Just put in a replacement oil boiler in my house. The old unit is a
RSA110 -- welded steel -- which has suffered from a puffback, causing a
few leaks in the sheet metal components (i.e. flue hood), and extensive
destruction of the combustion chamber refractory. But it still heated
the house for a few (watchful) days, till the new unit arrived.

I was thinking of a few ceremonial funerals for this before relegating
the (parts) to the trashman. The idea I'm stuck on is:
- Fill boiler 3/4 or so full of water.
- Plug / cap every opening to the boiler, incl relief valve.
- Get a really long extension cord and a position 200' away from
people or structures in a large backyard.
- Feed it a 1/2 gallon or so pail of #2 FO.
- Plug it in and enjoy a few beers (behind large trees! ) while
theorizing on what will happen next.

Whatd'yall think will happen? I see the boiler blowing a welded seam at
an incredibly high temperature and pressure. Then the superheated water
will flash into vapor. Spectacular noise, large white puffball, and
airborne boiler. I suppose there are other less fun failure modes, such
as orfice-like small leak that creates a 3 minute steam whistle, or the
such.

Anyone know of this being done before? What results?

We've also contemplated the idea of a dry-run till it melts / ignites,
but that is not sounding quite as dramatic (i.e. loud).

It's been a while since I had fun like this. I'll post the you-tube
link when complete!
T

On Feb 24, 11:40*am, Tman wrote:
Just put in a replacement oil boiler in my house. *The old unit is a
RSA110 -- welded steel -- which has suffered from a puffback, causing a
few leaks in the sheet metal components (i.e. flue hood), and extensive
destruction of the combustion chamber refractory. *But it still heated
the house for a few (watchful) days, till the new unit arrived.

I was thinking of a few ceremonial funerals for this before relegating
the (parts) to the trashman. *The idea I'm stuck on is:
- Fill boiler 3/4 or so full of water.
- Plug / cap every opening to the boiler, incl relief valve.
- Get a really long extension cord and a position 200' away from
people or structures in a large backyard.
- Feed it a 1/2 gallon or so pail of #2 FO.
- Plug it in and enjoy a few beers (behind large trees! ) while
theorizing on what will happen next.

Whatd'yall think will happen? *I see the boiler blowing a welded seam at
an incredibly high temperature and pressure. *Then the superheated water
will flash into vapor. *Spectacular noise, large white puffball, and
airborne boiler. *I suppose there are other less fun failure modes, such
as orfice-like small leak that creates a 3 minute steam whistle, or the
such.

Anyone know of this being done before? *What results?

We've also contemplated the idea of a dry-run till it melts / ignites,
but that is not sounding quite as dramatic (i.e. loud).

It's been a while since I had fun like this. *I'll post the you-tube
link when complete!
T

I saw a photo of a water heater where the relief valve failed and it
would not shut off. It went through the ceiling, then roof and landed
maybe 100ft away.

"Tman" wrote in message

Whatd'yall think will happen? I see the boiler blowing a welded seam at
an incredibly high temperature and pressure. Then the superheated water
will flash into vapor. Spectacular noise, large white puffball, and
airborne boiler. I suppose there are other less fun failure modes, such
as orfice-like small leak that creates a 3 minute steam whistle, or the
such.

Anyone know of this being done before? What results?

Results depends on how much pressure you can build. That also depends on
the ratio of water to space so it can boil. I've seen the results of
boilers that sent the end blasting through block walls.

It may break a seam and just whistle, but it may also be lethal. Steam
expands very rapidly. Personally, I don't want to be in range when it goes.

"Tman" wrote in message
...
Just put in a replacement oil boiler in my house. The old unit is a
RSA110 -- welded steel -- which has suffered from a puffback, causing a
few leaks in the sheet metal components (i.e. flue hood), and extensive
destruction of the combustion chamber refractory. But it still heated the
house for a few (watchful) days, till the new unit arrived.

I was thinking of a few ceremonial funerals for this before relegating the
(parts) to the trashman. The idea I'm stuck on is:
- Fill boiler 3/4 or so full of water.
- Plug / cap every opening to the boiler, incl relief valve.
- Get a really long extension cord and a position 200' away from people
or structures in a large backyard.
- Feed it a 1/2 gallon or so pail of #2 FO.
- Plug it in and enjoy a few beers (behind large trees! ) while theorizing
on what will happen next.

