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OT/ Exploding electric water heater in Calfornia this week.

C

cadet trooper

Well-known Member
I know this OT but did anyone see where an electric water heater exploded and sailed 4 blocks? fortunately no one was injured but a lot of property damage. I guess I need to check my pressure release valve more frequently.
 
I watched the show that Mythbusters had on about this same thing. It was busted due to the fact that not only do they have a relief valve, but the pressure just would not get to make the tank blow. Got the link to the story, I'm interested.
 
That show is a crock. Theres no way in the world they can get all the facts lined up as it happens theres to many things they can not reproduce and because of that its more like myth farce the busters. Neat show but they don't even have a clue.
 
(quoted from post at 21:25:48 08/16/08) I watched the show that Mythbusters had on about this same thing. It was busted due to the fact that not only do they have a relief valve, but the pressure just would not get to make the tank blow. Got the link to the story, I'm interested.
Click to expand...

Dave, which show did you watch? This episode shows it has some possibility: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmJoyuUJj2Q
 
Like the one with the butane lighter not being able to kill a person. They said no way but I for one know it can and does happen because when I was in the navy it did happen to a guy I knew. He was cutting with a torch over head and had a bic lighter in his pocket. When he didn't show back up when he should have they went looking for him. They found him with a hole in his chest about as big as your fist, his heart was blown away
 
I think you would have to have a lot of things go wrong to have a water heater do that! By the way, I like mythbusters, I think they use some very scientific procedures to prove that some myths are just that, myths!
 
The one I saw was a white tank in an open lot. I have seen this one too, but there were alot of modifications to make this blow as it did. What you didn't see is the removal of the pressure relief. You also didn't see the electrical modifications to the safety devices. Then you should also understand that the water level was lowered to almost nothing to build steam. Your water pipes will blow long before the tank. The pressure relief blows off at 150 pounds pressure. Plastic pipe blows apart as used in current homes. I'm hoping the author pokes in the link to the story. If this is a typical occurrance, I'd like to see the info gathered.
 
I'm just sorting through just under 400 emails. Been doing the things that I should have done over the past years. Realizing how short life can be opened my eyes in a horiffic way. I'm taking a few more weeks to be Dad to my youngest. He and everyone here just don't look at things the same way we did more than a week ago. Trying to get a routine back and get caught up. I'll be going back to work on the 29th.
 
Dave, it happened in Des Moines, Iowa about twenty years ago. It was a gas water heater in the basement of an old 1 1/2 story house. It went thru the first floor, the second floor and then thru the ceiling and roof and still had momentum to clear the peak of the roof. No one was home at the time, but the damage was considerable. The heater had a relief valve on it, but it didn"t open. The bottom came out of it, and it became a rocket. I agree that it takes several things to occur to make this happen, but mythbusters didn"t have an OLD heater to use. Old heater will have sediment at the bottom that will eat through the glass lining there first, so the bottom in an old heater is already weakened. I"m guilty of not checking my pop off valve, too. Should check it when smoke alarm bats are changed
 
Right after I got out of the Navy in the summer of 62 there was a house near Auburn with the family on vacation. They had an old hot water heater and the valve stuck and the rusted out bottom blew, it went though the roof and landed on a neighbors house about one block away. I have seen the pictures so don't tell me it can't happen.
Problem with Myth Busters is they use new stuff not old rusted out stuff.
Walt
 
This happened to me so I know it can. Mine didn't blow up, but the pop off valve stuck. The tank held, but it backed up extrememly hot water, just short of steam. Wife came home from school, went in an flushed the toilet and the thing sort of exploded. Steam was coming out the toilet tank. She ran out of the house and called my dad. It forced boiling water back through the cold water inlet pipes. It actually started to melt the plastic pipe underground. Part of this house had galvanized and also some copper, but it made a mess our of all the plastic. I had to dig up a bunch underground and replace a bunch of stuff in the house.

Gene
 
Dave, been down the path you are taking now. For the next while ,things could be a little 'foggy' around you. I can't offer you any advice other than to be careful of yourself and your family at this time. Kent in NB.
 
Well guys like you there are a lot of unanswered questions like for this to happened it would have ran out of water plus it should have done like Walt said relief blown and produced hot water in some unsuspecting places and after watching the video the resident said I'm just happy to be alive and can replace my old stuff with new stuff doesn't sound like a homeowner and after looking at the neighborhood it could have been a landlord tennant dispute like his water was shutoff and valves closed from the heater to the house I am assuming relief valve failed god I hope the valve wasn't tampered with It happened in Cal. so I guess we won't know what the investigation found. Good to see you on here dave diehl hope you're doing OK like the others my e-mail is open.
 
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