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Radiator "Explodes" & Kills 2 NYC Children

This surely was a terrible incident. Does anyone know exactly what happened & why? I;m asking because there haven't been any follow-up stories with details.
Answerman

Comments

  • Mark Eatherton
    Mark Eatherton Member Posts: 5,853
    I suspect this is headed for litigation, and as such, facts will not be disclosed until after the trial. Tragic loss of young life...

    In my 40 years, I've NEVER heard of a radiator "exploding"...

    ME
    It's not so much a case of "You got what you paid for", as it is a matter of "You DIDN'T get what you DIDN'T pay for, and you're NOT going to get what you thought you were in the way of comfort". Borrowed from Heatboy.
    FXProglJrRomanGK_26986764589delta T
  • FXProglJr
    FXProglJr Member Posts: 83
    thanks for your thoughts....I can;t imagine one exploding either, but was hoping someone had some real info instead of waiting to hear how the lawyers make it sound.....
  • stevieg
    stevieg Member Posts: 19
    Im with Mark on that, 32 years in for me and have never seen such a thing. What a terrible situation though.
  • Mad Dog_2
    Mad Dog_2 Member Posts: 6,831
    I still say...

    Loose air vent worn thread
    Higher pressure than needed
    Questionable supervision


    Tragic loss. Mad Dog
    FXProglJrdelta TCLamb
  • Fred
    Fred Member Posts: 8,542
    I agree @Mad Dog . The last article, I saw, showed the police taking the suspect radiator out for further investigation. It did not look damaged or "exploded".
  • STEAM DOCTOR
    STEAM DOCTOR Member Posts: 1,951
    @Fred. I also saw that picture. Seems to me that the shutoff valve is missing. Hard to tell from the picture. Wonder if it snapped off.
  • Fred
    Fred Member Posts: 8,542
    @STEAM DOCTOR I assumed they left the shut-off valve on the steam supply pipe so the rest of the system could still function but who knows. With young kids, they stand on things, play with things, it's even possible there wasn't even a valve on there. So many details we don't know.
  • STEAM DOCTOR
    STEAM DOCTOR Member Posts: 1,951
    I meant the tailpiece with the nut. Should still be in the radiator
  • Mad Dog_2
    Mad Dog_2 Member Posts: 6,831
    Millions
    of us grew up in the 5 boros with The Steam, I just HATE to see it DEMONIZED. Other contributing factors here..I'll BET ON IT. Mad Dog
    FXProglJr
  • Mark Eatherton
    Mark Eatherton Member Posts: 5,853

    I meant the tailpiece with the nut. Should still be in the radiator

    Trust me, if the fire department was asked to remove the radiator, they zipped it with a demo saw. ZING....

    ME

    It's not so much a case of "You got what you paid for", as it is a matter of "You DIDN'T get what you DIDN'T pay for, and you're NOT going to get what you thought you were in the way of comfort". Borrowed from Heatboy.
    margsuarezdelta T
  • STEAM DOCTOR
    STEAM DOCTOR Member Posts: 1,951
    @Mark Eatherton . Could be. I have seen the tailpiece snap off. Shims under far end of rad. No shims under valve side of rad. Rad pitched toward shutoff valve. Shutoff valve bearing weight of rad. SNAP. Seen it happen. Just saying. Who knows. We might never know. Painful tragedy regardless.
  • margsuarez
    margsuarez Member Posts: 54
    Incredibly tragic. I work as an elevator mechanic, and similarly when a serious incident occurs either involving the public or one of us, the press reports are usually wildly inaccurate and filled with speculation. Sadly, because litigation tends to silence everyone involved, important safety lessons are withheld from us in the trade and from the general public. If the city does an investigation, though, their reports are public and available (months later) on http://www1.nyc.gov/site/doi/newsroom/public-reports.page

    The following press reports need to be taken with a grain of salt, but the end of the first quotes a worker with the plumbing company that removed the radiator ("valves ... pop off"), and the second gives some insight into the reason for a wrongful death lawsuit ("valve blew off a steam radiator").

    http://nypost.com/2016/12/08/baby-sisters-burned-to-death-were-sleeping-next-to-radiator-that-exploded/

    http://nypost.com/2016/12/19/parents-of-kids-killed-by-radiator-having-a-very-difficult-time/

    So sorry for that family. No matter how troubled their past, no one deserves to lose their children in an accident.

    Wishing every one a safe and happy new year.

    marg
    Triangle Tube Prestige Solo 110 with Trimax Controls (3x oversized)
    950 sqft of WarmBoard on 3 floors, 5 loops acting as one zone
    FXProglJr