EXPLODING UNVENTED CYLINDER

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BigBurner

I noticed on Screwfix someone is asking advice as his unvented cylinder exploded - yes in the UK. He said, "was gushing steam and water into my airing cupboard. Luckily no one was under the water or they might not be here now"
http://www.screwfix.com/talk/thread.jspathreadID=100132&tstart=0

The cylinder failed and a violent explosion occurred.

He was lucky as, no one was near the cylinder when it exploded violently. A death would have resulted. It was not like a megaflo with an internal expansion vessel, otherwise the the whole cylinder would have taken off like rocket through the roof killing people.

The unvented cylinder should be removed ASAP and a zero risk vented thermal store/heat bank fitted. Unvented cylinders are time-bombs, terrorists could not have done better.

Unvented Cylinder blasts:

http://www.masterplumbers.com/plumbnews/2001/dec/avonasp
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/33094boom28.shtml
http://www2.canada.com/edmonton/edm...y.html?id=02acabcc-e7c4-43e4-8fe05c298527e2d5

http://www.abc15.com/news/local/sto...north-Phoenix-home/7p8jpeMzcU664SrKb_osA.cspx

2d3s6v.jpg

ehg7l0.jpg


http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=puFwgIHsQA

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=GF_WrmNs0I
 
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The cylinder did NOT explode, the expansion vessel had split. The OP admitted the installation had NOT been fitted in accordance with regulations and the installer was NOT certified. Reading the posts, those with the know how believe it is a wind up, despite being asked to post some pics the OP has not done so. Until this happens I am still thinking this is a wind up too.

If this 'explosion' had been sufficient to case any major amount of damage, why has it not come to the attention of the media?
 
The cylinder did NOT explode, the expansion vessel had split.

Which is apart of the cylinder controls. It did it "violently".

"was gushing steam and water into my airing cupboard. Luckily no one was under the water or they might not be here now".

The OP admitted the installation had NOT been fitted in accordance with regulations

That was only the tundish removal and discharge pipe which was still to atmosphere and never opened. The point is ....THE CYLINDER FAILED AND A VIOLENT EXPLOSION OCCURRED - IS THE PRIME POINT The so called wonderful safety devices failed.

If this 'explosion' had been sufficient to case any major amount of damage, why has it not come to the attention of the media?

How many are hushed up!!!!
 
I went to one yesterday, faults were:

1/ D2 pipework from tundish for tpr valve 15mm 6m run, coper pipe but plastic push fit fittings.

2/ Expansion valve not drained through a tundish, and even if it was there coulcn't be a 300mm vertical drop before the first bend due to the position the expansion valve was fitted in. Again run in 15mm usning plastic fittings.

3/ termination of combined D2 pipework just came straight out from roof tile at edge just like the old warning pipes from an open vented system, so that if it blew in a big way it could harm people on the ground below. It would have been quite easy to install a new hopper head in a nearbye fall pipe.

4/ Pressure reducing valve right beside cylinder whereas best practice is to place it 6 meters away (though there is hardly an instalation where this is observed)

5/ trussed roof, 250 litre cylinder just placed on square of chipwood direct to original joists unstrengthened.

The owner claimed it was installed by the original builder of the modern home, but it had all the hallmarks of a retrofit by unqualified person who probably didn't speak English sufficiently well to apreciate the manufacturer's instructions, or if English was the first language, just plain ignorant.

Check for correct certificates before instructing someone to fit an unvented cylinder. What you don't know is dangerous.
 
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Wow I thought, BB has come up with an exploding Unvented cylinder :eek:

Turns out to be his over active imagination again. so a EV has split again :rolleyes: and quite clearly the cylinder and safety kit hadn't been installed correctly hence the steam. No mention of make of cylinder either as far as I
could see. It may have even been a cheep Chinese one that are now being supplied and installed illegally in the UK and probably installed with cheap foreign labour.
 
and as usual Bird Brain is talking out his rear end

if he had any pictures of an exploded UK cylinder he would post that NOT a foreign Utube link for a cylinder that was probably not installed correctly

so Post a UK picture or shut up your a pr8t
 
I very much doubt that this thread is for real.

Could this possibly be BigBurner now posting under another pseudonym and creating his own fictitious threads in order to give himself the opportunity to copy and paste the "unvented cylinders are bad" carp again!!?? :rolleyes:
 
I went to one yesterday, faults were:

1/ D2 pipework from tundish for tpr valve 15mm 6m run, coper pipe but plastic push fit fittings.

2/ Expansion valve not drained through a tundish, and even if it was there coulcn't be a 300mm vertical drop before the first bend due to the position the expansion valve was fitted in. Again run in 15mm usning plastic fittings.

