Mass got really bad gas

[Anonymous No.1463896]

Anyone in the gas/heating industry wanna give us some insight as to how this happened?

[Anonymous No.1463903]

>>1463896
>Local gas unions went on strike
>No one cared after a couple of weeks
>Someone union mob guy got the bright idea to blow up the streets
>Union comes to the rescue say they are willing to help
>Strike ends, they get $, they are seen as heros

MA National grid union strike
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ponwNWfM_8w

https://www.boston25news.com/news/emergency-crews-responding-to-multiple-fires-following-explosions-in-lawrence/833085938

10 p.m.: Locked out National Grid gas workers from United Steelworkers Local 12003 and 12012 released a statement:

"United Steelworkers Locals 12003 and 12012 offers its assistance to help in this very serious, life-threatening situation.

[Anonymous No.1463907]

I can make some wild speculations...
For gas explosions to happen in so many houses in the same area at the same time, I'd guess that the gas flow from the plant had stopped long enough for the pilot lights in homes to shut off, or people who had gas stoves.
The houses that blew up had malfunctioning thermocouple gas valves that were stuck open and leaked gas out the pilot light valve which is normally supposed to be closed. Could also have been from gas stoves that were left on all day.
The area where it happened (merrimack valley) has 330k+ population which likely means there are enough gas customers that a few dozen out of them could have had bad thermocouple valves, or forgot to turn their stoves off when the gas stopped working, or some other dangerous situation.
Then a spark from a fridge compressor, static shock, or someone smoking would set off the explosion.

[Anonymous No.1463914]

>>1463907
Thank you

[Anonymous No.1463938]

https://www.columbiagasma.com/en/about-us/newsroom/news/2018/09/13/improving-natural-gas-service-across-massachusetts

[Anonymous No.1463952]

>>1463907
Except it was caused by over pressurization of newly installed part of the system.

[Anonymous No.1463972]

>>1463896
>lawrence
The only real tragedy here is that it didn't flatten the entirety of that shit hole.

[Anonymous No.1463980]

>>1463972
I can hear your accent when reading that...

[Anonymous No.1464012]

>>1463952
yeah, was reading a comment from someone who at least sounded like they knew wtf they were talking about, said HP gas got mistakenly routed down LP lines, with predictable consequences. Amazing the amount of people still trying to claim Union Sabotage tho.

[Anonymous No.1464038]

>>1463972

This every week Lawrence is in the news for drugs, murder or some other shit hole cop encounter.

[Anonymous No.1464478]

>>1463896
Assuming the unions didn't intentionally do this I would chalk it up to the bean counters at the gas company. They've likely known for a while that the supply main was old, rusting, and probably leaking since they had scheduled it for replacement. The real question is why didn't it get done sooner? Did they put it off for cost reasons and then WHOOPS?

Depending on how the main ran down the street if it had multiple leaks it could've been seeping into houses for a while. Since it's lighter than air your whole house fills with gas first and then it hits the water heater pilot or the dryer lights and BABOOM your house is across the street now.

>>1463907
Seems far-fetched but technically possible I guess. I feel like the pilots would've had to be out for a while (days) for the houses to fill up and blow. UNLESS - the main loses pressure, pilots all drop, it comes back on at too high a pressure, all the gas valve membranes rupture dumping gas into the houses at high pressure, someone's dryer lights or there's an electrical arc or whatever and BABOOM.

As "accidents" go this is an epic-tier fuckup by someone.

[Anonymous No.1464484]

>>1464012
In my shithole country we just had an ex-sewage engineer thrown in jail for remotely manipulating the valves to cause damage after he was fired.

Shit like this is really easy in this day and age.

[Anonymous No.1464488]

>>1464484
Oh wait, I misremembered ... he got 240 hours community service. After turning on pumps, blocking safety valves and then turning off alarms. Fuck this shithole.

[Anonymous No.1464524]

>>1463907
>malfunctioning thermocouple gas valves that were stuck open and leaked gas out the pilot light valve which is normally supposed to be closed.

FYI, most gas cook don't have thermocouplers. The stoves usually have a main shutoff valve behind them, but that requires dragging the stove out. Some people can't physically drag a stove out to do that. The gas company here will jump through flaming hoops to make damn sure every pilot light is lit in a house before turning the gas back on. They will light them for you too. Because, it is a big fucking deal.

>>1463952
And the system doesn't have pressure gauges that shut off the flow when pressure is too low or too high? I have on right on the meter in my yard. I have to go out and reset it occasionally, but only due to low pressure caused by moisture in the line freezing off the flow. I've never had to mess with the high pressure one.

