Exploding Dishwashers!!!

[Cybrvanr]

If your water heater sits for several days and doesn't get used, hydrogen gas can build up that could possibly ignite within an appliance. Don't let this happen to you!

http://www.safetycenter.navy.mil/media/ashore/issues/winter99/dishwasher.htm

 

[bostonwash]

LOLOL

I luv it. On military/our US property with our tax dollars too.

Thanks Steve(yet another Steve. we should all be required to use our last initial.)

 

[maytagbear]

Hydrogen warnings are

standard in newer washer and dishwasher manuals.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[compactc9]

I haven't ever heard of this before, maybe I should look at our dishwasher's manual sometime.

 

[DADoES]

I wonder if tankless water heaters are immune to this problem?

 

[tolivac]

I have heard of this and the warnings are in the installation-operators manual for the newer WP-KA dishwasher I have. also I have heard of water heaters themselves exploding from the hydrogen gas and almost destroying the house they are in.Another good precaution-(its in some water heater owners manuals) is to shut the heater heat source off if the building or water system isn't going to be used for a long period(like vacations-or in between owners-tneents in homes)The heating of the water in the heater causes the gas to build up if the water isn't used.Under normal use-the hydrogen doesn't build up to dangerous levels.When I went on vacations I shut off the water heater for the gas reason and to prevent burning the power if you aren't using it anyway.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Damn, I would have liked to see that happen. Maybe we can dupicate it with natural gas outside. Do you suppose the tank warranty was voided?

Making hydrogen in the lab was always my favorite demonstration. The generator set up with the acid and zinc, the water-filled bottles in the tank, watching hydrogen displace the water and the little "POP" when it was ignited; that was a real production and nobody wanted to miss it. Stupid kids would pose questions like, If you filled a house with hydrogen and oxygen would the house be full of water? We have seen what happens when hydrogen and oxygen combine in the only way they combine. Life sure will be exciting once we have hydrogen fueling stations.

 

[Brneyedgrl80]

Holy! That's scary. Imagine if you were standing in the kitchen when it happened. Someone could've gotten hurt.

 

[tolivac]

Yes-I also enjoyed making hydrogen with my chemestry set.There are several ways you could make it-the acid and zinc is one-another is Aluminum metal in a solution of Sodium or potassium hydroxide.and the last is electrolysis of water.Hydrogen would collect on one electrode and oxygen on the other.for the Hydrogen fueling station the most practical was the lectrolysis method-with the electricity needed for the process generated by solar power.And of course steam powerr plants generate copus quantities of Hydrogen and Oxygen in their hi temp-high pressure boilers.Makes a real spectacular explosion in that case.the higher temps and pressures make for more hydrogen and oxygen breakdown of the water.Doesn't matter if the power plant boiler is heated by coal or similar fuel-or nuclear power.also shipboard boilers generate it too.Power companies also use an electrolysis hydrogen generator to produce the gas for generator cooling.Hydrogen is great for removing heat from power company generators.In the gen casing-its pure hydrogen-by itself removes heat more efficiently than air and quenches arcing.when the generator is opened-the hydrogen is flushed out with carbon dioxide.Fans on the generator rotor circulate the hydrogen gas thruout the gen casing and thru a heat exchanger coil to remove the heat to the outside of the gen casing-to either air or water.

 

[hooverac216]

DOH i woud like to see it happen right now but i cant

 

[frigilux]

Good Lord, what's next?! As if I wasn't already expending enough mental energy worrying about cooking oil-soaked dishtowels self-combusting, now I have THIS to add to the list. And of course, we all know that an errant spark can cause a powdered detergent fire, right? (This is true, I'm not being a smart*ss, for once)

 

[drmitch]

CSI-Frigidaire Ok no more gas on the internet!

 

[toggleswitch]

Thanks Tolivac- love your technical tid-bits. Better than any other source IMHO.

There was a time in Popular Science magazine that Hydrogen gas was a hot topic.

The only effluent/ major by-product of burning hydrogen is water (and perhaps some other chemical from any added artifical smell, added to be able to detect a leak).

Apparently it can be used just as easily as natural (methane) gas. On a domestic cooker/stove/range the flames can not be seen, so the top burners would be reconfigured to inclde a window-screen type mesh that would glow red-hot to show the user that the gas is indeed combusting.

(Think: Caloric brand gas stove's infra-red *ulltra-ray* broiler).

 

[tolivac]

Hydrogen as fuel-would be nice-but has some dangers-as you'all know it is explosive and flammable when mixed with air--and it does burn with an "invisible" flame in daylight.If its dark you can see it.In a bright lit area-you cannot-like an alchohol flame-therefore at an accident scene involving hydrogen fueled vehicles-rescuers and escaping victims could walk right into a hydrogen fire and get burned!!Guess it would be kinda like a person I knew who worked in the engineroom of a ship-if you hear a steam leak-you stayed put-and if you moved--waved a broom or mop handle infront of you-hi temp steam is invisible-the steam would cut the mop handle at the leak point.-like the screen over the hydrogen burner idea-same is done with alchohol stoves-you could then see the burning flames.