Whatd'yall think will happen? I see the boiler blowing a welded seam at
an incredibly high temperature and pressure. Then the superheated water
will flash into vapor. Spectacular noise, large white puffball, and
airborne boiler. I suppose there are other less fun failure modes, such
as orfice-like small leak that creates a 3 minute steam whistle, or the
such.

Anyone know of this being done before? What results?

We've also contemplated the idea of a dry-run till it melts / ignites, but
that is not sounding quite as dramatic (i.e. loud).

It's been a while since I had fun like this. I'll post the you-tube link
when complete!



*Just get rid of it. What may seem like fun beforehand could turn into
someone getting hurt or damage being done.

John Grabowski wrote:

It's been a while since I had fun like this. I'll post the you-tube
link when complete!



*Just get rid of it. What may seem like fun beforehand could turn
into someone getting hurt or damage being done.

Uh, that's the POINT of the exercise... And no one will get hurt if they
follow common sense safety rules. I'm thinking eye-protection and ear muffs
here.

It's been a while since I had fun like this. I'll post the you-tube
link when complete!



*Just get rid of it. What may seem like fun beforehand could turn
into someone getting hurt or damage being done.



"And no one will get hurt if they follow common sense safety rules." Famous
last words.

So what are the common sense safety rules for blowing up a boiler? Common
sense to me is to just dispose of it.

"HeyBub" wrote in message
m...
John Grabowski wrote:

It's been a while since I had fun like this. I'll post the you-tube
link when complete!



*Just get rid of it. What may seem like fun beforehand could turn
into someone getting hurt or damage being done.

Uh, that's the POINT of the exercise... And no one will get hurt if they
follow common sense safety rules. I'm thinking eye-protection and ear
muffs here.


A few sandbags filled with sand and stacked up to hide behind and you should
be good plus ear plugs...Can't wait to see the video...LOL...

On Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:04:23 -0500, "benick"
wrote Re Old oil boiler -- ceremonial disposal ideas.:

A few sandbags filled with sand and stacked up to hide behind and you should
be good plus ear plugs...Can't wait to see the video...LOL...

You'll post it on YouTube right?

"John Grabowski" wrote in message
...
It's been a while since I had fun like this. I'll post the you-tube
link when complete!



*Just get rid of it. What may seem like fun beforehand could turn
into someone getting hurt or damage being done.



"And no one will get hurt if they follow common sense safety rules."
Famous last words.


More Famous Last Words:

"Hey Ya'll, watch this!"

John Grabowski wrote:
It's been a while since I had fun like this. I'll post the
you-tube link when complete!



*Just get rid of it. What may seem like fun beforehand could turn
into someone getting hurt or damage being done.



"And no one will get hurt if they follow common sense safety rules."
Famous last words.

So what are the common sense safety rules for blowing up a boiler? Common
sense to me is to just dispose of it.

Like I said: Safety goggles and ear plugs. For the pussies, steel-toed
boots.

And lotsa beer.

I'm gonna include a chapter on deliberate boiler explosions in my new tome:
"The Dangerous Book for Men." I expect it will sell as well as my previous
work, "The New Testament in Morse Code: for the scholar who has every other
translation."

I'm also working on a sequel to my ever-popular "Toilet Tissue Origami - The
Ultimate Book for the John"

John Grabowski wrote:

So what are the common sense safety rules for blowing up a boiler?
Common sense to me is to just dispose of it.

I gotta just make sure that there is nothing of value, save for a
portable generator, within a certain radius. And overguesstimate that
certain radius to an egregious degree.

I'll have all kinds of time, on the order of at least 2 minutes before
the thing gets hot enough to cause any kind of trouble.

You'll read about it in the paper if any of this figuring is wrong.

T

On Feb 24, 4:32*pm, "Joe" wrote:

More Famous Last Words:

"Hey Ya'll, watch this!"

You left out "Hey Bubba, hold my beer for a second!"

Jerry

And in Texas, it's "honey, hold my beer while I do this...."

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Joe" wrote in message
.. .


"And no one will get hurt if they follow common sense
safety rules."
Famous last words.


