MY WALL EXPLODED TODAY!

[ectofix]

Correct, olivero.  Just a tiny arc within that outlet from unplugging the energized 115v Blodgett gas convection oven.

 

What’s more, the air/fuel mixture had to be “just right”. 

 

Natural gas has –

a LEL (lower explosive limit) of 5% gas to 95% air.   Any lower and the gas mixture would’ve been too lean. a UEL (upper explosive limit) of 15% gas to 85% air.  Any higher and the gas mixture would’ve been too rich.

 

SO…a 5% to 15% gas-to-air mixture is the sweet spot.  That had to be the conditions at the outlet when the gas ignited and the wall got blown open.  There was no visible flame…and no evidence of ANY fire afterwards.

 

With the exception of people rushing in from everywhere, the disheveled wall panels & top cap…and dust emanating out the wall’s gaping wounds – TEN SECONDS LATER?  It was like it’d NEVER HAPPENED!

[ectofix]

Thanks, partsgirl!

[olivero]

It’s amazing just how fast some things happen.

 

I guess you just calibrate your burners so well that there is nothing BUT perfect mix ratio in your kitchen!

 

I’ve seen a lot, I’ve been in it a lot and its never fun, gas and electricity are both monsters that have to be harnessed, let em loose and you’re in trouble.

[olivero]

It’s true, and thank you.

 

Most times the guys on here respond faster than the manufacturers tech support and the answers I get here are 8 out of 10, more useful.

[partsgirl]

I meant to register earlier but haven’t had the time. Especially when it’s a thread about residential! HA!

[davejohnsonnola]

Be well my friend. Keep that “concussion protocol” in mind. Glad you’re ok.

Dave

[ectofix]

When I entered this trade in 1998, we were on the cutting edge by carrying pagers and dispatch had a greenbar computer-generated list of jobs that was spit out from a dot-matrix printer.

I have NO idea how old farts like you managed to do your job without those. 

[ectofix]

This whole thing makes me think back to a new-ish restaurant I did repairs in about ten years ago. 

 

I needed to shut the gas off to a fryer.  I pulled the fryer away from the wall, got behind it, grabbed the ball-valve handle and turned it.  The WHOLE VALVE turned as it broke away from the wall.  A flexline followed it from within the wall.

 

OOPS!

 

What’s THIS? 

CSST maybe? Is the entire cook line fed by valves connected to flexible lines from inside the wall? REALLY?

 

Okay then.

Well.  What could I do?  I have no control over newer construction standards. 

 

So…I simply cradled the valve in my other hand, shut off the valve and went about my business by repairing the fryer. 

I DID tell the restaurant manager, but he didn’t seem too concerned.

[fixbear]

We actually answered a phone and talked to the customer. Good customers had my home phone and pager number as well.  The challenge was finding a phone out in the boonies to return the page.