Cautionary tale - Make sure you have a fire extinguisher
Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2013 3:38 pm
Seems obvious, but not to me until tonight.
I was doing a spirit run tonight. Maybe I have let myself become complacent, and maybe I was a little too tired to be doing a run this evening. Anyway, I feel thankfull that I have had this wake up call and been spared burning down my workshop and have wlaked away from it with no more injury than inhaling a small amount of polystyrene fumes and a making a big mess.
I had just made the cut to tails. I collect in small jars and when I am into tails I cut to a bigger 3L jar. Anyway I left the still for a mintute to empty the bucket that I use to collect the coolant overflow into a drain outside. I probably would have been better off if I had just left the still to run itself dry because what I did next was really dumb.
I have only had the still puke once before during the start of a stripping run because I didn't turn down the gas as soon as it reached a boil. I thought I had learned my lesson there and normally I listen intently for a boil to start and then turn it down to take the foreshots off slow, and then make small ajustmnents to get the desired flow of product from the condenser.
Like I said, I have just cut to tails and was getting pretty eager to go home and get to sleep and the output was starting to drop off, so for some idiotic reason unknown to my better judgement I cranked the power right up, not a reasonable increment and wait for the result but a quick quarter turn. Almost straight away I was awoken from my complacencly by the sound of the boiler charge bumping and a WHUMP as the vapours inside blew though the wheat flour gasket that seals the boiler neck to the still head and were lit up by the heat from the gas flame.
I managed to react quick enough to turn the gas off at the regulator, and it turns out that for my stupidity I only got a small slap on the wrist from the fire gods rather than what could have happened, ie; my workshop being burned down, putting me out of work, having to expalin things to my landlord (who of course has no clue that I am distilling on his property), possible criminal charges, etc.
The polystyrene insulation in the ceiling only had just started to melt before the flash fire burned out. Thank f**k I wasn't standing over the boiler when it happened or else I would have no hair or possibly no skin on my head. Needless to say the first thing that went though my head as I watched the flames lick the ceiling and walls was that I wish I had a fire extinguisher. I mean, how complacent can someone be? I made do by thowing water from the barrel which I use as a coolant reservoir all over the walls and ceiling.
So, I am lucky enough to have learned a lesson without major damage or injury, just a mess in my workshop and some frayed nerves; There is no room for complacency or impatience in this hobby - and buy a fire extinguisher!
I was doing a spirit run tonight. Maybe I have let myself become complacent, and maybe I was a little too tired to be doing a run this evening. Anyway, I feel thankfull that I have had this wake up call and been spared burning down my workshop and have wlaked away from it with no more injury than inhaling a small amount of polystyrene fumes and a making a big mess.
I had just made the cut to tails. I collect in small jars and when I am into tails I cut to a bigger 3L jar. Anyway I left the still for a mintute to empty the bucket that I use to collect the coolant overflow into a drain outside. I probably would have been better off if I had just left the still to run itself dry because what I did next was really dumb.
I have only had the still puke once before during the start of a stripping run because I didn't turn down the gas as soon as it reached a boil. I thought I had learned my lesson there and normally I listen intently for a boil to start and then turn it down to take the foreshots off slow, and then make small ajustmnents to get the desired flow of product from the condenser.
Like I said, I have just cut to tails and was getting pretty eager to go home and get to sleep and the output was starting to drop off, so for some idiotic reason unknown to my better judgement I cranked the power right up, not a reasonable increment and wait for the result but a quick quarter turn. Almost straight away I was awoken from my complacencly by the sound of the boiler charge bumping and a WHUMP as the vapours inside blew though the wheat flour gasket that seals the boiler neck to the still head and were lit up by the heat from the gas flame.
I managed to react quick enough to turn the gas off at the regulator, and it turns out that for my stupidity I only got a small slap on the wrist from the fire gods rather than what could have happened, ie; my workshop being burned down, putting me out of work, having to expalin things to my landlord (who of course has no clue that I am distilling on his property), possible criminal charges, etc.
The polystyrene insulation in the ceiling only had just started to melt before the flash fire burned out. Thank f**k I wasn't standing over the boiler when it happened or else I would have no hair or possibly no skin on my head. Needless to say the first thing that went though my head as I watched the flames lick the ceiling and walls was that I wish I had a fire extinguisher. I mean, how complacent can someone be? I made do by thowing water from the barrel which I use as a coolant reservoir all over the walls and ceiling.
So, I am lucky enough to have learned a lesson without major damage or injury, just a mess in my workshop and some frayed nerves; There is no room for complacency or impatience in this hobby - and buy a fire extinguisher!
