It smells like gas!

Gringonazo

Member
Sep 27, 2014
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Our neighbor is sprucing up his place, as he is moving back into his apartment after renting it to various tenants over the last few years. Yesterday, they were working on hooking up the stove, and they did so successfully. However, something was wrong.

Last night as we were saying goodbye to our dinner guests and walking them to our elevator, we noticed the smell of gas in the elevator waiting area outside of our door. Each floor of our apartment building contains two apartments, and the elevator is located between each apartment. I immediately ran to the door of my neighbors place, and sniffed where the door meets the frame, and the smell of gas was overwhelming. We beat on the door, rang the doorbell, and tried to call him without any luck. My fear was that he was passed out or expired in his apartment. Providentially, such was not the case. To make a long story short, he finally showed up at his place, and we entered the apartment. The smell of gas was almost enough to make one pass out. We checked the stove hookup, and it was more than secure. We then went to the laundry room and noticed one of the most ridiculous hack jobs that I have ever seen in my life. The dryer gas line had been capped with....wait for it....SCOTCH TAPE, and the valve to that gas line was open. We quickly turned off the supply valves to the house and opened all the windows. The crisis was averted, but without a doubt our entire building was at risk.

I've never seen something quite so STUPID in my life. I'm still trying to figure out who thought it was a good, effective practice to thing that SCOTCH TAPE was going to cap off a GAS LINE.

FACE PALM!!!!!
 

melphis

Living my Dream
Apr 18, 2013
3,489
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Unbelievable. Must have graduated dominican pipe fitting 101. Good thing the door bell was working properly. A loose fitting wire on that could have caused a spark and thats all the ignition an explosion needs.
 

zoomzx11

Gold
Jan 21, 2006
8,367
842
113
Ever see what is left of a building after a gas explosion? Nothing. You did not just save his life you saved all the people who would have been in the building at the time of the explosion. I smell gas I am outside immediately and call the Fire Department. You took a big chance doing the detective work and got lucky. Me, I do not go looking for the source of a gas leak. I am not a trained gas leak technician and have a severe allergy to explosions. You're a nice guy.
 

jimbobo

Member
Feb 9, 2014
170
4
18
gas explosions

Our neighbor is sprucing up his place, as he is moving back into his apartment after renting it to various tenants over the last few years. Yesterday, they were working on hooking up the stove, and they did so successfully. However, something was wrong.

Last night as we were saying goodbye to our dinner guests and walking them to our elevator, we noticed the smell of gas in the elevator waiting area outside of our door. Each floor of our apartment building contains two apartments, and the elevator is located between each apartment. I immediately ran to the door of my neighbors place, and sniffed where the door meets the frame, and the smell of gas was overwhelming. We beat on the door, rang the doorbell, and tried to call him without any luck. My fear was that he was passed out or expired in his apartment. Providentially, such was not the case. To make a long story short, he finally showed up at his place, and we entered the apartment. The smell of gas was almost enough to make one pass out. We checked the stove hookup, and it was more than secure. We then went to the laundry room and noticed one of the most ridiculous hack jobs that I have ever seen in my life. The dryer gas line had been capped with....wait for it....SCOTCH TAPE, and the valve to that gas line was open. We quickly turned off the supply valves to the house and opened all the windows. The crisis was averted, but without a doubt our entire building was at risk.

I've never seen something quite so STUPID in my life. I'm still trying to figure out who thought it was a good, effective practice to thing that SCOTCH TAPE was going to cap off a GAS LINE.

FACE PALM!!!!!

I guess it?s really strange we don?t have gasexplosions all over the country, every day...... hmmmm maybe it?s the gas......
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
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Gas + oxygen in the the right mixture and a spark result in a big explosion (for propane: 2.1% - 9.5%). In this case, the mixture may have been too rich due to the length of time the pipe was leaking.

Door bells, ringing telephone turning on/off lights can all cause sparks. Propane is heavier than air so concentrates from the floor upwards unlike natural gas which is lighter than air.

