From the United Press International comes this report:
The cost of heating water went through the roof for one man recently when his hot water heater exploded and rocketed through the roof of his home. Authorities said Anthony Sobaski Jr. and another adult in the house were not injured even though the 50 gallon electric water heater tore a 4 ft hole through the floor, 3 ft from where he was sleeping, as it shot from the basement into the sky about 6:15 a.m. It landed about 150 ft away across an alley in a neighbor's yard. "If it had hit them, they could have been killed. It was just like a rocket,'' said Lt. Greg Anderson of the South St. Paul Fire Department. "It over-pressured and just blew off. Nothing was going to stop it at all. It was a major explosion.'' The blast knocked the $77,000 house off its foundation and killed a pet dog. Fire officials blamed the accident on an inoperable pressure relief valve. Lesson: The pressure relief valve is there for a reason. Make sure it works. Also when wrapping a water heater, cut a hole in the wrap to ensure free movement of moving parts in the valve and release of pressure.
"If it had hit them, they could have been killed. It was just like a rocket,'' said Lt. Greg Anderson of the South St. Paul Fire Department. "It over-pressured and just blew off. Nothing was going to stop it at all. It was a major explosion.'' The blast knocked the $77,000 house off its foundation and killed a pet dog. Fire officials blamed the accident on an inoperable pressure relief valve.
The blast knocked the $77,000 house off its foundation and killed a pet dog. Fire officials blamed the accident on an inoperable pressure relief valve.
Corrections The phone number for the National Appropriate Technology Assistance Service (NATAS), listed in "Resources" in the July/August Home Energy, should have been (800)428-2525. The number for NATAS in Montana is correct: (800)428-1718.
The phone number for the National Appropriate Technology Assistance Service (NATAS), listed in "Resources" in the July/August Home Energy, should have been
(800)428-2525. The number for NATAS in Montana is correct: (800)428-1718.
The article "IRS To Lose Its Slice of Utility Rebates" in the May/June Home Energy should have reported the expected revenue loss to the U.S government as a result of a change in utility rebate tax status for residential and commercial customers alike would be $456 million during 1993-97.
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