Another refrigerator exploded in a house

[henene4]

Ok let me rephrase that

Each year, about 170000 vehicles catch fire on US highways.
They kill more than 300 people a year.

We had a single digit case of explosions that MIGHT have been caused by defective fridges - be these defects caused by bad manufacturing (unlikely IMO, as I said) or by misuse (more likely IMO).

Sure something can happen.

That's always the case.

But at some point you gotta be realistic.

 

[norgeway]

The fact remains

Sulfur dioxide might really stink and be corrosive, but its not going to explode, Freon in any of its forms, 134, 12, 500 whatever, might be suspect in being harmful to the atmosphere, but its not going to explode, Funny thing you have never heard of a 1950s fridge blowing up...The fact remains todays appliances are for the most part garbage.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

The Tarrant County Accident!

A fridge and stove, in my case and other numerable cases, gas, but really no relevance in it being electric, operating side by side I have seen should never be redeemed hazardous in any everyday use of one or the other, and I agree, poorly-made the trash of today, results in yet only these hopefully what will be isolated, and numerically-low counting, incidents...

 

 

 

-- Dave

 

[whitewhiskers]

Crazy GAS refrigerator?

too funny

 

[norgeway]

Gas refrigerators were wonderful

And i have never heard of one blowing up, they are totally silent, no moving parts

 

[qsd-dan]

Hydrocarbon refrigerant flammability test from 1995.

 

[paulg]

Growing awareness

I am a CFEI (Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator). At the last big pow-wow I went to I mentioned to my table that I hoped to hear (again) the continuing investigations into exploding refrigerators. The non-appliance manufacturers at the table looked at me like I had two heads.
Sure enough, the last topic of the day was the continuing investigations into exploding refrigerators. The instructor was from England and so his examples reflected that.
As mentioned earlier, leaking evaporators with explosive refrigerant appears to be the typical cause.

The massive fire in the high-rise was addressed in the same seminar. If I remember correctly, by a failed capacitor that ignited the plastic frame/insulation of the refrigerator. Metal shields around the compressor’s electronics usually prevent this but that (non-USA) refrigerator design didn’t have that and the plastic framing was exposed.
That one worried me a bit. I have an inexpensive apartment-sized refrigerator in the basement. I went home and checked my unit. My compressor compartment with electronics is essentially surrounded by metal. Whew. Also, my fridge was made in the USA. I wasn’t too worried though that is no guarantee of anything nowadays.

I visited a Chicagoland discount store not too long ago. They were selling inexpensive full-sized refrigerators of a brand not familiar to many. The refrigerators DID have stickers on it that said “Warning, explosive refrigerant.” At least they told you in advance......

 

[jamiel]

I had thought that the issue with the cheap European refrigerators was that the back panel was fiberboard--not metal, so would not contain the fire in case of ignition.

 

[paulg]

Fiberboard not mentioned

Fiberboard was not mentioned at the seminar but rather the constant exposure of egg-crate like plastic framing to overheated components as the cause.