>>1463972
>>1464038
I take it you live in Lawrence. lol

>>1463896
>>1464012
>>1464478
It wouldn't be the Union to do this specifically, not like their command structure people, unless they are speculating. It'd be people speculating on property values who would have done it by having someone on the inside. Stuff like this lowers property values and makes it easier to convince residents to sell targeted properties. Offers to buy normally start anywhere from 1 month to 1 year after such an event, depending on several factors. The properties will then be rented out short term until all properties are purchased and/or the main buyer is ready to enact whatever plan that needs to be done.

>>1464478
>I feel like the pilots would've had to be out for a while (days) for the houses to fill up and blow.

Yes, it does takes quite a while for something like a pilot light to get the air to reach the 12% or so concentration it needs to ignite. This sort of accident is the kind that other countries start executing the people in charge. lol I'm sure they will get a slap on the wrist for it here.

[Anonymous No.1464558]

>>1464524
The explosive range for natural gas is 5-15%. A house can reach that level in a matter of hours. Source: the FD in my hometown responded to a gas leak caused by contractors puncturing a line while running fiber optic cable. While going door to door to check the houses, one of them went bang.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS3EOKKqn3U

In my experience dealing with the utility companies, the biggest problem is that they will not shut things down as early as possible. Instead, they wait until things really go to shit so that they might avoid having to re-light pilot lights later.

[Anonymous No.1464575]

>>1464524
>And the system doesn't have pressure gauges that shut off the flow when pressure is too low or too high?

Doesn’t always help. If your meter shuts off but the pipe in the ground breaks the gas will find the path of least resistance if that happens to lead to an enclosed space like your basement, you have problems. Since it’s heavier than air it will collect in low places.

[Anonymous No.1464834]

>>1464575
Natural gas is methane, which is lighter than air. Still your point is valid as it could still collect in certain situations

[Anonymous No.1464850]

>>1464524
>I take it you live in Lawrence. lol
No, but I live in an area that receives a lot of "immigrants" from Lawrence. Brown or white, they're usually scum.These Massachusetts cities like Lawrence and Lynn, are slowly turning New England into a living hell. They breed nothing but filth and evil.

[Anonymous No.1464852]

>>1464834
Lighter-than-air natural gas (methane) should not be confused with liquefied petroleum gas. This gas is more commonly called L.P., bottle gas, propane, butane and various other trade names. Liquefied petroleum gases are all heavier than air and will collect in low places when not confined.

[Anonymous No.1464890]

>>1464524
I realize I wasn't very clear in my original post.
I'm aware gas stoves don't have thermocouples, I own one. When I was referring to the thermocouples, I meant in furnaces or water heaters.
For stoves, I was talking about the circumstance where gas went out while someone was cooking on their stove - and they simply didn't shut the burner off, and forgot about it. Gas comes back on and now there's a problem.
This is similar to the danger of not properly using a magnetic starter for heavy electric loads - when the power goes out, the contactor in a magnetic starter will automatically disengage so when the power comes back on people don't get hurt.

[Anonymous No.1464901]

>>1464558
>Those pretty and nostalgic looking firetrucks

[Anonymous No.1464906]

My mom works at a Columbia Gas call center and she got called by a guy claiming that he was part of a terrorist group in the Philippines and that they were responsible
It being this close to 9/11 I'm not sure

[Anonymous No.1464959]

Dominion did this to a town on Lake Erie like 8 years back. Someone fucked up and they sent transmission pressure gas down residential lines.. so everyone with a standing pilot that was set for 4 inches water column was suddenly getting like 50 psi... instant flamethrower. Town in Ohio was fairport harbor, the regulator froze because it wasn’t buried below the frost line like I believe they’re supposed to be and the safety failed.. something like 15 buildings caught fire. But fairport isn’t a very big place..

[Anonymous No.1465005]

>>1463896
>House built in 1304
>Still had original pipes that we salvaged from a house but got Jesus grandmother
>Boomer owners for 10000 years say "lol were grandfathered in we don't need to update gubment can get fucked"
>...
>BOOM
>...
>oh look the porcelain for the knob and tube is l didn't burn in the gas explosion for time to rebuild
>...
>WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE CAN'T USE THE OLD KNOB AND TUBE
>OK now since were reusing these three charred logs from the original house it's now a remodel ok?
>Local gubmint signs off on the "remodel"
>Reused old knob and tube, claims it's original, grandfathered in
>passes inspection
Wew lad

[Anonymous No.1466929]

>>1464906
So it's this the answer? Philippine terrorists?

[Anonymous No.1467454]

>>1464906
My dad works for Nintendo and he said the same thing.