Lessons not learned regarding storage tanks near Rivers in 80's in Pittsburgh allowed incident in W. Va to happen

It was on a very cold  January morning in 1988  in Floreffe-Elrama  Pa. along Pa. 837 about 15 miles  up the Monongahela  River from Pittsburgh at an Ashland  Oil tank Farm when one of the tanks collapsed sending oil into the Mon river as its known and causing a wide spread panic as water company's and industry had to shut down there water intakes.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=799&dat=19880104&id=N7hTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HYgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4962,125112

Tank Farm where collapse happened on this corner 

As  a million gallons of oil from the tank splashed over and on to Pa. 837 it also worked its way down to the mon river also busting a line carrying gasoline. The fire depts. and emergency management and coast guards river division   responded to scene and stopped the incident from getting worse  by installing dikes on the river to contain the spill but  hundreds of thousands of gallons made it down river but not before great confusion on who to call and what to do. It took 3-4 days for the spill to make it down past Pittsburgh and continue into the Ohio river and slowly dilute as water company's down river continued to monitor for the oil and shut off till it safely passed.
The fall out from the incident was not pretty seems the tank  was built in the 30's and was moved there in late 70's re erected and never properly inspected. The Allegheny County Fire Marshall's office was responsible for this and apparently was caught flat footed by the incident .
This lead to a bunch of resignations and retirements and ultimately criminal and civil litigation over the
damage.The facility was later sold to a new company.
 http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=266&dat=19880917&id=2dkrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UWQFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1583,1469551

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2519&dat=19880708&id=DaVdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GV0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=2382,1094418

Just 2 years later in 1990 there would be another incident with a spill from a Buckeye pipe line in Armstrong county and responders where much better prepared to handle it.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19900402&id=ilUNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nW4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6704,175666

Allegheny Valley REACT  the Emergency Communications team I belonged to at the time helped deliver water to invalids and shut in during this crisis along the Allegheny River this time. 

One thing learned for sure was water company's shut off there intakes immediately to prevent the oil from getting into the treatment plants. Allegheny County is much better prepared for chemical emergency's and Private clean up contractors like Weaver Town and McCutcheon  have professionally trained staff available 24/7 and many of the facility's also have trained staff in plants ready to go to work to prevent spills.
Unlike in the 80's when clean up company's like AMO Pollution Control  a Maryland based company  who where located in Cecil Twp. did this kind of clean up work and where forced out of business after polluting the Meadows Land area of Washington County  at there storage facility.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2519&dat=19880202&id=KZZiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=63cNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3593,149905

Now contrast this with  what recently happened in Charleston West Virginia  this winter when a tank carrying a product used in coal processing broke and spilled into a river.
 almost the same scenario an aging tank extreme cold weather and instead of emergency responders going out and checking complaints from residents about and unusual smell nothing was done then when the leak was discovered water company left treatment plant open and tried to use activated carbon to eliminate it out of water instead of shutting off its intakes and spread the stuff thru a water system supplying 300,000
Yes you better believe there is going to be a lot of heads rolling because it has been over 20 years those tanks where never checked etc etc etc.  So now W.Va. has had to learn a hard lesson and it will be another community some where else because of complacency where a spill will happen and there unprepared.
But that's just seems to be the normal run duck and cover your ass when shit hits the fan  never be proactive and stop problems when they can be easily remedied in the first place. So will your community be next?

PEX The future of plumbing or disaster in the making? I guess will find out in 20 years

PEX or Cross-Linked Polyethylene is the new buzz word in water piping in residential and commercial construction  .
A very tough plastic piping its much cheaper and easier and safer to install over copper pipe  you simply crimp on a fitting
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-linked_polyethyl

and it has all but totally taken over as the superior way to do plumbing  for supplying water.
However like all new products we will have to wait and see if it truly is the miracle product they claim it is  now a little over 5 years on the market.
Already some problems are developing because people go to use a torch to change a fitting on a piece of copper sticking out of a wall and not realize its attached to a piece of plastic PEX.
but that's the least of worries  just look at the problems and lawsuits brought by home owners over Polybutylene Piping

http://www.ask.com/web?am=broad&q=polybutylene+pipe+lawsuit&an=google_s&askid=f26b0b38-d687-409c-ae6d-4e05cc41c102-0-us_gsb&kv=sdb&gc=0&dqi=&qsrc=999&ad=semD&o=11521&l=dir&ampclid=&af=&_=1

Which worked for a while then failed. Plus the new crimp on and self gripping  Gator fittings coming out for copper pipe as well.
 All these products that have not been long term tested and all buried with in walls . Add in the new closed cell foam insulation's I see nothing but disaster coming down the road. Plus what about the chemical BPA which can leech off plastic they warn not to drink water out of a bottle exposed to sun and where running hot water thru plastic.

