MA - As many as 17 house explosions in different locations, Lawrence/Andover, 13 Sept 2018

[Alethea]

The 3 main things I can think of that are typical appliances that use natural gas are:

Kitchen Stoves
Hot water tanks
Heaters + Furnaces

After yesterdays tragedy if I owned an appliance store in the area I would have electric stoves on sale and invest in a bunch of commercials for them.

Same for electric water heaters. Have a huge sale on them.

The problem though is the yearly cost is usually cheaper using gas over electric. I suspect lots of people had hot water heaters that use the natural gas as a fuel source. Gas is usually cheaper than electric so that would be one reason why people would choose those types of water heaters.

Same for heating furnaces. Cost of gas is cheaper than electric. So there were probably plenty of gas furnaces.

And many kitchen stoves as well because cooking on one allows one to better control heat when cooking as compared to an electric stove.

But after yesterday I suspect many would be willing to pay a little more each year and switch to electric for their stove and water heaters. The furnace is a little tricky because it uses a lot of fuel to heat a house. Heating a house with just electric can be very costly especially in cold Massachusetts.

We have oil heat, electric stove, and electric hot water. When oil prices were really high many suburban towns started pushing the move to natural gas for heat & stove as it was competitive even with the installation costs compared to oil. That dropped off a bit when oil prices fell but people love their gas stoves. Recently my parents bought a new house that had oil and switched over to natural gas - the rebates are still so high it was free for the gas company to put in the line to their house and take away the old oil furnace.

I was sad to have an electric stove but now I'm glad and our electric bill is very low. The only thing that kills us is the oil in the winter but it's New England, you learn to layer.

 

[CARIIS]

Infrared camera helps state police catch new leak last night

Infrared camera helps state police catch new leak last night

“The crew of MSP Air 5 likely prevented another catastrophic event. The photos show the gas leak underground as detected by the Air Wing. The strange shape is the gas leak, seen in close up and from a wider angle. In the third photo, a firefighter stands over the leak," state police state in the department's Facebook post.

just scary--but confusing - is this when the system is depressurized?

but at least we learned one way they can check out stuff

 

[CARIIS]

The 3 main things I can think of that are typical appliances that use natural gas are:

Kitchen Stoves
Hot water tanks
Heaters + Furnaces

After yesterdays tragedy if I owned an appliance store in the area I would have electric stoves on sale and invest in a bunch of commercials for them.

Same for electric water heaters. Have a huge sale on them.

The problem though is the yearly cost is usually cheaper using gas over electric. I suspect lots of people had hot water heaters that use the natural gas as a fuel source. Gas is usually cheaper than electric so that would be one reason why people would choose those types of water heaters.

Same for heating furnaces. Cost of gas is cheaper than electric. So there were probably plenty of gas furnaces.

And many kitchen stoves as well because cooking on one allows one to better control heat when cooking as compared to an electric stove.

But after yesterday I suspect many would be willing to pay a little more each year and switch to electric for their stove and water heaters. The furnace is a little tricky because it uses a lot of fuel to heat a house. Heating a house with just electric can be very costly especially in cold Massachusetts.

I don't know if they could switch to ovens they need 220 volts ( as do dryers )

 

[onslow]

Unfortunately, it’s so hard to find qualified trades people these days. I work for a company that specializes in a specific trade and it is incredibly hard to find qualified and dependable workers.

Plenty of qualified tradespeople in the trade unions still. National Grid has them locked out. #USW12003 #USW12012

See #194 above MA - As many as 17 house explosions in different locations, Lawrence/Andover, 13 Sept 2018

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Plenty of qualified tradespeople in the trade unions still. National Grid has them locked out. #USW12003 #USW12012

In the UK National Grid recognises and negotiates with trade unions:

Prospect is one of the unions in National Grid and is active on all of its main sites. Membership is open to all employees of the National Grid. National Grid is very supportive of trade union membership by its employees and is keen that members should take an active part in their union.

Who are Prospect?

Reading up on the lockout it seems to me to essentially be a dispute over employee contributions to health insurance costs.

Despite making tremendous profits and benefiting from recent tax cuts, National Grid is determined to introduce changes that will make workers pay significantly more for their health coverage and cut benefits for new staff. The company recently received a tax cut from the Trump administration, and will raise additional income with a rates hike for US consumers.

