Wow! Near-serious-injury experience!

[teknitroxdiver]

Wow. I almost died/got hurt really bad this afternoon. I have a wood-burning furnace for heat and hot water at my house. It is a furnace with a water jacket around the firebox. I was doing some work with my tractor, and since my woodpile has shrunk quite a ways away from the furnace, I decided to throw some wood in the bucket to drive over to the furnace. Opened the door on the furnace first (Mistake #1).

I was putting wood in the bucket, and noticed it was boiling over a little bit out the top vent. Didn't think much of it, it does that if you leave the door open very long. But today, it was 70 degrees, so it heated up waaay too hot, waaay to fast. Yet I still thought it would be okay. (mistake #2) I got back on the tractor and started over to the furnace. BOOOOOM. The water jacket vent blew off the top, a 3' geyser of boiling water & steam shot out the top and covered a 12' circle around the furnace.

Holy crap. If I would have been carrying the wood over instead of using the tractor, odds are I would have been standing there when it geysered. Thus I would have been showered with gallons of steam and boiling water. 3 hours from a burn unit. 40 minutes from a hospital. :11::shakehead

Ugh. Makes me sick to think of it. So, only open the door on your furnace when you're ready to put wood in it.

 

[Mike Veitch]

wow..... you are lucky!

now, move to the tropics..

 

[Cacia]

I would not know what a wood furnace looked like.

Glad you are okay...those close calls make you think.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

I would not know what a wood furnace looked like.

Glad you are okay...those close calls make you think.

http://www.hardyheater.com/Products/H25.jpg

The short pipe with the red sticker is what blew off.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

They make gas and electric furnaces now you know, indoor plumbing too

My brother-in-law has a home-made contraption similar to yours that he uses to heat the above ground swimming pool that's in his basement--don't ask.

I really am glad to hear you're ok, I just couldn't resist having a little fun with you

Ber :lilbunny:

 

[Cacia]

oh thanks...

I was trying to picture this. The water is for what?

 

[teknitroxdiver]

oh thanks...

I was trying to picture this. The water is for what?

The hot water is used within a radiator-like system to produce warm air for heat, and to heat the house's hot water.

This is a different brand, but the principle is the same: http://www.freeheatmachine.com/howitworks/index.html

 

[tedj01]

They make gas and electric furnaces now you know, indoor plumbing too

My brother-in-law has a home-made contraption similar to yours that he uses to heat the above ground swimming pool that's in his basement--don't ask.

I really am glad to hear you're ok, I just couldn't resist having a little fun with you

Ber :lilbunny:

I sorry I just have to ask; your brother-in-law has an wood fired, under-ground above-ground swimming pool???

Have you called Jeff Foxworthy yet? Or, did Larry install it?

 

[teknitroxdiver]

They make gas and electric furnaces now you know, indoor plumbing too

My brother-in-law has a home-made contraption similar to yours that he uses to heat the above ground swimming pool that's in his basement--don't ask.

I really am glad to hear you're ok, I just couldn't resist having a little fun with you

Ber :lilbunny:

Oh, come on. Get real. You've been reading waaaay too many sci-fi books. Everyone knows that stuff doesn't exist yet! (Sheesh......bet he wears a tin-foil hat too....)

 

[Ber Rabbit]

I sorry I just have to ask; your brother-in-law has an wood fired, under-ground above-ground swimming pool???

Umm, yes and (I kid you not) it's in an extension of the basement they dug under the mobile home that they have built onto (making it half mobile home half actual house)over the years. It's one of those 4-foot deep above ground pools complete with a rope to swing from the balcony by the living room and drop into the pool. It would be outside the house if they hadn't extended the house over it many years ago. I can't even explain exactly what it looks like but it's definitely redneck! The wood burner definitely keeps the water nice and warm when they are "running" it

Oh, come on. Get real. You've been reading waaaay too many sci-fi books. Everyone knows that stuff doesn't exist yet! (Sheesh......bet he wears a tin-foil hat too....)

No tin-foil hat but he does own a 52-ton steam locomotive (the whole train actually) that he runs out of Coldwater, Michigan.

Ber :lilbunny: