Bankrupt POCO?

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junkhound

junkhound

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Location
Renton, WA
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EE, power electronics specialty
Andover MA gas explosions. Major POCO (gas company) caused disaster?

Wonder if any NEC revisions will result next cycle.

Waiting for POCO explanation may be a long wait?

Here PSE is both nat gas and electricity, likely 2 different companies there. The elec poco did shutoff power to the entire area to remove any spark ignition sources due the elec power.

Likely lawyers are decending on the area ?

Will be instructive case history to find the precise causes.



Only guess I'd have is multiple pressure regulator failures or shock wave in distribution system.
 
Lawrence General Hospital said it was treating 10 victims, including at least one in critical condition.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency blamed the fires on gas lines that had become over-pressurized but said investigators were still examining what happened.

Columbia had announced earlier Thursday that it would be upgrading gas lines in neighborhoods across the state, including the area where the explosions happened.
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article

doesn't sound good......:(

~RJ~
 
Columbia gas is my supplier, *cringe*

One basic safety action that every person with natural gas should know: where is the gas valve and how do you shut it off. Just like knowing where your main electrical service disconnect is and how to shut it off.

-Jon
 
Act of God, too big to fail, in court for ever or swept under, liability insurance, ain't nuttin but a thang.
 
Sounds like a case of runaway pressure from a failed pressure regulator to me. And I don't think this is unprecedented either. I seem to recall the same thing happening in Illinois some years back.
For me, I have always kept a gas wrench attached to my meter with Velcro straps in case of emergency.
 
mbrooke said:
I am at a loss how such a thing could happen. I don't see it going well for Columbia Gas.
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Sounds like Pacific Gas & Electric; the North Bay fires are coming up as caused by lack of tree trimming and they will cost PG&E a few pennies.

texie said:
For me, I have always kept a gas wrench attached to my meter with Velcro straps in case of emergency.
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One "feature" of the California codes is that almost all houses have an easy outside shutoff, often at the meter.


I do wonder just how much pressure the distribution system got since there's always(?) a regulator at the meter. Could be that none of the problems were leaks inside the buildings but rather gas traveling through the earth then inside. It's all speculation at this point, anyway.
 
Someone speculated on another forum (he's from the Boston area) that an inadvertent connection was made to a high pressure transmission line which in turn filled low pressure distribution mains with high pressure and the resulting catastrophe. Hard to imagine how a blunder like that could be made. Humans...

Most gas line construction work is done by subcontractors around here but under the watchful eye of the utility. It will be interesting to find out who was ultimately responsible for this blunder. In any event, 80 house fires and/or explosions and now one confirmed fatality is going to cost this utility and/or subcontractor an awful lot.
 
winnie said:
Columbia gas is my supplier, *cringe*

One basic safety action that every person with natural gas should know: where is the gas valve and how do you shut it off. Just like knowing where your main electrical service disconnect is and how to shut it off.

-Jon
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True. But when you suddenly have high pressure coming into your house unexpectedly, all bets are off.
 
peter d said:
How about a gas line pressure monitor that automatically dumps the house via a contactor if the pressure gets too high? :happyno::slaphead:
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How about a gas meter that has an over pressure valve that closes if the pressure gets too high.
 
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