[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Home explosions continue across the country, catastrophic trend shows no signs of stopping -CBS (Page 2 of 4)
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Quoted: That was me, I just saw the video come across my YouTube feed. The firefighter fatality mentioned at 4:50 in the video is my old department. 11 guys total got hurt, 1 with severe burns, plus the two homeowners. My former boss got burned up and trapped in the basement but his burns weren’t as bad as the other guy. The dead guy had the unfortunate circumstance of standing in the front door right at the moment of the blast and took the full brunt of the pressure wave. DRT. They just charged the propane delivery driver with manslaughter over it. I think this is the article on it? https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/northern-virginia/man-charged-in-deadly-virginia-explosion-mishandled-propane-leak-documents-say/3748959/ "Roger Bentley, a former employee of agricultural retailer Southern States Cooperative, was indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter, "unlawful release of hazardous materials, namely, liquified petroleum gas" and related charges, Loudoun County officials said Tuesday. A leak from a 500-gallon underground propane tank caused the explosion that destroyed the house on Silver Ridge Drive on Feb. 16 and killed 45-year-old Trevor Brown, the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System said. Eleven first responders were hurt. Two people who lived at the home got out before the blast, but suffered minor injuries. According to the indictment, Bentley was not properly certified to transfer the propane that leaked before the explosion." |
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Quoted: In south American countries, when the population gets uppity, the first think the governments do is shut the juice off in those areas where the unrest is going on. Going full electric means giving the government the capability to completely end all modern utilities. Sort of like how the government's foaming at the mouth to make electric car makers to install remote kill switches. The government can’t shut off the gas? Interesting. |
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Quoted: The "infrastructure" isn't responsible for hardly any of these explosions. In almost all cases it's either operator error or failure to maintain the privately-owned appliances and gas systems within the home. Skipped leak tests, old/faulty gas lines within the home, DIY stuff that works until it doesn't, etc. It's a hot topic right now because of the environmental concerns. They're not using these events to garner support so they can fix the infrastructure. They're using these events to justify not longer using it at all. You won't be able to afford heat and you'll be cold all the time, but I guess you'll be happy because no more house explosions. |
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Quoted: Jeezus... Google AI Sez... natural gas vs electric fires in homes statistics: "According to data from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), while both types of fires occur, electrical fires are generally considered more prevalent than natural gas fires in homes, with statistics showing a significantly higher number of electrical fires reported each year, often linked to issues like faulty wiring and appliances; however, natural gas leaks can still lead to substantial fire risks when ignited" I'll stick with natural gas to heat my home safely and cheaply. Screw the greeny weeny commies...send them to North Korea to freeze and starve. I want a nice warm home for low dollars.  Statistics can also be misleading. Virtually all homes have electricity while only around 60% have natural gas. I’m a Mechanical contractor and do a lot of natural gas. 60 years is not old for gas piping within a home if done properly. The problem with natural gas is not fire but explosions. Natural gas will only ignite when the concentration is between 4% and 14%. |
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Last summer I found 2 propane leaks. One at my house and one at my neighbor's. Mine was outside copper line that had split at a flared fitting at the house regulator. Neighbors was a seal failure on the gauge. I could smell both out side 20+ ft away. Neighbors got a whole new tank from supplier. I replaced my whole buried line and found 2 splices and a collapsed bend/kink along with direct contact with poured concrete sidewalk. I got supplier to upsize and replace the lp tank from 1955. New tank leaked at gauge and had to call them back. Ended up replacing all regulators and adding junk trap at the furnace that wasn't installed originally. I also have a CO and combustible gas detector in the basement near furnace. Also have co/smoke detectors in every bedroom upstairs. Several years ago I think a couple towns in TN got a couple hundred faulty ng regulators that leaked and caused several fires/explosions. They were turning gas off to whole neighborhoods while waiting for replacements once it was discovered. I'm sure there was probably 1000s of bad/counterfeit regulators that made it to the US just that year. |
