Does anyone have stories ( true) or knowledge of damage to people or equipment that were the result of improper valve closure. I occasionally hear stories at my supplier but have not had any first hand experience. I would appreciate any feed back, humorous or otherwise. Thanks, Mark
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An "explosion" due to a closed valve would be unusual as most circulation pumps are incapable of producing more than 40-45 psi. What is more likely, is to melt pipes near the pump causing a failure and leak. Often its not caught until there is significant water lost from the pool and if the equipment is below the pool can be "fun" and challenging (just to get near let alone repairing).
A friend called me in a panic one day saying the tablet feeder had exploded and could I come right away as he does not do repair work, only cleanings. On arrival, my friend was still shaking from the calamity and truly, there was plastic shrapnel scattered 15-20 ft outside the equipment area (must have pretty loud)! As is turns out, homeboy had decided to take a shortcut (that he'd been warned against) and carry his tabs to the pool in a bucket of shock. When he filled the chlorinator there was shock clinging to the tabs which reacted and gassed off (with the pump running mind you) causing the body to burst.....violently. The injuries could have been traumatic had he been standing next to the equipment, but fortunately was at the opposite end of the pool. There are many, many explosion and/or fire stories surrounding swimming pool chemicals. I had the lid blow off of a bucket of tabs that had gotten wet and it went up 30-40 ft. Keep them sealed, dry, and no mixing allowed, except in the pool.
Mark
You won't really have an "explosion" in a pipe or piece of equipment if it's filled with water. It will come apart at it's weakest point and more or less burst.
However, if any pipe or piece of equipment is filled with air, watchout.
About 20+years I had a customer that had a problem with the air relief valve on an old sand filter. It was a stainless steel tank with a belly band clamp in the middle. On start up, the air compressed in the tank with no escape.
What followed was the tank splitting apart, sent it into the air like a missile, over their fence to the neighbor's property a distance of about 50'. I personally did not witness this, but I believed my customer. Their son had to climb the fence to retrieve the top. They were very lucky. I did change the filter.
Keep in mind when pressure testing PVC piping it's best to use water not air. Air can compress more than water which increases the pressure in a pipe which could result in damage to materials or personal injury.
My understanding with air compressor manufacturers is they initially test their tanks with water before an air test.