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Boiler explosion in White Marsh, MD

Steamhead
Steamhead Member Posts: 17,977
in THE MAIN WALL

https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/maryland-boiler-malfunction-police-employee-injured/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=nextdoor.com&utm_campaign=nextdoor_news

They don't give too many details but apparently it was being worked on at the time………………

All Steamed Up, Inc.
Towson, MD, USA
Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
Oil & Gas Burner Service
Consulting
SlamDunk

Comments

  • SlamDunk
    SlamDunk Member Posts: 1,769
    edited September 23

    I may be wrong but the lack of moisture and the cast appearing intact, it looks like a gas/burner explosion. Glad he survived.

    EBEBRATT-EdGGross
  • SlamDunk
    SlamDunk Member Posts: 1,769
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 18,598

    @SlamDunk

    I agree. Looks like a fire box explosion not the boiler itself. Hope he was not bypassing a safety control trying to get it to work. I saw one that had the same issue. It moved the boiler 6" even though it was full of water. We jacked it back into position. Delayed ignition.

    Hopefully he is not badly hurt

  • GGross
    GGross Member Posts: 1,628

    Stay safe out there everyone.

    SlamDunk
  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 11,128
    edited September 24

    "I only reset it once"

    I know… It's not an oil burner… but you can still reset commercial power burners.

    Edward Young Retired

    After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?

    mattmia2
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 14,246
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1865861#Comment_1865861

    i was wondering about this if the had sufficient lockout to let the chamber clear if you kept resetting things

  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 11,128
    edited September 24

    Actually the flame safeguard controls on commercial (both oil and gas power burners) have a substantial pre-purge and post-purge timing where the fuel valve stays closed and the burner blower motor continues to force air thru the boiler. So resetting a gas burner is not likely to cause that problem. Testing with 24 volts applied, will open the gas valve, and forgetting to remove that 24 volts on a test cycle will put enough gas in there to send someone to the hospital.

    As with all oil burners if there is not flame, then pre purge and post purge will not vent liquid fuel from the chamber… it will vent gas form the chamber. My brother went to the hospital for burns to his face years ago as a result of a commercial oil burner being "reset only once". It was well documented on the stationary engineer's log book too. Three boilers were checked on each shift change. Three times a day.

    • Boiler #1 operating and pressure gauge reading within proper operating range
    • Boiler #2 operating and pressure gauge reading within proper operating range
    • Boiler #3 not operating, reset only once, did not start.

    This went on for a week until the managing plant supervisor reviewed the log book for the week and called my brother's company for a repair.

    Now that means, if you do the math, they hit the "reset only once" for 7 days three times a day. That is 21 times the 15 second trial for ignition with no flame, amount of oil sitting in the chamber. After the ignition transformer was replaced the burner operated as it should… except for the extra oil in the chamber.

    Edward Young Retired

    After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?

  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 18,598

    If you have a leaking oil or gas fuel valve leaking by you better keep your head down. We were working on a commercial oil burner, and the oil valve was leaking by on pre purge and we didn't know it.

    After purging it lit the gas pilot (the main oil valve should be closed at this point) but main flame lit off when the pilot lit…..with a pretty good bang.

  • SlamDunk
    SlamDunk Member Posts: 1,769

    A leaky valve would do it but the purge time would prevent it. We bubble test our gas valves annually to make sure there isnt a leak.

    Miata
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 18,598

    If a fuel valve is leaking by purging the boiler on prepurge may not prevent an explosion.

    Normally the burner runs on pre purge to exhaust any fumes then ignition comes on then main flame or pilot depending on the burner.

    If a valve is leaking by and your purging but have no ignition yet you will still most likely have a rough start at the least .

    Some of this is confusing because the sequence of light off will be different with residential and commercial burners.

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