Interesting stuff.PhilC wrote: 31 Jan 2026 10:40 @rubber_jonnie @exxos so I would get sent to site when there was a problem. One site had blown the flues off of their boilers due to poor maintenance, it even appeared in a national newspaper as the loud bang prompted a bomb scare.
Worst that happened to me was for a large boiled and I do mean large as I don't work on stuff smaller than a car typically, whilst I was kneeling in front of it, it had a gas explosion, blew me on to my arse, blew my tool box across the room and sent the boiler flue up like a rocket which came back down and lodged itself half way through another part of the factory roof.
And don't get me started on oil explosions, oil that has gasified is far more deadly than gas.
You can have explosions with quite a few different powders in the right circumstances. Typically in bakeries these days you have to reverse park into a parking space, just like at quarries where they deliberately blow stuff up.
If you want to see an interesting video, go on to YouTube and search for steam boiler explosions. There's a few interesting examples of blown up boilers on there. Steam boilers is the industry that I worked in. Incidentally, no explosions at my current/previous employer thanks to better equipment and well trained engineers :D
For a fun steam explosion go and have a look at the Mythbusters hot water tank explosion here: Failed hot water tank explosion
It definitely surprised me that's for sure.
@exxos You have brought a doom upon us!!!
My wife found our sink overflow had failed and the cupboard under the sink was all wet!!! All fixed now but I had other things I wanted to do!!!
Hopefully after your and @stephen_usher's escapades that will be three for three and everyone else is safe :dizzy:
