Model Rocket Builder Blows House to Bits

coolwings

The news clip says it all.....
check out the extra pictures :eek:

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/3562027/detail.html

g5hn710m4xpdwy

I would if there was links

coolwings

YIKES!! Where did it go?
Anyway - now it's edited back in.

tallus

crazy stuff!

no leaf clover

hmmmm maybe i shouldnt try light stuff with glow plug...

GenericName

thats just.... wow....

vectra

That'l Teach him to stick with monster trucks... At least they wont even start most of the time

coolwings

It must have been an incredibly big bang ........
I wonder was yer man in there working on his stuff at the time.....

gs39t

vectra wrote:

That'l Teach him to stick with monster trucks... At least they wont even start most of the time

LOL

"needs more fuel..."

<house explodes>

"OK thats too much"

vectra

gs39t wrote:

LOL

"needs more fuel..."

<house explodes>

"OK thats too much"

LMFAO...

coolwings

Looks like yer man blew himself up along with his house ... they found parts of him .... :eek:
The wife was out at the shops and was lucky enough not to be round when he decided to make some new home made rocket fuel! That might not have been concidental - if she had any sense - given the guy's track record for previous explosions, according to the news reports.

no leaf clover

ye ever lit glow fuel on fire?

coolwings

yes - burns fast - but the most dangerous bit - the methanol evaporates making the air flammable, so a lighted match can ignite a can of fuel several feet away by the flame travelling through the air. I saw a flame come through the air towards me once while I had an open gallon by my side. Like a camera flash but it scared the bejazus out of me ! I was lucky - I saw it coming and put my hand over the top of the bottle, and it stopped before it got into the container.

no leaf clover

oooooohhhhh....just gave nlc a bad idea!!!! "rc racer blows street up"...

coolwings

Whatever you're thinking of .. .don't try it. When I say it scared me, I know that 1/2 second later I was looking at plastic surgery. Not to be chanced with at all. :eek:

If you want to see what I mean, light a candle, keep the match lit. Now blow out the candle.
The hot (unburnt) vapourised wax rises from the wick as smoke.
Hold the lighted match to the smoke and see how fast the flame jumps down the smoke and lights the candle. And how far it can do it too.
Now remember that that is wax, and we're talking about methanol. :eek:

here is something interesting to read on the subject.: ...

************************************

New BMFA Bulletin Follows Fire

The BMFA have issued a new safety bulletin after a member was badly burned when his friend’s flight box caught fire.

An exploding half-gallon of methanol threw the man, who has not been named, a full thirty feet across the field.

A flash or arcing first alerted the modeller and his flying friend to a problem inside the flight box. The starter was almost immediately disconnected, and the battery removed, but, the bottom of the plastic flight box was bubbling, with no immediately apparent cause.

Seconds later, the two men tried to remove the box from their club’s pit area - as one bent down to pick it up, the methanol exploded in his face. Having suffered burns to his face and scalp, the flier was admitted to hospital for specialist treatment.

With the flight box being very badly damaged, it is not exactly clear what caused the explosion although the combination of a 12V battery, perhaps with faulty wiring, and spilt fuel or vapour must be the prime suspect. Unfortunately, methanol burns with a very pale blue flame in daylight, making such a fire very difficult to discern.

Fuel fires such as this are extremely rare, but to mitigate against a recurrence, the BMFA have issued the following guidelines:

1. Fuel containers should be stored externally on flight boxes, i.e. away from potential sources of ignition such as electrical equipment, lighters and matches.

2. If you do store fuel within your flight box, it should be in a separate compartment to any electrical equipment. Drain holes should be incorporated to disperse spilt fuel, and the compartment must be well ventilated, to disperse vapour. In short, the design of a box should prevent fuel from finding its way into other compartments in the event of a spillage.

3. Any fuel spillage inside a flight box should be mopped up immediately, and those cloths etc. used for mopping disposed of straight away.

4. There should be no smoking within the vicinity of fuel.

5. If you have or suspect that you may have a fire, warn your colleagues and clear the area immediately. remember, methanol fires are not obvious in daylight, so stay well back if in doubt.

6. If the fire is small, attempt to put it out by using an approved extinguisher (foam or powder). If there is any danger of a larger fire breaking out, i.e. the fuel container itself is in the vicinity, do not attempt to extinguish the fire under any circumstances. Always exercise extreme caution, and if in any doubt, stay well back; contact the emergency services for assistance.

7. Do not attempt to move any burning material.

8. Ensure you know the correct first aid procedure for treatment of burns, and make sure you know where to find the nearest water supply. The first few minutes after a burn has been incurred are critical if injuries are to be minimised; the quicker an affected area is treated / cooled, the less damage will occur to underlying tissues. Burns can cause severe shock, which will also require treatment.










Remember, avoid putting your fuel container into an enclosed space, and never adjacent to potential sources of ignition. Should you have a fire, do not take any risks; your equipment is replaceable, but you are not.



The above bulletin was compiled by the BMFA following advice from the Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service.