We hear about it often and it sounds horrible, a huge explosion that almost rocks the house off the foundation, sending soot and smoke throughout the home. Furnace explosions can be deadly, and they usually occur from the problem of delayed ignition. Delayed ignition happens when a load of gas builds up before one or more burners light, usually caused by household lint, scale, alignment, unbalanced air mixture, and cracks in the heat exchanger. Luckily, newer gas furnaces will shut off the gas flow in a few seconds if it does not sense full ignition. A gas leak combined with a faulty furnace can also lead to an explosion.
At Patterson Heating and Air, we want to help prevent a gas furnace explosion in Charlotte, NC and surrounding areas by providing highly trained and certified technicians to perform routine maintenance on furnaces. It is essential to keep up to date with furnace inspections, just like you are mindful of oil changes and inspections of your vehicles. Without a qualified technician, you could run into big trouble, as seen in the article about a furnace explosion in Charlotte, from wscotv.com. In this article, we learned that an unlicensed handyman accidentally pulled out a live gas line, keeping the natural gas line uncapped under the house:
“Fire investigators said a disconnected natural gas valve led to a north Charlotte house explosion that killed a 5-month-old girl last week. Friday afternoon, firefighters said before the baby’s family moved into the Wellingford Street home, a handyman making repairs to the home removed a heating unit from the wall. That handyman pulled out a live gas line, thinking it was dead, leaving the natural gas uncapped under the house.
On June 19, a second handyman hired by the landlord turned on the natural gas valve to the house to light the pilot light for the hot water heater. That handyman lit the pilot light, fixed the toilet, checked to make sure there was hot water and left in less than 30 minutes.
Because the natural gas line was uncapped, gas flowed freely through the crawl space and into the walls of the home, building up for nearly two hours before igniting, likely from the water heater’s pilot light, and causing the explosion.
The blast killed Synora Coleman. Her mother, Courtney Chambers, was hurt but is now recovering out of the hospital. Her father, Syl’Myles Coleman, remains at a burn center in Wake Forest recovering from serious injuries.
The explosion also leveled the home, shooting the front door 109 feet. Fire investigators said neither handyman knew what the other had done. They also said neither man was a licensed contractor, which they recommend when doing home repairs.”
Piedmont Natural Gas followed up with this statement, “The actions of an unauthorized individual in turning on the gas at the meter resulted in the June 19 accident.”
Furnace repair and maintenance should only be performed by trusted, certified technicians. At Patterson Heating and Air, we recommend having your furnace inspected now, to locate existing problems and prevent potential furnace gas leaks in Charlotte homes. A heating system in need of repair is an accident waiting to happen, and with immediate attention from our maintenance team, we can help you avoid potential carbon monoxide poisoning and gas leaks, resulting in an explosion. We want you to stay safe and comfortable this winter season. For more information on our Furnace Repair and Maintenance Services, please call (704) 288-4535.
(Source: Maintenance Workers’ Actions Led To House Explosion That Killed Infant, https://www.wsoctv.com/)
