The Steamboating Forum

Here are a couple links to the inspection report pertaining to the 2001 Medina, Ohio incident where the boiler of a Case Steam Traction Engine failed killing five people, including the Owner/Operator and his son.

I am posting this here to remind people that it is their responsibility to make sure that their boiler is safe to operate and they use proper operating and inspection procedures.

The Owner/operator knowingly "repaired" and operated an unsafe boiler in a public venue and took four other people with him.

Report:
http://www.doli.state.mn.us/ccld/Boiler ... sHobby.asp

Pictures:
http://www.doli.state.mn.us/ccld/Boiler ... Hobby1.asp

I think this should be made a sticky...

I remember when this happened as it is just south of here. Was talking to someone the other day in the steam community and they said that when the engine was bought the seller told the buyer the boiler was not safe. And advised against firing it at all until inspection and necessary repairs were made, and that was stated right on the sales receipt.

I'm going to invest in a ultrasonic thickness tester for steel, they aren't too expensive. Just for peace of mind, a check of the mud ring and shell, at the same time the spring hydrostatic test is performed. My boiler was supposedly new, only fired once and everything I've examined about it is consistent with very light usage. The first few times I blew it down, there was literally no rust flakes or debris that came out. But, I'd still like to see the metal thickness anyway.

-Ron

Yea ,Ron an ultrasonic tester is a great investment. Being a member of the local threshers association I've never needed to invest in one as several of our members own one. From what I know of the accident in Ohio the problems with the crown sheet would have been obvious to the naked eye .
When talking to new people we go on so much about boiler saftey that they must think were crazy. That is until we show them a few old photos of what happens when a firetube boiler blows.
Rules for running a steam engine
rule 1.make sure the boiler is safe rule 2. .make sure the boiler is safe rule rule 3. .make sure the boiler is safe rule 4. have fun

Rule 5. make sure you possess the common sense necessary to safely operate steam equipment. If you are lackadaisical about safety and/or maintenance, perhaps finding another hobby is a good idea.

I know we all hate to turn away people, but if we observe unsafe practices it is our duty to educate the individual. If the problem persists, we need to ask the individual to leave until their methods of operation and attitude change. Loosing one individual is better than loosing multiple individuals to an accident and loosing the ability to enjoy our hobby without stifling regulations.

Yup... this accident would have been prevented with just regular hydrostatic testing. That crown sheet didn't need an ultrasonic tester (although it would have picked up the problem as well) to find the danger; a simple hydro to 1.5 x working pressure would have caught it. Hydro the boiler to 1.5 x working pressure, leave it there for 10 minutes (you can tap the boiler w/ something metal for good luck too ) and also check gauges and the safety for lifting at the specified pressure.

Happy Thanksgiving all, by the way, to all you tryptophan fans!

- Bart

I've been reading as much as I can find, and to me a picture of an incredibly stupid, arrogant, or ignorant owner/operator emerges. One report maintains that he was ejected from another show with a different traction engine for unspecified unsafe practices.

The official reports list numerous irregularities that didn't directly have to do with the explosion, but might have caused problems later, the use of regular galvanised pipe being one of them, an inoperative water injector being another.

I have been trying to find out why galvanized steel pipe is not allowed on a boiler. Does anyone know why?

Galvanized pipe that you find at the local DIY store is the really cheap stuff. It is seamed and made to much lower standards than the seamless pipe that is required to be used for boiler piping. Anything you find at your local consumer outlet (black or galvanized) is unlikely to have the rating needed to be used in boiler service.

"All non boiler external piping is required to be inspected, tested and certified in accordance with the provisions of Chap VI of ASME B31.1 code"

Zinc plated seamless pipe with the proper rating does appear to be available but I think that this is more for protection from external corrosion that it is for the protection from steam. Steam is de-oxegenated and therefore less likely to corrode so galvanizing is an unneeded, extra added cost to already pricey pipe.

Ken

OK, so the problem with "galvanized pipe" is not that it has zinc coating, but that usually it is lower quality pipe, although so is the typical steel pipe you get at the discount supply stores.

I have information about sacrificial zinc anodes being routinely placed in boilers (in the water space) to protect against boiler steel corrosion. That would not help a large power boiler where the TDS is measured as a few Parts Per Million (PPM), and the conductivity is very low. On steam launch boilers the TDS can easily run several hundred to a couple of thousand PPM, and still be within the maximum recommendations of the American Boiler Manufacturer's Association. This condition would have high electrical conductivity, and sacrificial anodes could be beneficial.

Oddly enough, the ion content of water can be too low for safety. In one of my previous employment lives, I took care of the science department of a medium sized four year college. One of the common items around was a reverse osmosis pure water supply.

I had to be vigilant to see that no brass drain plugs or fittings were used anywhere on the high purity parts of the system. The very low conductivity water was 'hungry' for ions and the zinc content of the brass would dissolve away in days followed by what were termed 'wet floor' incidents.

I love plastic in room temperature applications.

The fresh water side of the cooling system in my Yanmar sailboat die-sel has zincs but they seem to last and last. A bad sign. Something else is probably dissolving

By the way, I was in Harbor Freight, a low cost oriental import hardware chain, and they were selling quarter turn (probably brass!) ball valves with a steam rating of 150 psi for a very low price. Like four bucks for a 3/8" valve. I think I might give one a try in a non-critical place.