Thermador something you keep cigars in?

Haaaa, Ha , Ha! I have a couple Thermadors around the house and a Humidor in the kitchen.

JUGHNE

So someone jumped out a window, landed on the meter and this broke the gas piping?

What really scares me about gas is seeing CSST and copper tubing outside, (actually anywhere) exposed to the public and seldom supported.

If that was black pipe outside I think the person would have been broken and not the gas line.

jonny88

Agreed CSST is a product I would never use

Tim McElwain

Respect versus fear, what is the difference? The difference is education and following strict protocol on gas smells and also carrying a personal protective device which detects the gas not the odor. Sometime gas can lose the odorant and you will not smell it.

I have been working in the gas industry for 49 years and have experienced two actual explosions when I was present, thank God I was far enough away to only get knocked to the ground.

I will never go into a building when I smell gas and will always evacuate folks in the dwelling, then call the utility and if necessary fire department. Secure sources of ignition if that can be done safely and get as far away from the source as possible. Assist first responders at the scene as sometimes they are not very good with gas situations especially on Propane.

BobC

Because of their frequent exposure to smoke most fireman have little or no sense of smell. A few decades ago a friend and I were having a drink at my house when he got a call from his business that the lobby had smoke in it and they did not know where it was coming from, they had already called the fire department.

It took us about 15 minutes to get there and the fire department didn't know where it was coming from. As soon as I walked in the door I told the chief it's failing ballast, they emit a distinct odor when they go. It took me about 2 minutes to find the bad ballast and disconnect it.

Bob