More Famous Last Words:

"Hey Ya'll, watch this!"

On 2/24/2009 1:08 PM HeyBub spake thus:

John Grabowski wrote:

It's been a while since I had fun like this. I'll post the you-tube
link when complete!

*Just get rid of it. What may seem like fun beforehand could turn
into someone getting hurt or damage being done.

Uh, that's the POINT of the exercise... And no one will get hurt if they
follow common sense safety rules. I'm thinking eye-protection and ear muffs
here.

I think you would have liked my friend from when I lived in Tucson. I'll
call him Vern.

"Vern" was, among other things (musician, cartoonist, all-around funny
guy) an auto mechanic. Told me about the time as a teenager when he and
a couple friends took an old dune buggy out into the desert. Drained the
crankcase, started it up, put a big rock on the accelerator pedal, then
ran like hell a safe distance away to observe the inevitable rod being
thrown.

I'm pretty sure there was beer involved then, too.


--
Personally, I like Vista, but I probably won't use it. I like it
because it generates considerable business for me in consulting and
upgrades. As long as there is hardware and software out there that
doesn't work, I stay in business. Incidentally, my company motto is
"If this stuff worked, you wouldn't need me".

- lifted from sci.electronics.repair

"Tman" wrote in message
...
John Grabowski wrote:

So what are the common sense safety rules for blowing up a boiler?
Common sense to me is to just dispose of it.

I gotta just make sure that there is nothing of value, save for a portable
generator, within a certain radius. And overguesstimate that certain
radius to an egregious degree.

I'll have all kinds of time, on the order of at least 2 minutes before the
thing gets hot enough to cause any kind of trouble.

You'll read about it in the paper if any of this figuring is wrong.

T

You're thinking 200' (from your previous post) is a safe distance for an
explosion of a steel tank? Tell you what, you stand at 200', I'll stand
somewhere that I'll need binoculars to see you clearly.

On 2/24/2009 4:18 PM Stormin Mormon spake thus:

And in Texas, it's "honey, hold my beer while I do this...."

My favorite Texas-ism is "This won't hurt, did it?"


--
Personally, I like Vista, but I probably won't use it. I like it
because it generates considerable business for me in consulting and
upgrades. As long as there is hardware and software out there that
doesn't work, I stay in business. Incidentally, my company motto is
"If this stuff worked, you wouldn't need me".

- lifted from sci.electronics.repair

Joe wrote:
You're thinking 200' (from your previous post) is a safe distance for an
explosion of a steel tank? Tell you what, you stand at 200', I'll stand
I'm reconsidering (a little).

John Grabowski wrote:
It's been a while since I had fun like this. I'll post the you-tube
link when complete!



*Just get rid of it. What may seem like fun beforehand could turn
into someone getting hurt or damage being done.



"And no one will get hurt if they follow common sense safety rules."
Famous last words.

So what are the common sense safety rules for blowing up a boiler?
Common sense to me is to just dispose of it.


i rekon you never blown up bugs, cats, dogs, and dolls with m80's
either? Not to mention seeing how high you can launch a metal 5 gallon
bucket. eh?

how boring

David Nebenzahl wrote:
On 2/24/2009 1:08 PM HeyBub spake thus:

John Grabowski wrote:

It's been a while since I had fun like this. I'll post the you-tube
link when complete!

*Just get rid of it. What may seem like fun beforehand could turn
into someone getting hurt or damage being done.

Uh, that's the POINT of the exercise... And no one will get hurt if
they follow common sense safety rules. I'm thinking eye-protection and
ear muffs here.

I think you would have liked my friend from when I lived in Tucson. I'll
call him Vern.

"Vern" was, among other things (musician, cartoonist, all-around funny
guy) an auto mechanic. Told me about the time as a teenager when he and
a couple friends took an old dune buggy out into the desert. Drained the
crankcase, started it up, put a big rock on the accelerator pedal, then
ran like hell a safe distance away to observe the inevitable rod being
thrown.

I'm pretty sure there was beer involved then, too.


