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    heater fire analysis

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    Electric-Water-Heater-Fires

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    heater fire analysis

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    27 views4 pages

    Electric Water Heater Fires

    Uploaded by

    muralisun
    heater fire analysis

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 4
    IN GENERAL ELECTRIC WATER HEATERS ARE NOT CONDUCT TO CAUSING FIRES. THE HEAT IS WELL CONTAINED AND ABBORBED BY WATER, AND THERE ARE ‘SEVERAL CONTROLS TO PREVENT OVERHEATING. ww rman 00080, #&—One of the carina! sin tha an avin: ‘orcan commits to sate that acer peo fie can NEVER cect, ‘Soca tment is sue invite calenges rom ter investigators, swell a barage of questions in future depotion. Is fo these ‘eafns ht he autor il nt wae that ta lcm ett cat ‘sotense are. Buthe uneyng theo this paper tha owes the Years, numerous electric water hess have teen enamined By the Authors bring potential causes of es; not once di they tr os othe scale. node to ivesgt an let! water beter recast ‘snes to understand how tey operate. The ual lets watt beaters elec depicted in the schematic of Figa lncoming 240 VAC power fist passes though igh iit thermostat hen ‘wore oft themostats and estanc enters. The etn hes, rm, made of «resistance wie encased in magni one nan ‘ymca ELECTC WATER HEATER SCHEMATIC ELECTRIC WATER HEATER FIRES outer meta seat, ine ache 350008500 ‘rats. Photo L shows 4 ow boy” eect wo ter hese, ith he ever Pines removed expose the hermowats, wiring, ted heating element on In ase, the water heater heats lncoring old water by powering the upper Resting ler Ineo Onc the water tn perature ers othe Setiag ofthe upper ter mos th upper clement {ors as omertber most senses thatthe owes portion of th tak ‘Seok telowercleeat el powered ual he wre suit he. “Temperate stings for the lower and upper ele mets ae ajutbe, with the vl range being between abut {00 And 170° Once the water temper a ached devied pats (at dercined by the thermostat) the ening elements wl Say off tl he water cols (cooing cus naturally 8 hat dpe into the atmosphere, and abo when en wate ats ova he otters being consumed). The length of tine hth eating ‘ements at powered is determine y thermos tings ne we v7 Ith cee covers remeved showing thermo {Sats ing an has samen connetons. snd short cared between the gouned tank andthe wiring. Tis Shor ied aes and the power was rove “Tae neare of waters tht woul be prone to cte ob- Jes would be te connections This bsrvaton ste Wit ot nly ‘wae ester but alos any elec device ta aes sineble ‘Spout of elect coment Connetons that re lose or prop ‘aly made can overent and cre fns combustible mats te ‘eo close. Photo shws he heal age ofa wae eter With ene Someta hermes onaoh el wt fare of te side cover removed. The igh ntsc, them0- Stat and hesing element ae al present. The connections US ne eft and side ofthe high tick and theo. Fiat have been backed off about Incoming power is nomally bough tothe water beater by #10 AWG sll copper wire Wie wate beater tncontoaly ie, bt wate consti Ieaving with cols ‘teetering the tn) be temperate ise is op- perwe s bal pecpiblen amos 79°F mosphere ‘Using #12and #14 wie ting poser othe sane water eater with 400 wal elements, steady ste temperate ‘ies of 91 and IOI", respectively, were found eis er tank agiet te loa endo vriond thee wien ‘his fashion, but no short term Gamage othe wing was een with ths level of overloading, The ate vestgstor wil check the wire Sas, beaker poston, breaker ata, ad eonnecous othe wee beatrafera fe to determi i ther any evidence of ode val lone or connector poblens wih he wing ‘The thea elation on water esters consis of bth fiber las fers and a typeof urethane an. Obvioe}y, te Hhergass ‘il ot combust nai, Te thot ha ten several