Best thing to do when you smell gas and cannot immediately turn off the source is to evacuate yourself and everyone else and call the bomberos. If they set it off at least you don't go with it.
 

eastcoastmike

New member
Jul 18, 2004
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I, for one, have simply gotten tired of the stupidity of these people. Not to mention their Olympic ability to bull**** and steal but I'll save that for another thread. It's when their stupidity causes injury or death to others.... AND you read about it EVERYDAY! When my Dominican wife would ask me to come with her to The DR I used to jump at the chance. These days I tell her you go. I'm very happy here in America. There is only so much stupidity that one can take. My patience is over with this place!

PS I'm glad that your apt building didn't blow up courtesy of scotch tape man!!! Typical
 

zoomzx11

Gold
Jan 21, 2006
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Not so sure I go knocking on doors and try to convince lots of other people they should evacuate. In the DR I would expect many will not want to leave. "We just put dinner on the table, I dont smell gas". Nope I opt for run and 911 the FD. Other occupants are more likely to get out when ordered by FD. You are just the noisy neighbor upstairs, why should they listen to you.
 

melphis

Living my Dream
Apr 18, 2013
3,489
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Would the fire dept really show up anywhere in the DR with just the threat of a fire or explosion? I'm not trying to be sarcastic but the FD guys I have seen are really lazy and then there's the question of who is paying for the fuel to get there.
 

Gringo Starr

*** I love DR1! ***
Aug 11, 2014
544
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One of my neighbors (american, by the way) invited a girl, she opened the gas on the stove without firing it up, then went to the bedroom and felt asleep. The same story, strong smell of gas, whole building was at risk. Another day some tenants were moving out, so when they took the stove out, they just cut the gas pipe with scissors and that's it, they loaded everything in the truck and left. The gas pipe was cut with the valve open, until the owner came with the keys and opened the door..
 

zoomzx11

Gold
Jan 21, 2006
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Not sure about elsewhere but here in the heart of the Pearl of the Antilles -Sosua -- I can guarantee they would show up and they are not at all lazy. Many fire departments in the DR seem to be volunteer as there is no money for a real FD. Our guys seem to have lots of iniative and would gladly run into the gas filled building as I was running out.
 

zoomzx11

Gold
Jan 21, 2006
8,367
842
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If they cannot close a door, turn off the lights or turn off the water we should not expect gas shut off skills. Wonder why there are not more gas explosions here. Maybe its the poor quality of the propane or the tanks are not big enough and run out of gas before reaching explosive air mix ratio.
 

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
5,545
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I imagine its because, if one has an ounce of good sense, the gas tanks are outside, the tube runs through the wall to the stove or whatever....
No idea how they do things in appartments....
 

TP666

New member
Sep 6, 2005
271
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Be careful of US firemen they steal.
Ever see workman ship in the US- sucks- example using copper on natural gas line
using copper on a soda system.
DR does not have all the idiots.
No excuse for Americans= they have all the tools and materials known to man!
 
Last edited:

monfongo

Bronze
Feb 10, 2005
1,203
145
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tp666, you don't know what the hell you're talking about, I have a plumbers and gas fitters lic. in the US and we take gas fitting very seriouse. you are just another American bashing idiot.
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
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The well established and time proven specifications for safely installing a gas appliance are readily available for consumption in publications and on the internet. While some of these specifications vary from country to country in general, these are usually just an order of magnitude of caution.

There is no excuse at all for the practices that are employed here in the DR. It's 100% criminal in my mind (think negligence) and every single installation will leak at some point in time. Screw clamps for fittings...I struggle for words to convey my utter contempt and disbelief.

I've seen shoddy work at home. Some fitters should be car salesmen. Even on their worst day, their work doesn't come close to nightmare that routinely occurs here.

I've already retrofitted my gas installations with parts I ordered in on Amazon. I just had a new inversor and batteries installed to replace the POS that was here. I got a quote from a Dominican installer recommended by the vendor, what a disaster. No clue. Decided to hire a gringo electrician, even without prompting, he proposed a more than satisfactory installation/upgrade plan.

Turn your back for an instant and a typical DR gas installer will cut six feet off the garden hose sitting in the corner of the garage and voila with the addition of two screw clamps, your new appliance or tank is hooked up. There really are no kind words that I can use to describe the level of technical competence of most of the trades people here.
 

Tamborista

hasta la tambora
Apr 4, 2005
11,747
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Ever see what is left of a building after a gas explosion?

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