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Breaking: Qatar cutting Europe off of Natural Gas. Ha! https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/minister-says-qatar-will-stop-eu-gas-sales-if-fined-under-due-diligence-law-ft-2024-12-22/ Germany had no money to pay them for it and came up with fining Qatar …to get Qatar to give them the gas for free |
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Quoted: I think this is the article on it? https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/northern-virginia/man-charged-in-deadly-virginia-explosion-mishandled-propane-leak-documents-say/3748959/ "Roger Bentley, a former employee of agricultural retailer Southern States Cooperative, was indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter, "unlawful release of hazardous materials, namely, liquified petroleum gas" and related charges, Loudoun County officials said Tuesday. A leak from a 500-gallon underground propane tank caused the explosion that destroyed the house on Silver Ridge Drive on Feb. 16 and killed 45-year-old Trevor Brown, the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System said. Eleven first responders were hurt. Two people who lived at the home got out before the blast, but suffered minor injuries. According to the indictment, Bentley was not properly certified to transfer the propane that leaked before the explosion." Quoted: Quoted: That was me, I just saw the video come across my YouTube feed. The firefighter fatality mentioned at 4:50 in the video is my old department. 11 guys total got hurt, 1 with severe burns, plus the two homeowners. My former boss got burned up and trapped in the basement but his burns weren’t as bad as the other guy. The dead guy had the unfortunate circumstance of standing in the front door right at the moment of the blast and took the full brunt of the pressure wave. DRT. They just charged the propane delivery driver with manslaughter over it. I think this is the article on it? https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/northern-virginia/man-charged-in-deadly-virginia-explosion-mishandled-propane-leak-documents-say/3748959/ "Roger Bentley, a former employee of agricultural retailer Southern States Cooperative, was indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter, "unlawful release of hazardous materials, namely, liquified petroleum gas" and related charges, Loudoun County officials said Tuesday. A leak from a 500-gallon underground propane tank caused the explosion that destroyed the house on Silver Ridge Drive on Feb. 16 and killed 45-year-old Trevor Brown, the Loudoun County Combined Fire and Rescue System said. Eleven first responders were hurt. Two people who lived at the home got out before the blast, but suffered minor injuries. According to the indictment, Bentley was not properly certified to transfer the propane that leaked before the explosion." How did that happen? What, exactly, did the propane guy do or neglect to do that caused the explosion? |
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Quoted: Jeezus... Google AI Sez... natural gas vs electric fires in homes statistics: "According to data from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), while both types of fires occur, electrical fires are generally considered more prevalent than natural gas fires in homes, with statistics showing a significantly higher number of electrical fires reported each year, often linked to issues like faulty wiring and appliances; however, natural gas leaks can still lead to substantial fire risks when ignited" I'll stick with natural gas to heat my home safely and cheaply. Screw the greeny weeny commies...send them to North Korea to freeze and starve. I want a nice warm home for low dollars. You must use kerosene for lights huh? Also of course there are more. All homes have electric not all homes have gas. How many per 100k or million would be the right statistic. |
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Quoted: Gas detectors are a thing in RV’s… Last one I saw was a combo carbon-monoxide / propane / natural gas alarm…loud as fock too if it was triggered…. If I had a home with gas, guaranteed I’d have at least a couple in a strategic locations. On a related note….we all know there’s NEVER been a house fire because of old wiring… I have those in my house. My fireplace, downstairs hvac, and cook top are all gas. I regularly inspection the lines. When it's not winter I shut of thr fireplace at the valve. |
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Quoted: How many people die and houses burn down from electrical issues? After almost 40 years in the NG field, I can honestly say people are afraid of the wrong things most of the time and retards the rest of the time. I went to ONE NG Kaboom fatality and countless electrical caused house fires and multiple fatalities. [the NG one was from a dig in done by a company that would literally tell us NG workers they didn't give a fvck if they hit our stuff because it was cheaper and faster then avoiding it. The state didn't give enough of a fvck to stop them. ] VERY few people have even the slightest clue on the frequency of leak surveying done by their NG company. Now propane companies, yeah, they aren't even on the same playing field.............. For the last 4-5 year before I retired, we used a hand held laser costing around 13K each to detect gas leaks. EVERY gas service vehicle had one. You could pick up leaks 100's of feet away. LZ30's were the ones we had. Awesome piece of kit. Homeowners are total retards when it comes to ''fixing'' their own stuff, most are so dumb they don't even soap connections. Installers of appliances are just about at the same level of skill. PS, if I see pipe dope on a wedge type gas fitting, a retard was here. This plus 31 years. |