But  no one wants to listen and on we charge till something goes wrong and then its duck and cover your ass
when the finger pointing starts.
Yes all this new technology is making it much easier and cheaper to construct but at what price ?
Well I guess we will be finding out 20 years from now when homes start catching fire from over heating wires in closed foam insulation  and start  self destructing and leaking  because no one had the foresight to say hey wait a minute lets really make sure this stuff is not going to cause problems.

Dry Sprinkler Systems -Extreme Cold can have Dire Consequences for building owners who do not maintain the system Drum Drip

Dry Sprinkler systems are used in cold climates to prevent pipes from freezing and in cold applications like large freezers   but even these dry systems can present dire consequences when not properly maintained.
Dry systems work by pumping in dry air with a compressor or air tank  into piping which holds down the wet valve holding water back. When a head melts and releases the compressor or tank can not maintain the pressure and water is released.  This way only the area where water comes up out of ground needs to be kept warm instead of heating entire building.
However a critical piece to the whole system is the drum drip pictured below.

https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/sfm/programs-services/Documents/Quick%20Response%20Newleter/QR0611_Drum_Drip.pdf

This is where condensation in the lines is captured to be drained off and failure to keep these drains maintained and not allowing them to fill up is critical as many times they have been installed in areas where temperatures go below freezing. Pressure then builds up against the frozen drip drum and fittings on drum will explode off releasing all the air and flooding area where drip drum is with water .
Yes even thou dry air is pumped into piping it still contains moisture  which must be removed and this is what the drip drum does.
While some more sophisticated dry systems use nitrogen in them to keep down condensate and corrosion they are more expensive to maintain so air from a compressor is the norm. The big problem with these drip drums there is usually more than one and they are hiding in corners and get stuff shoved in front of them. they should require a plaque on dry systems showing where all drip drums are located so system can be properly maintained because its usually the building owner or maintenance man doing it because some systems require being drained monthly.
I take care of several dry systems for customers because they just do not want to deal with it or worry there people trusted to do it will forget to do  it. 

Why is a Fire expo promoter illegally posting signs along I-79 in Pittsburgh ?

Yes once again the fire service shows why it is its own worst enemy .
I was riding up I-79 North from Washington county when I started encountering signs for the Fire&EMS Expo along the roads berm. This is 100% forbidden by Penn Dot and  Pa state and federal laws . the signs can blow free and end up hitting vehicles and cause accidents as drivers try to avoid them

To make matters worse as I get up to the rest stop near Bridgeville there's a big wooden sign for expo.  right along the berm going into and out of the rest stop. 

Needless to say i contacted and filed a complaint with Penn dot who I hope throws the book at this show promoter just WTF where they thinking. 

besides violating laws and doing a complete slap in the face of the very people who may have to respond to an accident caused by one of these signs and shame on the promoter for not insuring who ever was placing the signs did so properly. 

PA Firemans Magazine Editor is wrong not one life would have been saved he mentions in this article ? Let me tell you why

Yes every month the editor of Pa. Fireman's magazine rants about all the fire deaths in pa and how sprinklers would save them, Really?
No not really because all the deaths are in homes built prior to when the sprinkler mandate would have gone into effect.

What he feels to realize is  that the only lives saved would be homes covered under the mandates and that would be homes built in last 3 years and not very likely to catch fire.
There is also the fact even if mandates where put in place that there would still be fire deaths in homes which are mobile homes which are not addressed any where in the legislation or existing homes or personnel care homes or day care centers . So Ernie your barking up the wrong tree with this line of argument.
What sprinklers will do is prevent deaths in the future and only in the future where the systems have been properly maintained and not shut off by home owner after a pipe freezes and breaks.
Had the fire service and Ernie really wanted to make there point as to why sprinklers they should have been pointing out the dangers how these new homes place firefighters lives in jeopardy and firefighters should have taken a stand and said we will not enter and fight fires in these homes they will be an outside surround and drown attack only because of the dangers of floor collapse.  They would also have made a big impact by installing fire systems and sprinklers in fire stations but still they have not and every year we lose 3-4 stations to fire and millions in equipment. Yes like I always say the fire service is its own worst enemy .I use to write for PA fireman for many years then Ernie did not like when I questioned the sprinkler bill and its costs especially in light of the fact fireman where not properly supporting it.Well too bad because many firefighters loved my articles and do not get to see them now  unless they happen across my blog.
Like I said Fire Service is its own worst enemy. Yes fire sprinklers save lives but they also have there problems as well instead of ramming it down peoples throats the fire service should have been embracing them and showing citizens there value and why they want to have them in there homes had firefighters taken a stand and pointed out the dangers in this new light weight  construction . But they never learn and neither does Ernie  what a shame. Well at least we now have a Carbon monoxide detector  law in place which still fails to address many areas and structures that need them but will not be covered by the new law.

