Minor Explosion @ Work Today
08-18-2009, 08:37 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
This used to be one of these:
Now it's one of these:
That's an Alcatel dual stage rotary vane vacuum pump.
We get all kinds of stuff in where I work and it often needs a quick test so we can describe the stuff for sale.
I had run this pump before, for a quick function check. . . huge cloud of oil mist came out what I assumed to be the exhaust port.
I went to run an ultimate pressure test on it, and put my gauge on the other port (assumed to be the inlet).
My manager wandered up to harass me right when I was about to do this test.
The pump was on a waist-high rolling metro cart, with the orange side pointing to the wall with the power outlet & circuit breaker panel on the wall right there.
I flipped the breaker and was walking around the pump to look at my pressure gauge.
The pump was not sounding too happy for the 3 seconds it was running. I had just turned to look at it, standing by the motor end, and was in the middle of a blink
When the orange cast aluminum pump housing exploded. It flew 3 feet and made a little dent in the wall with a corner of the housing.
There WAS about a liter of oil in there. STANKY oil. I caught a few drops, barely enough to make spots on my undershirt.
My manager was standing in the perfect position to get soaked all down his left side. He was not as amused as the rest of us, and went home to change.
I cleaned up the oildown and put the pump in the blue plastic bin, and set it on the "to recycling" shelf.
I put a toe tag on it that said "FAULTY"
When the owner of the company (who had just lost a couple hundred dollars worth of pump) came by to talk about it, he was laughing about the manager-soaking and didn't really care too much for the loss of the pump.
I was reminded of all the crazy dangerous stuff I used to work around in the Navy. It was just like that again, except without the whole saving the world schtick to go with it.
Now it's one of these:
That's an Alcatel dual stage rotary vane vacuum pump.
We get all kinds of stuff in where I work and it often needs a quick test so we can describe the stuff for sale.
I had run this pump before, for a quick function check. . . huge cloud of oil mist came out what I assumed to be the exhaust port.
I went to run an ultimate pressure test on it, and put my gauge on the other port (assumed to be the inlet).
My manager wandered up to harass me right when I was about to do this test.
The pump was on a waist-high rolling metro cart, with the orange side pointing to the wall with the power outlet & circuit breaker panel on the wall right there.
I flipped the breaker and was walking around the pump to look at my pressure gauge.
The pump was not sounding too happy for the 3 seconds it was running. I had just turned to look at it, standing by the motor end, and was in the middle of a blink
When the orange cast aluminum pump housing exploded. It flew 3 feet and made a little dent in the wall with a corner of the housing.
There WAS about a liter of oil in there. STANKY oil. I caught a few drops, barely enough to make spots on my undershirt.
My manager was standing in the perfect position to get soaked all down his left side. He was not as amused as the rest of us, and went home to change.
I cleaned up the oildown and put the pump in the blue plastic bin, and set it on the "to recycling" shelf.
I put a toe tag on it that said "FAULTY"
When the owner of the company (who had just lost a couple hundred dollars worth of pump) came by to talk about it, he was laughing about the manager-soaking and didn't really care too much for the loss of the pump.
I was reminded of all the crazy dangerous stuff I used to work around in the Navy. It was just like that again, except without the whole saving the world schtick to go with it.
08-18-2009, 09:36 PM
#2
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Damn man. Hope your manager could laugh about it.
Yesterday at my work..
This used to be one of these:
Now it's one of these:
My manager was not pleased.
Yesterday at my work..
This used to be one of these:
Now it's one of these:
My manager was not pleased.
08-19-2009, 10:42 AM
#3
Super Moderator
Thread Starter
yeah, that one's a bit more expensive. The manager is getting a new set of clothes out of it, from petty cash.
thanks to me, we now have an injury/near-miss incident reporting form.
thanks to me, we now have an injury/near-miss incident reporting form.
08-19-2009, 11:58 AM
#4
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Wow, is it a time travel machine?
I ask because you posted these pics yesterday in the shoutbox...
I ask because you posted these pics yesterday in the shoutbox...
08-19-2009, 12:50 PM
#5
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Its not work if theres no risk involved lol
Wish i had pictures, but about a month ago we had a 3.7L with some major crankcase pressure issues. One of my mechs decided to fire it up a look for the solution, being a carburtorated engine he automatically pumped the throttle a few times allthough the fuel system was allready primed.
He flooded it, and the only way to clear it up is to start it WOT, HUGE backfire... the pressure shot the oil cap right outta the valve cover about 15feet in the air where it collided with our tin roof, and almost went through the damn thing.
Funny....but if he had been over the motor it would been lights out.
Wish i had pictures, but about a month ago we had a 3.7L with some major crankcase pressure issues. One of my mechs decided to fire it up a look for the solution, being a carburtorated engine he automatically pumped the throttle a few times allthough the fuel system was allready primed.
He flooded it, and the only way to clear it up is to start it WOT, HUGE backfire... the pressure shot the oil cap right outta the valve cover about 15feet in the air where it collided with our tin roof, and almost went through the damn thing.
Funny....but if he had been over the motor it would been lights out.
08-19-2009, 01:42 PM
#6
Super Moderator
Thread Starter
posted pic in the shoutbox right after it happened & I had to clean up an oildown. Not everybody is all day on RDT *ahem* wink1.gif so I figured some people who weren't logged on just then might have missed it.