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One blew up in Pottstown, PA in 2022 and killed 5 people, an adult and 4 children. They still don’t have a cause. Gas odors had been reported in the area frequently but the utility says it wasn’t them. Meth lab ruled out. Property had an intact propane tank after the explosion, don’t know the size or purpose, but the house had electric heat. https://northpennnow.com/news/2022/jun/03/investigation-into-pottstown-house-explosion-continues-survivors-hire-philly-law-firm-for-representation/ |
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Quoted: Gas detectors are a thing in RV’s… Last one I saw was a combo carbon-monoxide / propane / natural gas alarm…loud as fock too if it was triggered…. If I had a home with gas, guaranteed I’d have at least a couple in a strategic locations. On a related note….we all know there’s NEVER been a house fire because of old wiring… This. natural gas isn't the problem, its the lack of detection equipment |
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Quoted: He's a great guy, and was a huge net positive. Our professional lives cross a bit, and he was working with me for a bit this past year. He employs a bunch of Arfcom's best, including the legendary Ben who successfully built and registered the first legal frag grenade. Hard to find a more honest and hardworking person. But mods gonna mod. i need to give him a ring as well, but be sure to give him a "Hello" from me if you do it in the next few weeks. I had no idea SCW was banned. That's a shame. 
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A good friend of mine was killed in Oct from a house explosion. Her and her husband did mold remediation. Was called to a house. Owner said they smelled propane in the basement and called the propane company. Company came out said "nope that's mold". They went down and it blew. Somehow a recliner fell on him and protected him. He was down in the burning basement for like 30 minutes before rescued. Spent 6 weeks in the burn unit. He's amazingly 99 percent now. Other than losing his wife. I also have propane home appliances. I'm not really worried. |
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Seems like most of these issues are lack of maintenance or poor installation of appliances. There’s been natural gas in every house I’ve ever lived in. Current place was built in 1909. The gas provider came through the neighborhood about 7-8 years ago and replaced all of the gas mains up to and including the meters on all of the houses. (NE IL) My SIL lives about a mile from us and had new appliances installed last year. She called me after the ‘professional’ installers left because she smelled gas. Turns out they used the wrong fitting to connect the stove and there was a huge leak. I went and bought the right fitting, doped it and leak tested it. Could have blown up her whole condo building. |
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Quoted: In south American countries, when the population gets uppity, the first think the governments do is shut the juice off in those areas where the unrest is going on. Going full electric means giving the government the capability to completely end all modern utilities. Sort of like how the government's foaming at the mouth to make electric car makers to install remote kill switches. Because gas can't be shut off also, right? Just like ICE vehicles surely can't have remote kill swutches also? |
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Quoted: I’ve repaired leaking gas lines in occupied homes that I could smell from the outside before I even entered and they didn’t explode. These exploding homes have to be unoccupied, along with neighbors not reporting gas smells to the gas company. Maybe the newer homes are sealed up enough to create the right conditions. The most common leak I found around here was caused by shitty installations. The next most common was bad pro press fittings on copper pipe. Around here, gas lines are L copper, black iron pipe, or tract pipe. Tracing gas leaks in tract pipe is impossible unless it’s at a joint. First house I moved into, I smelled a gas leak about 2 weeks in. Called the utilities company (like 5pm on Saturday or Sunday night) and I had someone at my house in about 20 minutes. Turns out the fitting to the dryer had come loose, but it was clear that the utilities company took it seriously. These stories make me wonder if no one smelled it, or ignored it, or if it was a sudden catastrophic failure. Was it propane, or natural gas, or what? I see some of the posters with answers, hard to say there are good solutions to some of them. |