National Grid workers in annual general meeting protest

 

[bears10]

Plenty of qualified tradespeople in the trade unions still. National Grid has them locked out. #USW12003 #USW12012

See #194 above MA - As many as 17 house explosions in different locations, Lawrence/Andover, 13 Sept 2018

Ok I’ll correct myself. It’s hard to find qualified tradespeople to work for non union jobs. Maybe it’s regional. But trust me, we have a terribly hard time finding good people.

 

[Oregonmama]

Hundreds line up to file claims with Columbia Gas after being turned away Sunday

Official: Pressure sensors focus of Merrimack Valley gas explosions probe

 

[CARIIS]

Hundreds line up to file claims with Columbia Gas after being turned away Sunday

Official: Pressure sensors focus of Merrimack Valley gas explosions probe

I wish the fbi would go away it is not a fbi issue

it is ntsb arena

The NTSB is an independent federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the U.S. and significant accidents in other modes of transportation—railroad, highway, marine and pipeline.

The NTSB determines the probable cause of each accident investigated and issues safety recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents. In addition, the NTSB carries out special studies concerning transportation safety and coordinates the resources of the Federal Government and other organizations to provide assistance to victims and their family members impacted by major transportation disasters.

If it was only them we would know every single thing they know

About the NTSB

 

[KALI]

If you have never considered current life without utilities, read "One Second After", written by William Frostchen with forward by Newt Gingrich.

A very entertaining read (4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon) and VERY eye opening.

 

[AlwaysShocked]

If your house uses natural gas for fuel, you own two gas piping systems.

1.) The "gas service line" which is an underground pipe bringing the gas from the street (or some other point) to your house. The gas meter is usually located near the foundation wall of the house and that is where the gas comes into the house through the wall. Certain strong plastics are approved for this line. In Pennsylvania this pipe must be buried at least 36" underground.

2.) The "gas house lines" is the piping system within the house that distributes the gas to the furnace and any other gas-fired appliances. This will usually be of threaded steel pipe or sometimes of copper pipe, depending on what your particular gas company will approve.

Where I live all gasline work must be performed by a certified gasline installer. These are independent contractors, usually plumbers, who have met the gas company requirements for certification.

Both of these gaslines must be inspected by the gas company before they can be turned on.

Excessive pressure inside a gasline would loosen joints or even cause them to separate, allowing gas to spill out freely into the environment. In an enclosed space the accumulation of volatile gas becomes highly dangerous.

The distinctive smell of natural gas is meant to act as a safety warning. If you ever smell it, GET OUT immediately!

 

[angelainwi]

Federal investigators say a natural gas company field engineer made a major mistake in the plans he developed for construction work in Merrimack Valley, Mass.

Federal Investigators Pinpoint What Caused String Of Gas Explosions In Mass.

 

[flute4peace]

Federal investigators say a natural gas company field engineer made a major mistake in the plans he developed for construction work in Merrimack Valley, Mass.

Federal Investigators Pinpoint What Caused String Of Gas Explosions In Mass.

Wow. You couldn’t pay me enough to have that job!

 

[Indy Anna]

Wow. You couldn’t pay me enough to have that job!

I can't imagine the weight on that engineer's shoulders. But, there was negligence involved -- not only on the part of the field engineer, but also Columbia gas. When it was revealed after the explosions started that gas mains were being upgraded that day, a number of people on the Internet, including here on WS, knew exactly what happened.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Trauma remains for victims of Columbia Gas explosions two years later - The Boston Globe

About 40 people participated in the virtual remembrance organized by the Merrimack Valley Project, an interfaith advocacy group that will hold a moment of prayer on Facebook Live on Sunday to mark the second anniversary of the explosions.

Leonel Rondon, an 18 year old from Lawrence, was killed by the blasts caused by over-pressurized gas lines. Rondon was sitting in a car parked in the driveway of his friend’s home when the blast caused the walls of the house to collapse and crash onto the car.

In July, Columbia Gas agreed to pay $56 million to resolve the state’s investigations into the explosions. In addition, Eversource will buy Columbia Gas of Massachusetts from Indiana-based NiSource Inc. for $1.1 billion, a deal that is expected to close this fall.

Attorney General Maura Healey’s office said in July that the settlement funds will be used to support low-income gas customers faced with debt and for energy-efficient projects in the cities of Lawrence, Andover, and North Andover, where the explosions occurred.

Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Mahony told attendees in Saturday’s meetings that the state is working to create a program to help homeowners and renters affected by the explosions overcome challenges such as making home repairs, switching to energy efficient systems, and making sure their homes are up to code.

Trauma remains for victims of Columbia Gas explosions two years later - The Boston Globe