Hard to believe

DanHolohan

http://www.fox46charlotte.com/news/local-news/family-says-heating-company-mistake-could-have-killed-them

newagedawn

boggles the mind,happy she is ok

Mad Dog_2

Geez...sounds like they were in a rush to get back to the bar! Teaching moment for all of them. Mad Dog

pecmsg

It happens too often.
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/24/nyregion/gerulaitis-death-attributed-to-short-pipe.html

Steamhead

A lot more often than people think.

A few years ago, a local oil company (which shall remain nameless) called to ask me to look at a problem steam boiler job. They had installed a new Peerless ECT-04 in a one-pipe system and it was banging and hissing. We made the appointment and I asked for someone to be there representing their company.

We got there and I looked over the job. The near-boiler piping matched the diagram. The main vents needed to be upgraded but that wasn't contributing to the problem. We fired the boiler and sure enough, the banging started. It was coming from a short counterflow branch that fed several radiators.

So, having the cheat sheet in hand, I asked about the burner setup. This was a Riello, and they said 1.50x60B at 170 PSI.

Wrong answer.

Turns out the supplier had sent a burner for a 5-section boiler instead of a 4-section, and they had installed it without checking it. This thing was wayyyy overfired- 2 GPH instead of 1.25-1.75. We changed the nozzle and reset the pressure, fired it off, tuned it on the analyzer and for the first time it ran normally.

Fortunately, the boiler survived and no one got hurt.

I told the techs (who were not on the install crew for this job), and later the service manager, that the installers were to blame. Why? Because they didn't check it! (as Firedragon would say).

The oil company paid us, and the homeowner had us upgrade the vents. So this ended well except for the oil company, who isn't selling them as much oil anymore due to the vent upgrade.

Mad Dog_2

If I remember Correctly, Mr Torpey, The plumber was acqiutted or won on appeal. They proved that some yo yo came in after the fact and cut the flue short for some reason. Mad Dog

Mad Dog_2

Good catch Steamhead! I saw two guys fire an oil burner with no nozzle. We spent the whole day smoking out the chamber! Speaking of oil, where's Ron Jr?. Mad Dog

Steamhead

Haven't heard from him in a looooooooong time. I miss his boiler-in-a-bottle install pics.