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Quoted: Seems like most of these issues are lack of maintenance or poor installation of appliances. There’s been natural gas in every house I’ve ever lived in. Current place was built in 1909. The gas provider came through the neighborhood about 7-8 years ago and replaced all of the gas mains up to and including the meters on all of the houses. (NE IL) My SIL lives about a mile from us and had new appliances installed last year. She called me after the ‘professional’ installers left because she smelled gas. Turns out they used the wrong fitting to connect the stove and there was a huge leak. I went and bought the right fitting, doped it and leak tested it. Could have blown up her whole condo building. Please tell me you contacted the company as well as other condo owners to let them know about this so they can inspect and verify no other similar mistakes were made |
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Quoted: Please tell me you contacted the company as well as other condo owners to let them know about this so they can inspect and verify no other similar mistakes were made Oh yeah, she ripped Best Buy a new one. That crew also neglected to turn the water back on to the new dishwasher so it wasn’t working after they left either. I went through everything they did to check/ fix as needed. Saw no need to contact other condo owners as it was just her unit getting new appliances. |
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Quoted: In Pa. gas company just replaced all the gas lines to homes in our neighborhood. Said lines to most homes were between 60 to 80 years old. They also replaced meters and added some type of emergency automatic shut off. Havn't had any explosions since!  Any new or replacement service line has an EFV installed at the main. [Excess Flow Valve] If someone cuts the service, the valve will trip and only allow a small amount of gas to vent. Once repaired, that small amount of gas the EFV passes fills up the service line and resets the EFV to it's regular flow of gas. |
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These are nothing. Have you ever seen a fertilizer warehouse explode? It can be like a nuke going off. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKFupx9x0-k There goes the neighborhood. |
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Quoted: In south American countries, when the population gets uppity, the first think the governments do is shut the juice off in those areas where the unrest is going on. Going full electric means giving the government the capability to completely end all modern utilities. Sort of like how the government's foaming at the mouth to make electric car makers to install remote kill switches. Saw this exact thing in a Christmas movie |
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Quoted: Do they not put the stinky stuff in natural gas? You can smell a propane leak about 5 seconds after it starts. Yes they do.The only lines that aren't odorized are transmission lines. Odor [mercaptan] is added at the ''city gates'' or regulation that drops the pressure to high, medium, or low pressure that can be used by businesses and homes. If on a high pressure line, a regulator is installed on the line before the meter to reduce the pressure down to around 20-30 PSI usually. [there are different regs and pressures depending on the gas needs] I'll be really blunt. I have never been overly impressed with FD's and their knowledge of NG. [or, surprisingly, CO when it involves gas appliances] They do a great job of putting out fires, past that, leave the NG field, repairs, and so on to people who know what they are doing. |
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Quoted: Gas detectors are a thing in RV’s… Last one I saw was a combo carbon-monoxide / propane / natural gas alarm…loud as fock too if it was triggered…. If I had a home with gas, guaranteed I’d have at least a couple in a strategic locations. On a related note….we all know there’s NEVER been a house fire because of old wiring… @TheAlmightyYak It’s been posted here before that fire rates are the same with electric, oil, gas, etc heat. Propane and natural gas heat would still freak me out but it has no basis in reality. I lived in Boston for a year and had a gas stove. Gas stove = awesome. I do use propane space heaters for ice-fishing and space heating at times. |
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Quoted: This plus 31 years. I have seen very old homes with wiring that would scare the crap out of any rational person. Old electrical wiring wrapped in a paper sheathing is most likely referred to as "cloth wiring" or "knob and tube wiring," A fire trap for sure. It has been illegal to sell a home with this type of wiring for years but it still pops up. You must bring the wiring up to code before it can be sold. An old friend of mine had to spend thousands of dollars on a home he inherited before he could sell it. |