Back when air-cooled VW engines were not purpose-built collector car
items, an 'engine blow' event like that was a standard feature of most
VW-oriented hot-rodder events. (Customs, Bajas, Glass-body pan buggies,
the then-new rail buggies, etc.) Most gearheads today can't remember
when a solid VW pan and engine combination could be had for $500 or
less. Ferry Porsche was 30 years ahead of his time when he designed the
thing in 1938.

--
aem sends...

Tman wrote:
Just put in a replacement oil boiler in my house. The old unit is a
RSA110 -- welded steel -- which has suffered from a puffback, causing a
few leaks in the sheet metal components (i.e. flue hood), and extensive
destruction of the combustion chamber refractory. But it still heated
the house for a few (watchful) days, till the new unit arrived.

I was thinking of a few ceremonial funerals for this before relegating
the (parts) to the trashman. The idea I'm stuck on is:
- Fill boiler 3/4 or so full of water.
- Plug / cap every opening to the boiler, incl relief valve.
- Get a really long extension cord and a position 200' away from
people or structures in a large backyard.
- Feed it a 1/2 gallon or so pail of #2 FO.
- Plug it in and enjoy a few beers (behind large trees! ) while
theorizing on what will happen next.

Whatd'yall think will happen? I see the boiler blowing a welded seam at
an incredibly high temperature and pressure. Then the superheated water
will flash into vapor. Spectacular noise, large white puffball, and
airborne boiler. I suppose there are other less fun failure modes, such
as orfice-like small leak that creates a 3 minute steam whistle, or the
such.

Anyone know of this being done before? What results?

We've also contemplated the idea of a dry-run till it melts / ignites,
but that is not sounding quite as dramatic (i.e. loud).

It's been a while since I had fun like this. I'll post the you-tube
link when complete!
T
Look on Mythbusters web site, and search on water heaters. They cooked
off half a dozen or so, before they got a 'big boom' failure, IIRC.

--
aem sends...

In article ,
Tman wrote:

Just put in a replacement oil boiler in my house. The old unit is a
RSA110 -- welded steel -- which has suffered from a puffback, causing a
few leaks in the sheet metal components (i.e. flue hood), and extensive
destruction of the combustion chamber refractory. But it still heated
the house for a few (watchful) days, till the new unit arrived.

I was thinking of a few ceremonial funerals for this before relegating
the (parts) to the trashman. The idea I'm stuck on is:
- Fill boiler 3/4 or so full of water.
- Plug / cap every opening to the boiler, incl relief valve.
- Get a really long extension cord and a position 200' away from
people or structures in a large backyard.
- Feed it a 1/2 gallon or so pail of #2 FO.
- Plug it in and enjoy a few beers (behind large trees! ) while
theorizing on what will happen next.

Whatd'yall think will happen? I see the boiler blowing a welded seam at
an incredibly high temperature and pressure. Then the superheated water
will flash into vapor. Spectacular noise, large white puffball, and
airborne boiler. I suppose there are other less fun failure modes, such
as orfice-like small leak that creates a 3 minute steam whistle, or the
such.

Anyone know of this being done before? What results?

We've also contemplated the idea of a dry-run till it melts / ignites,
but that is not sounding quite as dramatic (i.e. loud).

It's been a while since I had fun like this. I'll post the you-tube
link when complete!
T

Sounds like a blast. Google "Crush train crash" for the true story of a
guy who decided to get rid of two obsolete steam engines by crashing
them into one another.

Forty thousand people showed up for the party, and boy were they
surprised when the boilers exploded. The "safe spectator distance" was
sadly miscalculated.

The history channel documentary on the event was pretty good. (You may
also remember the Sultana, Civil War steamship with a death toll of 1700
from a boiler explosion.)

wonder if your homeowners insurance will pay off if debris damaes
yours or a neighbors home?

your testing natural selection risking thinning of the herd

Tman wrote:
Joe wrote:
You're thinking 200' (from your previous post) is a safe distance
for an explosion of a steel tank? Tell you what, you stand at 200',
I'll stand I'm reconsidering (a little).

Oh, quit worrying. It's not going to explode like a grenade with bits going
everywhere. Chances are it will rend at its weakest point and take off like
a steam-powered rocket ship.

