- Thread starter farmer boy
- Start date
fixerupper
Well-known Member
So sad for his parents and family. Not something you would expect from being in school.
A year ago I had a 55 gal drum that I threw in a bonfire blow up like a sonic boom. It was empty but I forgot to unscrew the bung. When it blew it shook windows all over the farm. I found it a good 300 feet from the bonfire. It made a believer out of me. Jim
A year ago I had a 55 gal drum that I threw in a bonfire blow up like a sonic boom. It was empty but I forgot to unscrew the bung. When it blew it shook windows all over the farm. I found it a good 300 feet from the bonfire. It made a believer out of me. Jim
There is nothing to learn in that article. Only 5% of the text, quoted below, attempted to describe the accident. I want to know what caused the explosion.
[i:654c4848f0]Eric Leighton, a grade 12 student at Mother Teresa Catholic High School, was in an auto shop class that was building barbecues when vapours from an empty 55-gallon drum that may once have stored peppermint oil ignited and blew up. About a dozen students and a teacher were in the class at the time.[/i:654c4848f0]
[i:654c4848f0]Eric Leighton, a grade 12 student at Mother Teresa Catholic High School, was in an auto shop class that was building barbecues when vapours from an empty 55-gallon drum that may once have stored peppermint oil ignited and blew up. About a dozen students and a teacher were in the class at the time.[/i:654c4848f0]
Michael Soldan
Well-known Member
That was in Ottawa Ontario. Investigators are trying to determine where he got the barrel with that residue in it. It goes to show how dangerous vapours can be,it also goes to show that there was a lack of knowledge on the part of the students,teacher and the school..letting kids bring in barrels to make into BBQ's
A torch is not how a barrel should be cut open.I could do a far neater job with a sawzall and a new metal cutting blade that would not be a risk to igniting vapors in a barrel and the cuts would be neater and exact. It is a shame that this young man lost his life because no one understood the dangers of a torch around a barrel.
A torch is not how a barrel should be cut open.I could do a far neater job with a sawzall and a new metal cutting blade that would not be a risk to igniting vapors in a barrel and the cuts would be neater and exact. It is a shame that this young man lost his life because no one understood the dangers of a torch around a barrel.
fixerupper
Well-known Member
Could have been a stray spark flying into an open bunghole. A barrel with flammable vapors should never have been in a school shop, but it's too late now. A young man with the whole world ahead of him paid the price.
I had an incident where a spark found a five gallon pail of lacquor thinner that I forgot to put the cap back on. The spark flew clear across the shop and found it's mark in the opening. Didn't explode but it did make a big WHOOFF. Now my paint supplies are inside a closed cabinet with the lids on but I had to get some common sense scared into me first. Jim
I had an incident where a spark found a five gallon pail of lacquor thinner that I forgot to put the cap back on. The spark flew clear across the shop and found it's mark in the opening. Didn't explode but it did make a big WHOOFF. Now my paint supplies are inside a closed cabinet with the lids on but I had to get some common sense scared into me first. Jim
Ken Macfarlane
Well-known Member
Sawzalls make sparks too, just doesn't fling them across a shop.
Michael Soldan
Well-known Member
Ken, yes there are sparks,but not like the open flame of a torch.The discussion the other day about gasoline..we cut gas lines with a die grinder all the time and never had one light up,vapors are different and can be more volatile,but I'd rather take a chance on a saw than a torch..if it were mine filling it with water or giving it a shot of CO2 would prevent any danger.
GeneMO
Well-known Member
- Location
- Pilot Grove, Mo.
Not to be critical, but why would you throw a 55 gallon steel drum on a fire in the first place? I mean, it aint gonna burn and go away.
Gene
Gene
Walt Davies
Well-known Member
Sounds stupid but pour a cup of gas in the barrel an shake it up real good. Gas needs a lot of air to burn. A cleaned out tank is more dangerous than one with some in it.
Walt
Walt
Ken Macfarlane
Well-known Member
Sparks are sparks with a fuel-air mix, as long as they are over the minimum ignition energy required by that fuel at a given temp, it will light up.
Now I have seen the results of using a gas powered chop saw on a toluene tank. They were fine because it was too rich and prevented ignition. They were fine once they grabbed the cutting torch too, until they hit the oxygen lever to start cutting. Kaboom. Killed 3 people if I recall.
A fellow was killed in an auto shop pouring thinner into a barrel. Dry day, sweat shirt and sneakers, static charge sparked when he touched the top and blew burning thinner all over him.
Careful with vapour filled tanks.
Now I have seen the results of using a gas powered chop saw on a toluene tank. They were fine because it was too rich and prevented ignition. They were fine once they grabbed the cutting torch too, until they hit the oxygen lever to start cutting. Kaboom. Killed 3 people if I recall.
A fellow was killed in an auto shop pouring thinner into a barrel. Dry day, sweat shirt and sneakers, static charge sparked when he touched the top and blew burning thinner all over him.
Careful with vapour filled tanks.
Blackhole49
Well-known Member
- Location
- White Lake MI
Thanks Gene, some things just shouldn't have to be said!
Richard H.
Member
farmer boy
Well-known Member
Look at the update time. My link was updated at 11:50pm. Your"s was updated at 4:09pm. He was resuscitated and later died in hospital.
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