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Quoted: Because gas can't be shut off also, right? Just like ICE vehicles surely can't have remote kill swutches also? Quoted: Quoted: In south American countries, when the population gets uppity, the first think the governments do is shut the juice off in those areas where the unrest is going on. Going full electric means giving the government the capability to completely end all modern utilities. Sort of like how the government's foaming at the mouth to make electric car makers to install remote kill switches. Because gas can't be shut off also, right? Just like ICE vehicles surely can't have remote kill swutches also? I've got a big propane tank that runs a whole home generator. I guess the equivalent would be solar and battery banks. |
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Quoted: Quoted: In south American countries, when the population gets uppity, the first think the governments do is shut the juice off in those areas where the unrest is going on. Going full electric means giving the government the capability to completely end all modern utilities. Sort of like how the government's foaming at the mouth to make electric car makers to install remote kill switches. Just like ICE vehicles surely can't have remote kill swutches also? |
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Quoted: I guess the leveled house with a dead child in it down the road is just bullshit right? Those 60+ year old pipes failing are also fake and gay.  Im not for banning gas, dont get me wrong. Im for fixing our infrastructure before it kills me. I have one outside my utility room. They are expensive (more in the 60 - 150 range) but as a long time renter without control over the stuff in the house it's been a good thing to have. |
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Quoted: The gentleman that you had mentioned awhile back on here that was in the burn ward. How’s he doing now? I knew it sounded like a slow and painful road for awhile. Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: There was somebody here who is a retired firefighter that had a guy from his old department get severely burnt from a house explosion. If I remember correctly, another firefighter was killed. It’s a very real problem. That was me, I just saw the video come across my YouTube feed. The firefighter fatality mentioned at 4:50 in the video is my old department. 11 guys total got hurt, 1 with severe burns, plus the two homeowners. My former boss got burned up and trapped in the basement but his burns weren’t as bad as the other guy. The dead guy had the unfortunate circumstance of standing in the front door right at the moment of the blast and took the full brunt of the pressure wave. DRT. They just charged the propane delivery driver with manslaughter over it. The gentleman that you had mentioned awhile back on here that was in the burn ward. How’s he doing now? I knew it sounded like a slow and painful road for awhile. @M1Zeppelin As far as I know he’s recovered physically, but mentally he’s still not well. I don’t think he’s gone back to duty. He’s a volunteer and a school teacher for the county. I’m not sure if he’s gone back to teaching yet. My boss just returned to duty back in October. There was another volunteer, a girl who was right next to Trevor, the dead firefighter, the blast knocked her back and broke her leg. She’s the one who crawled back up to him first and tried to render aid but it was obvious he was gone. She’s recovered physically, but she’s got some mental stuff we’re helping her with. These 3 guys were the most seriously injured. |
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Quoted: I have seen very old homes with wiring that would scare the crap out of any rational person. Old electrical wiring wrapped in a paper sheathing is most likely referred to as "cloth wiring" or "knob and tube wiring," A fire trap for sure. It has been illegal to sell a home with this type of wiring for years but it still pops up. You must bring the wiring up to code before it can be sold. An old friend of mine had to spend thousands of dollars on a home he inherited before he could sell it. Quoted: Quoted: This plus 31 years. I have seen very old homes with wiring that would scare the crap out of any rational person. Old electrical wiring wrapped in a paper sheathing is most likely referred to as "cloth wiring" or "knob and tube wiring," A fire trap for sure. It has been illegal to sell a home with this type of wiring for years but it still pops up. You must bring the wiring up to code before it can be sold. An old friend of mine had to spend thousands of dollars on a home he inherited before he could sell it. That’s not true, knob and tube or cloth covered wiring (they’re not the same thing,although can be found together) don’t create a non sellable home. It can be harder to get insurance in certain markets but even that isn’t super common. Service and breaker boxes are a bigger concern than that style wiring. And all of it is better than that late 60s early 70s aluminum wiring. THAT shit will burn your house down. |
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I miss SCW. He was one of the best members here, ever. Having said that - every form of heat has potential dangers. We use electric some, mostly wood. Both have risks. I’m borderline paranoid about how we use our wood stove. But thus far it has been a blessing to us. YMMV. |