The Electrical Contractor Network Create and Share your own Electrical Related Photo Gallery! Electrical Safety Forum
Electrical Supplies Finder    Electrical Classifieds    Electrician Finder    ElectricalPhotos.com
Live Chat

Join in a Live Electrical Chat!
Electrical Chat
Schedule:  9pm EST
Wed - Business Chat
Friday - General Chat

>> Login
 

  Sorry, your browser is not Java enabled, please visit our java support pages

in Chatroom
October
Su M Tu W Th F Sa
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31
Recent Posts
Top Posters
7667
pauluk
7375
Trumpy
4767
sparky
4343
iwire
4132
Bill Addiss
Who's Online
1 registered (JBD) and 21 anonymous users online.
Page 1 of 1 1
Topic Options
#176395 - 03/31/08 11:33 AM Electrical explosion
WESTUPLACE
Member


Registered: 03/29/04
Posts: 119
Loc: Houston, TX USA

Offline
http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?id=58938§ionId=39
Top
Featured Tools
#176423 - 04/01/08 03:20 AM Re: Electrical explosion [Re: WESTUPLACE]
RODALCO
Member


Registered: 12/08/05
Posts: 789
Loc: Titirangi, Akld, New Zealand

Offline
I'm always supprised at these statements "overload ??"

Of course overload is nine out of ten times the cause of these dramatic faillures.

Other interesting issue i find that the US firefighters take unnecessary risks with live electrical equipment.
In NZ the fireservice, if lives are not at risk, stays clear of live power cables untill isolated by the local power authority.
_________________________
The product of rotation, excitation and flux produces electricty.

Top
#176424 - 04/01/08 08:30 AM Re: Electrical explosion [Re: RODALCO]
ghost307
Member


Registered: 05/09/05
Posts: 304
Loc: Chicago Illinois USA

content Online
Did anybody else find these statements weird?

"The initial fire started in a 240-volt underground cable below a busy corridor near Los Angeles International Airport..."

"The high-voltage copper cable in a conduit made of lead was degraded..."

High voltage 240V line??????

Was this really a 240KV line?
_________________________
Ghost307

Top
#176428 - 04/01/08 11:54 AM Re: Electrical explosion [Re: ghost307]
SteveFehr
Member


Registered: 03/19/05
Posts: 926
Loc: Chesapeake, VA

content Online
This is AP, not NEC. 120V and 240V are "high voltage" to 99% of americans.
Top
#176610 - 04/07/08 08:34 PM Re: Electrical explosion [Re: SteveFehr]
Brian_John
New Member


Registered: 05/14/07
Posts: 5
Loc: Leesburg, VA

Offline
[quote]Of course overload is nine out of ten times the cause of these dramatic failures[quote]

Do you have stats to back this statement. In my expierence the majority of electrical arc faults are, water, loose connections leading to excessive heat and a break down of the insulating material to the point where it is a conductor. Then there is human interference, dropping tools, covers ect.

While I am no lineman I doubt 50 year old lead sheated cable in a downtown would be 240KV. I would think the voltage level thing was just a typical lack of knowledge regarding the subject matter by the reporter

Top
#176630 - 04/08/08 02:31 AM Re: Electrical explosion [Re: Brian_John]
trollog
Member


Registered: 10/02/04
Posts: 263
Loc: San Diego California USA

Offline
"I would think the voltage level thing was just a typical lack of knowledge regarding the subject matter by the reporter" <--Gee that would hardly be a first. My question is what explosive gasses- combustible by an unspecified "power saw" could have built up in there? Heat+Lead+Copper doesn't create any explosive substance I have ever heard of.

Another cryptic sentence: "Smoke from the fire built pressure which led to an explosion that blew a manhole cover near an office supply store, Miller said. Witnesses reported seeing the cover fly more than 20 feet."

Forwarding this story to my brother who is a fireman... maybe he can shed some light on this strange story filled with loose ends and seemingly contradictory statements..


Edited by trollog (04/08/08 02:34 AM)
Edit Reason: had a second thought, and a third

Top
#176634 - 04/08/08 08:49 AM Re: Electrical explosion [Re: trollog]
ghost307
Member


Registered: 05/09/05
Posts: 304
Loc: Chicago Illinois USA

content Online
Trollog,
Speaking for myself; I would welcome some REAL information about this.

I have a hard time believing that anyone would run underground lead shielded cable for a 240V circuit.

Remember that some of this story may have been written by the same folks who wrote "Shuttle was travelling 18 times the speed of light" when Columbia broke apart on re-entry and wrote "Osama Bin Laden almost certainly either dead or alive" (and yes...I DID actually see this one on TV).
_________________________
Ghost307

Top
#176756 - 04/10/08 09:33 PM Re: Electrical explosion [Re: ghost307]
Brian_John
New Member


Registered: 05/14/07
Posts: 5
Loc: Leesburg, VA

Offline
Ghost:

There was BXL, armor cable with individual conductors lead shielded (encased). This was used for direct burial prior to UF. Which I would bet money is not the case here.

Took a man and an apprentice to carry a 250' roll of 10-2 BXL.

Top
#176871 - 04/15/08 01:16 AM Re: Electrical explosion [Re: Brian_John]
trollog
Member


Registered: 10/02/04
Posts: 263
Loc: San Diego California USA

Offline
Some explanation on the explosion part at least... talked to my brother today about it. Seems this story is starting to make the rounds in the fire service although the investigation is still not comlete. According to him, smoke is simply airborn unburned fuel and cutting a door off its hinges with a chopsaw is enough to ingnite the fine particulate matter in smoke with results similar to a grain silo explosion. It can be quite violent. More information to follow, as it becomes available, although I am not sure fire departments are as concerned with the electrical angle vs the firefighting/safet angle on episodes like this, but still something of interest to us here might come out of it.
Top
Page 1 of 1 1


Moderator:  Trumpy, renosteinke, Scott35, Ryan_J, Roger, resqcapt19, pauluk, LK, iwire, electure, dougwells, C-H 
Hop to:
Featured:

2008 NEC & Related Books, Tabs, CD-ROMs & Exam Prep Study Guides
2008 NEC & Related Books, Tabs, CD-ROMs & Exam Prep Study Guides


Tools for Electricians
Tools for Electricians

 * * * * * * * *

Electrical Chat
Join in a Live Electrical Chat!
Schedule:
 9pm EST
Wed - Business Chat
Friday - General Chat

>>
Login
 

  Sorry, your browser is not Java enabled, please visit our java support pages

in Chatroom

* * * * * * * *
Licensing Info and Lookup
Licensing Info
& Lookup

 


Generated in 0.106 seconds in which 0.014 seconds were spent on a total of 14 queries. Zlib compression disabled.

Live Chat

Join in a Live Electrical Chat!
Electrical Chat
Schedule:  9pm EST
Wed - Business Chat
Friday - General Chat

>> Login
 

  Sorry, your browser is not Java enabled, please visit our java support pages

in Chatroom

Recent Posts

Who's Online
1 registered (JBD) and 21 anonymous users online.

ECN Electrical Forums - sponsored by Electrical Contractor Network - Electrical and Code Related Discussion for Electrical Contractors, Electricians, Inspectors, Instructors, Engineers and other related Professionals