How Lucky I got Today

[ct_hvac_tech]

My last call today was a cleaning on a thermopride furnace in a small closet. Also inside this closet was a propane water heater.

I go in and start doing the normal routine for a cleaning. Changed the filter, cleaned the pump strainer.

Without even THINKING about it, the whole time I had my slop bucket, (which is nothing more than a prestone can with the side cut out that I use to change the filter, bleed, ETC.) RIGHT IN FRONT of this propane water heater.

I take out the drawer assembly and start spraying it down with carberator cleaner, which is what we always use to clean up oil burner parts.

I spray it down, and get my wrenches to take out the nozzle. As I am putting the wrenches to the nozzle, I hear "Whoof", and my slop bucket is all of a sudden on fire.

What had happened was, when I was spraying the carb cleaner, the fumes from it traveled to the pilot light of the water heater and ignited, setting my slop bucket on fire.

It took me a few seconds to gather what had happened after "What thee hell?" went through my mind. I blew on the fire in an attempt to get it out but it only made it worse.

Luckily, this job was a walk-in job,(House built on a slab, furnace in a closet in the middle of the house) and the front door was not far.

I pick up my slop bucket and rushed it out the door to the end of the driveway, it burning proudly. I almost could not even handle it anymore before I set it down it was so hot. As I am carrying it outside, I set off every fire alarm in the house.

I had set the slop bucket down next to my truck at the end of the driveway, (intentionally, to keep it out of the grass or anywhere flamable.)

I had a bucket of speedy dry on my truck and I quickly opened it and smothered the flames on the burning slop bucket.




After letting it cool down, I dumped the good speedy dry back into the bucket, and this is all that was left of my poor slop bucket.



Folks, this is just proof that you just can not be too careful out there and that you can not take things for granted.

I have been servicing oil burners for 4 1/2 years now, and have had my slop bucket on every job, just setting it down somewhere, not even THINKING about where I am putting it.

So many things could have happened had I not reacted in time. Imagine if that slop bucket had melted to the point where it could no longer hold oil while I was carrying it out of the house. At that, I am lucky that it did not melt to that point while it was in the driveway, as the driveway sloped down toward the house and the customer's vehicle was parked less than 10 feet away.

What if I had just cleaned all my parts and then went out to my truck to get something, and this happened while I was outside?

Or in a rush to get it outside while carrying it it got to hot to handle and I ended up dropping it in the house?

Or even if this happened in a basement and it was a long haul to a safe place to set it down outside?

Guys, so much can go wrong out there that we just don't think about.

Every day, we all go out to work just like it is an ordinary day, not knowing, or even expecting, something like this to happen.

I was just damn lucky today and that's all there is to it.

The Lord was looking out for me today for sure.

This will definatly make me THINK now where I set my slop bucket or use flamable materials.

Just be careful out there folks, that's all I have to say. I'd much rather post here that I had a close call and learned a lesson, than I would to post that I burned someone's house down and could be charged with criminal negligance and that a family has no place to sleep tonight.

For those on here that service oil equipment, PLEASE keep this in mind, and for EVERYONE on here, no matter what kind of equipment you service, JUST DON'T TAKE STUFF FOR GRANTED.

I hope this post will be a lesson to someone BEFORE it happens to them.

[Edited by ct_hvac_tech on 09-23-2005 at 08:07 PM]

[Jultzya]

Poor wittle bucket.

This is one reason EVERY service vehicle should be carrying a Fire Extinguisher!

[RoBoTeq]

When I read you "got lucky", I thought; well, you know...you "got lucky".

[simpleman]

Originally posted by RoBoTeq
When I read you "got lucky", I thought; well, you know...you "got lucky".

And you of all people should know If ct finally did get lucky,he would not be here.

He would be love struck and years later be back here with the rest of us.. have not got none lately boys.

[shaun66]

ct, what colour was bucket, do u have choice of bucket colours?

[Workhorse]

[Edited by workhorse on 09-24-2005 at 04:48 PM]

[Dowadudda]

Well the easiest way to avoid this is, stick to refrigeration. I put out fires all day long but nothing like your describing.

[selfemployed]

Glad it worked out for the good.

[mattm]

Originally posted by ct_hvac_tech
"What thee hell?" went through my mind.

For thou must hath redithed thee bible previously in theeith day.

[HeyBob]

Holy Crap! How many times have I done what you just did and never even gave it a thought!

Thanks for posting this!

[geno54]

If you like we could start a collection for a new slop bucket for ya. Any color preference? Overnite or ground?

[ct_hvac_tech]

Originally posted by geno54
If you like we could start a collection for a new slop bucket for ya. Any color preference? Overnite or ground?

Got me a new slop bucket already, but thanks!

[Green Mountain]

Originally posted by RoBoTeq
When I read you "got lucky", I thought; well, you know...you "got lucky".

Meeeee too! I was just going to shout, "WAY TO GO, PAT!"

[Diceman]

Pretty crazy Pat, one thing for sure, when stuff like that happens, it is almsot always something you never could have predicted, it is a dangerous biz, no doubt.
Now forget it and go out tonight and really get lucky, .

[hvac_czar]

Thanks for the wake-up call, glad you and the house are OK... Just think, if you had burned your hands then you really wouldn't be getting any!

[Chad711]

Wow, that had to put a few gray hairs on your chest.

People dont realize (sometimes WE dont) what a dangerous job we do everyday. Sometimes you have to step back and think about that I think...

[spotts]

Originally posted by benncool

Originally posted by RoBoTeq
When I read you "got lucky", I thought; well, you know...you "got lucky".

Meeeee too! I was just going to shout, "WAY TO GO, PAT!"

My first thought too. But then I remembered........ First time I ever saw one of those things I wanted to pitch a tent and camp by it. When Pat disappears for a couple of weeks........ We'll know.

[The Penguin]

Whats a slop bucket for the pigs?

[oil lp man]

That's never happened to me.
One thing that has happened when I was a newbe is using a soot vac in the combustion chamber and sucking up a hot burning chunk of soot. This caused the vacuum bag to smolder. I had to take it outside and pour water all over the bag.

On another no heat call when I was new, I thought I had cleaned the heat exchanger out pretty good after a sooted up boiler.
The boiler was cold and was wet. When I fired it off the flames got so big the smoke pipe got cherry red and flames were going up the chimney. I blocked of the air inlet to the burner and the inspection door. The flames starved for oxygen before the smoke pipe fell apart. All that wetness was an oil soaked heat exchanger and chamber. A bucket of speedi dry later and more vacuuming and brushing and it was safe again. This definitely could have turned out very badly.