3/ termination of combined D2 pipework just came straight out from roof tile at edge just like the old warning pipes from an open vented system, so that if it blew in a big way it could harm people on the ground below. It would have been quite easy to install a new hopper head in a nearbye fall pipe.

4/ Pressure reducing valve right beside cylinder whereas best practice is to place it 6 meters away (though there is hardly an instalation where this is observed)

Not to specs, however none of the above would prevent a discharge though. The discharge pipe was open to atmosphere.

In this case the safety devices must have failed to allow such a violent life threatening explosion.
 
It must have only just happened

Obviously he wasn't there at the time either, so the above bullshit from BigBurner is wrong again, how could he tell if there was violent explosion.

It's a Hoax Dr Drivel, so get a life.
 
Well I had a heat bank that needed major investment from the Government to prevent it collapsing... Just imagine, it's easy if you try.

Had a major explosion from the expansion vessel on a Highflow 400... The water was coming out at the rate of one drip every 30 seconds or so... Just imagine if ther had been a mouse walking under that drip at the right time... The poor mite would have been dripped on... No doubt in my mind that combis should be banned..
 
There you go Drivel the full text.

Note the bit "There seems to be a couple of issues" Not I'm going to kill the barsteward, Oh no, "I say old chap is my cylinder supposed to do that" the ceilings are frightfully damp.

Hi,
I need some advice. I came back to my house a couple of weeks ago to hear it raining hot water through my kitchen ceiling. The expansion vessel on the unvented hot water system had split open (apparently pretty violently) and was gushing steam and water into my airing cupboard. Luckily no one was under the water or they might not be here now and the damage was not too bad (must only have happened 4 or 5 minutes before my return).

We had the tank recently moved by the builders of our extension and there seem to have been a couple of issues:
 
If it really was "gushing steam" then the temperature would have been at or above 100°C which would have been a major fault!

These are designed to operate at about 55-60°C and if correctly installed would not have been able to exceed that temperature.

Its obviously an incorrectly installed installation by a non qualified person.

Big Burner has actually proved what we have to keep on telling him that an unvented is TOTALLY SAFE as long as its installed by a competent qualified installer.

All of us replying, as far as I can see, are qualified for unventeds!

The ONE person here who is NOT qualified, is Big Burner !
 
I went to a property where a tw*t has fitted a direct unvented cylinder. Connected discharge pipe to toilet overflow, all in plastic.

Redid it in copper. Apparently he was the village 'handy man' and the house holder didn't care to tell me more than that.

Unvented cylinders ARE dangerous IF they are not fitted by a registered person.

Likewise, CARS are dangerous if they are not serviced properly and DRIVEN by IDIOTS... shall we ban cars?
 
I went to a property where a tw*t has fitted a direct unvented cylinder. Connected discharge pipe to toilet overflow, all in plastic.

Redid it in copper. Apparently he was the village 'handy man' and the house holder didn't care to tell me more than that.

Unvented cylinders ARE dangerous

They are and can kill. In your case if the safety controls opened, the cylinder would discharge through the pipes. The plastic pipes did constitute an explosion issue.

In this case the thing exploded.

BTW, Doitall, this is the full text. Note: (apparently pretty violently) and was gushing steam and water into my airing cupboard. Luckily no one was under the water or they might not be here now

The discharge pipe was not to spec' but still to atmosphere and do not contribute to the explosion. The safety controls failed and KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOM Apparently he is getting some pictures to view the carnage.

Hi,
I need some advice. I came back to my house a couple of weeks ago to hear it raining hot water through my kitchen ceiling. The expansion vessel on the unvented hot water system had split open (apparently pretty violently) and was gushing steam and water into my airing cupboard. Luckily no one was under the water or they might not be here now and the damage was not too bad (must only have happened 4 or 5 minutes before my return).

We had the tank recently moved by the builders of our extension and there seem to have been a couple of issues:

* The temperature and pressure relief valve had no tundish fitted and was fed into a 15mm pipe which ran through some convoluted bends into a soil pipe in the airing cupboard

* The pressure relief valve was at low level and had a pipe leading upwards to join the 15mm pipe mentioned above

* The pressure relief valve from the central heating system also fed into the same 15 mm pipe via a long (1m horizontal) 15mm pipe

I now know that this breaks building and water regulations and that the installer was probably not certified.

The things I would like to know are:

* From the above, does it seem likely that the incorrectly installed safety systems caused the explosion?

* Any suggestions on the best way to proceed to prevent a reoccurrence? Who can I trust to fix the system?

* Who should be inspecting these things? Should I get building control from the local council?

All advice gratefully received.

Thanks.
 

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