type of foam that ave been wed in water heater some dono super combs on, whe ober were eal igteduner some creases. Te bet est when examining a given fie eene it ake some ofthe foam fom an exemplar eter and deerme whether can stn fame on is own te fom real combusts, oe mus deter what the eat sure ay) was Die Fam gate ery inthe re (pose came)? Interns of combibes, the foam andthe fea tio onthe wag ae about he ony combs tot anes utr 200 - FmBARSON HESTON eter eae as. Absent any acing within he wiring in de water eater, tis very altly that he fam was gies y an ner sare. I shoul alo be pointe ou that ifthe urethane foam wil ‘combust wel ia ee is ery uit eectvely combust ina ‘Soved space. The fou ie well adc ty an ote set meta ‘Skin anda inert ak Uses the tw el cover plates have teen removed fom he oer skin tere sino ucla xyaea rvalble tallow fr proper oxygenation fe uetian oa sie thease, ‘This writer ha seen one water eter in wich lea oper ‘don wa erably not pope and which ke hmeowner suspected of ‘ching ie. Toe bomoDweer sted fi several ays pie the ‘eho manually eet he igh it hemor oven sich by depessing ised buon A fie occured tou 48 bors an (he water eater was suspected Inspection reed that on hs water rater he themes woud have ad 0 effet n cooing water ‘empertie,Corosion hatched he overlement itera the tank, enarng the element ost out ater seth Photo 6 ‘Shows is beating elem a well te goo upper uit When this emrsive pocesr and resiar fae san he beaiog meat ‘asia lowerwatage uit an is given ewer by the upper hes ‘tort an he pound connection of the sherk Water wil comin Sly het albeit stowly Beose the lower themosa nis seeaio {sbypatsed th wter wil ome ooverhe un the 50°F point ‘Seeached a thigh int thermo ripe Whe thier ‘Sale from bo sclding nee shock anoint not ‘aussie of, ‘Throeghoat his pape. he witer bas ase hatte water hea ‘propel inal in ecortance with both NEC and UPC reuire- nen If ese equemeds we stint, hea one of he comments Ime donot apply. Asan example, NEC reqerens se hat a0 ‘plane most be insted and ued in ts iendod fasion. The Inelr has Je he cover plats of of the water heer tether the eating emer he wig int, then vices the ikineenses ferigndon of combustibles by asboringlacing proces. ‘summary In genera lsc terest do tase res. The majcty ofthe het is well coined nd aban by water. There ae several ‘ecucal coals preset which are ntended prevent overeating ‘Should these cootole fal, the TP vv wl came col water pare the unk, us eliiaatiag the chances fr Hes. When wate is Tow fom sa, most hag elemeats ae degned io immediately ‘open, Water beers do sea power source (20 VAC, 30 ampere 19 ‘eclemperte, esting element watage, efcesy ofthe sumound- Ing inslaton and how ea fo he exiting at wae: ‘Wile the above dessin f operation splics to many elee- tlc waterestrs shuld te pote tat some rt hae ol Het {ng cement I adn, ae salle nit (5 gallons) make eof power rom 120 VAC soue. While thee une ar lesa it ferent theyFoction in sine manaet she 240 VAC wits with 2 etn lene, Fre causation “This weiter has invested numerous fe (35 wo 40) what it vas alleged tat comuton vat brought 0B elecec water Het Cs Is Wat the epeal water heater ha eating elements with com ‘ied tings of shot 70000 1,000 wa, often epee of ‘ning ner combustibles However, the design ofthe ts water ester uke eh fie caution clos to impose. Otis here ‘bot te hares nd th east make sch fie senaio ‘ath ‘Tee most common allegation beard is hal the Heat cemest wa responible forthe Tis Very doa scoar. aodee {ignites combusible, i eceary to have tempeances ia the ‘ighbehood of $00 to SSO Te esting element by tek ey ‘reno th eating mens the temper exceeds bot 17°F Tn the event thatthe operational hemostas fal then te water = erate wil ie fo abot 90°F At ths Inept, dovbe pole High nit hemos wll pea, cating off power othe wait This

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