They had a water heater do this on Myth Busters. Sucker shot off like an
Atlas. Musta gone five hundred feet straight up! Then it came down. Didn't
even break the windows in the little shack enclosing it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmJoyuUJj2Q

You can probably direct the launch by weakening the structure on the
opposite side: grind off half the thickness of the vessel or something like
that.

Here's a trick: Use more than one camera, you know, just in case...

Smitty Two wrote:
In article ,
Tman wrote:

Just put in a replacement oil boiler in my house. The old unit is a
RSA110 -- welded steel -- which has suffered from a puffback,
causing a few leaks in the sheet metal components (i.e. flue hood),
and extensive destruction of the combustion chamber refractory. But
it still heated the house for a few (watchful) days, till the new
unit arrived.

I was thinking of a few ceremonial funerals for this before
relegating the (parts) to the trashman. The idea I'm stuck on is:
- Fill boiler 3/4 or so full of water.
- Plug / cap every opening to the boiler, incl relief valve.
- Get a really long extension cord and a position 200' away from
people or structures in a large backyard.
- Feed it a 1/2 gallon or so pail of #2 FO.
- Plug it in and enjoy a few beers (behind large trees! ) while
theorizing on what will happen next.

Whatd'yall think will happen? I see the boiler blowing a welded
seam at an incredibly high temperature and pressure. Then the
superheated water will flash into vapor. Spectacular noise, large
white puffball, and airborne boiler. I suppose there are other less
fun failure modes, such as orfice-like small leak that creates a 3
minute steam whistle, or the such.

Anyone know of this being done before? What results?

We've also contemplated the idea of a dry-run till it melts /
ignites, but that is not sounding quite as dramatic (i.e. loud).

It's been a while since I had fun like this. I'll post the you-tube
link when complete!
T

Sounds like a blast. Google "Crush train crash" for the true story of
a guy who decided to get rid of two obsolete steam engines by crashing
them into one another.

Forty thousand people showed up for the party, and boy were they
surprised when the boilers exploded. The "safe spectator distance" was
sadly miscalculated.

The history channel documentary on the event was pretty good. (You may
also remember the Sultana, Civil War steamship with a death toll of
1700 from a boiler explosion.)

But sometimes you rely on the built in safety factor.

The captain of the Carpathia turned out the second shift of the black-gang
boiler stokers when responding to the Titanic's distress call. The pressure
gauges in the engine room went from "Max" way past "Danger" off into the
"Supreme Unction" range. The captain also directed all other steam
utilization diverted to the engines. Most believe and calculate the
Carpathia's speed increased from 14 to 17-1/2 knots over it's 50+ mile run.

And...

(From a Clive Cussler story - paraphrased)
"Sam the engineer put his hat over the boiler gauge as it crept into the red
and encouraged his gang to shovel faster. Five minutes later, the
paddle-wheeler "Pride of Dixie" burst into the open Gulf of Mexico, pushing
a five-foot bow wave in front, for the first time in her 108-year life. Not
only that, she was making 14 knots, more than twice her heretofore top speed
of 7 miles per hour..."

On Feb 25, 4:56*am, "HeyBub" wrote:
Tman wrote:
Joe wrote:
You're thinking 200' (from your previous post) is a safe distance
for an explosion of a steel tank? *Tell you what, you stand at 200',
I'll stand I'm reconsidering (a little).

Oh, quit worrying. It's not going to explode like a grenade with bits going
everywhere. Chances are it will rend at its weakest point and take off like
a steam-powered rocket ship.

They had a water heater do this on Myth Busters. Sucker shot off like an
Atlas. Musta gone five hundred feet straight up! Then it came down. Didn't
even break the windows in the little shack enclosing it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmJoyuUJj2Q

You can probably direct the launch by weakening the structure on the
opposite side: grind off half the thickness of the vessel or something like
that.

Here's a trick: Use more than one camera, you know, just in case...

Yes....it didnt "break" the windows but it surely disassembled the
shack.
There are way too many unknowns to this process to encourage it's
execution in any sort of a populated area.

The mythbuster work was done at Alameda Naval Air Station, 100's of
feet (not ~200') from probably empty hangers and a shipping channel.

Yes it will probably just whistle (if it is close to full of water)
but is it worth the risk (if its only 1/4 full) ?

How much different is the construction of this boiler vs a residential
water heater?

cheers
Bob