Pikesville MD Explosion 1

[bimr]

Three dwellings have been "completely destroyed"

"This explosion has affected at least a three block radius up here."

 

[LittleInch]

A history of the enforcement of mains replacement in the UK.

Basically it's in the legislation and whilst 30 years is a long time, there is a plan....

https://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/supply/mainsreplacement/enforcement-policy-2013-2021.htm

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Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

I think that must have been the legislation that my mate triggered in 2005

It was taking the piss though with us. After the first tanker guy moved in down the road and had his alarm went off went it was nearly 18 months of constant issues after we became aware of it. The solution was to put ventilation into void areas at our own cost.

When they dug the road up for the water main it was the final straw because we got pictures of it. Colossal flakes of rust coming off it. The marine guys used a ultrasonic thickness meter on it and it was down to 1/3 thickness in places until they got banned from going near it. Although I presume the surrounding streets had similar issues they didn't get replaced until they did the main pipe 10 years later.

 

[LittleInch]

You could make distribution pipe out of paper and it wouldn't burst from pressure. It's the joints which are the problem in old cast iron mains and brittle cracks caused by vehicles pounding the roads.

But mainly the joints which were made from dope wrap and sealed with lead. Any movement and hisssss.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[1503-44]

Not to mention outright external corrosion.

 

[BUGGAR]

The system can work as presented by IRstuff. Right now I can hear the construction equipment replacing an old SDG&E high pressure gas line under mandate from the Ca Public Utilities Commission, all prompted by the explosion in San Bruno. We, the gas customers pay for it, but that's money I'm happy to spend.

 

[1503-44]

Yes, but would you be happier and safer, if you didn't have to pay for leaked gas that endangers eveybody. Gas companies should be responsible for leaked gas, as that would at least give them some tiny incentive to get busy fixing the leaking pipes. The problem now is that they only care after something blows up. And they don't care to fix pipes even if it means carrying a billion dollars of potential risk. Why? They have insurance companies for that. Then when somebody gets killed, they can barely manage to keep a straight face long enough to say they're sorry.