My friend thought he had everything dialled in... nope
Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2013 1:16 am
A friend of mine installed a new set of brass fittings between his hose and column. He thought everything was jake, and put himself on 15 minute checks by his watch. As his apparatus heated up, he switched to 5 minute checks. Lo and behold, as the moment drew near, he felt confident and relaxed with 10+ years of experience on his side. He had checked the coolant outflow hose for flow, and it was positive. Somehow a gremlin must have interfered with the operation of his hose, and his condenser was not cooled off. A furious plume of alcohol vapor emitted from the spout, putting many cubic feet of vapor into the air not three feet from a propane burner.
Thankfully, my friend was operating outdoors and had a wind blowing through the work area. If this series of events had occurred a few years prior, he would have had a kitchen with no ventilation full of alcohol vapor and a hot flame source in the room.
My friend cracked the nozzle a hair and the water flowed. Within a few seconds the vapor cooled to liquid, dripped off the end of the copper tubing, and into a glass funnel that sat on the top of a narrow mouth Ball jar.
Nevertheless, my friend once again learned to keep an even closer eye on things to ensure safety. Safety, safety, safety.
What a shame it would be for my friend to start a fire in his home where his children sleep due to his carelessness.
This is yet another lesson learned by my friend over the years. Even though everything seems rock solid and so simple that a child could operate safely, there is no substitute for sober adult eyes on the process.
Thankfully, my friend was operating outdoors and had a wind blowing through the work area. If this series of events had occurred a few years prior, he would have had a kitchen with no ventilation full of alcohol vapor and a hot flame source in the room.
My friend cracked the nozzle a hair and the water flowed. Within a few seconds the vapor cooled to liquid, dripped off the end of the copper tubing, and into a glass funnel that sat on the top of a narrow mouth Ball jar.
Nevertheless, my friend once again learned to keep an even closer eye on things to ensure safety. Safety, safety, safety.
What a shame it would be for my friend to start a fire in his home where his children sleep due to his carelessness.
This is yet another lesson learned by my friend over the years. Even though everything seems rock solid and so simple that a child could operate safely, there is no substitute for sober adult eyes on the process.