There is a reason they require Shielded cables for certain Electronic Installations No wonder this one put in by big name integrator did not work

Yes it never fails to amaze me how company's go around pounding on there chests how great they are at installing cameras and card access systems and there work is total crap and not to workmanship standards in fact their work violates Electrical and building codes and often violates manufacturers warranty's and causes nothing but head aches.
Take the Card access unit below.

Besides being a mess they did not use proper shielded wire to insure there is no cross talk  on the readers where you present your card .They just used plain old straight wire.

http://www.newark.com/pdfs/techarticles/alphaWire/USC.pdf

As you can see in above picture shielded wire has an outer metallic shield and drain wire which is attached to  electrical ground  to keep stray radio and other signals out of the wiring  when this is not used there is nothing but problems and on the installation above this is very true .
Doors unlock by them selves cards some times work and open doors and some times none of the doors work all because the signal from the readers to the main control  are picking up stray noise whih causes the system to be erratic.
this same outfit who did this bad install and ides around Pittsburgh with there fancy mobile command post also installed card access equipment in a elevator control room which is a major violation of building codes but they could care less. I have also seen how poorly they install cameras where they work for a year then quit .But they go all over western Pa. telling everyone how good they are.
Yes this $20,000 7 door system is a total disaster they installed and now I must go over entire system and replace components and wiring all because if lack of surge suppressors and proper wiring .
But these hacks exist because customer instead of going after them just right it off as a loss and in this case tax payer money paid for this install in the way of a grant. what a dam shame.

Electrical Products still being sold which should have been taken off shelves years ago

Yes you can still walk into older Hardware stores and find in catalogs which specialize in products  for maintenance dept. electrical items which are no longer permitted to be installed  in new installs or are strictly limited to replacement use but not properly marked  as fore replacement only use.
I run across this almost daily . Despite efforts by UL and CPSC  to get them off shelves.

Take the add I recently saw in in a H&D catalog which is distributed to maintenance depts.  for a bathroom light fixture on right for $11.89

Since at least the late 80's Residential bathrooms etc have been required to have a GFCI outlet installed in
them . Prior to this the electrical outlet was found in the light fixture it self  used primarily to charge a razor
and not be used for Hair Dryer  .
As you can see this fixture has a outlet in it so it can not be used in a new bathroom  but you also see there is no markings in add  for replacement use only yes you could use this in an old bathroom  where permitted but not a new one  now professionals know this but not your average handyman or maintenance man who may well be called on to boot an illegal bath room in some where.  Some of these fixtures come with outlet not installed and plug knockout  you have to remove to install it and you could install it with out the outlet in a new bathroom if this is the case. But how many of these fixtures when you examine them and instructions have no markings of any type warning they are for replacement use only.

The next common items I run across are  receptacle taps used with common 16# gauge  lamp cord .
Items which should not be sold at all in stores most where never properly listed with UL or have since lost there listing after it was determined that  consumers where not properly using them and causing fries and injury's
In the Pictures below are 2 of the more common ones I run across still being sold .

In top picture is a 3 outlet  unit for end of cord and bottom picture a tap with outlet which could be placed any where along the line.
These units where meant strictly to power lamps or a radio nothing else and they where never designed to be used as a permanent outlets in a home but many where and contributed to many horrifying fire deaths which UL and others worked to get off the market but you can still walk into older hardware stores and find them new in the box and even in some catalogs  and as you can see in this installation several taps where put into this lamp line and when everything is plugged in and turned on its overloaded and burns.
but the problem is no matter how many bans you ut in place and laws they are still available including lawn jarts and other items because people do not care about the safety of others it always comes down to greed and the almighty buck.

When it comes to Energy sneaks wasting power Phone Company's are the worst - another successful electrical vampire hunt

I hate these type of service calls get called from customer and his tenant says the fire alarm keeps sounding off trouble outside his office. i check with central station and they see no problems so obviously its something else but I sill have to respond and customer is going to get a bill well it ends up as usual had nothing to do with the fire alarm instead its the power supply for a fiber optic T3  data line put in by Verizon Communications many years ago for a tenant who is no longer renting the space.

Seems the back up battery has gone bad and it was beeping o warn there was a problem since tenant is no longer in building I disconnected it and eventually this piece of now junk equipment along with a bunch of other useless and worthless phone equipment will be ripped out by myself and recycled.

There are rooms full of this stuff every office building  has  its share taking up space plugged in stealing power and doing nothing. There is a section in the National Electrical Code that requires abandoned wiring and equipment be removed but it is hardly ever enforced.
 But in the long run it ends up a gold mine for me when I recycle it as I get paid to remove it plus any thing I can recycle and reuse and sell is a bonus .
 Trick is to be able to tell what is active and what is not .  
and in this case there is no longer a 5 amp draw on power being wasted.  which is bonus for my customer.