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this post was submitted on 20 May 2025
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hmmm
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For things that are "hmmm".
Rule 1: All post titles except for meta posts should be just plain "hmmm" and nothing else, no emotes, no capitalisation, no extending it to "hmmmm" etc.
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Where saddam
suspiciously Saddam shaped heat signature
It's a boiler
You'd rather it was cold?
Geesh
Ya but... Actually I don't know enough about boilers but that can't be right.
Psh yeah! This metal boiler is just trying to live up to its name
Ok, so I don't have a way to measure that, but given the bit of yellow with the glowing red, that temperature should be reaching "GTFO" degrees C.
I don't know how you get water to that temperature inside a steel container without the steam going somewhere else, but if I had to guess that probably didn't last long and someone should probably turn it off
Most likely there isn't any water in the boiler and the flames are trying to heat water that isn't there. In case you're wondering this is a fire tube boiler and the flames pass thru tubes inside the water vessel. Normally this is prevented by a low water cutoff but it's possibly clogged with mud. This thing is gonna melt
Ah, so no steam no boom. That's good
Or well not as bad as it could be at least
What makes them go boom is when the blower doesn't clear the combustion chamber of gas before igniting. Most boilers in residential use these days are like tea kettles. They're pretty safe unless the room fills with gas then ignites
Red means it is at least 1000F. Could be higher but cameras make hot things look hotter than they are.
Ah, that explains why I can't take a selfie to save my life
Good hiding spot
I don't fuck with pressure vessels and especially ones filled with super hot painful death.
I would not have even taken the photo on my way out.
Nope nope nope.
Fucking same. This is seemingly a lack of water flow, so likely not a steam explosion, but... Fuck finding out, there's an emergency cutoff outside for this very reason.
A small oblivion gate is opening
By the Nine!
What am I looking at? It appears to me that it's a metal barrel/cylinder of some sort and that the contents are so hot the metal is red hot in some patches, also somewhat damaged. Lots of pipes and some electronics in packaging but I don't know what sort of place this is. A factory maybe?
I believe it's a large boiler for a building, and whoever took the picture is in a bit of danger.
It's a boiler with failed refractory. Never seen one fail that bad before. Here's a pic of some being repaired. There is supposed to be 8 to 12 inches of insulation over that.
https://www.rasmech.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Refractory-Repair-576x1024.jpg
The yellow U turn arrow on the right side of this pic is where it's glowing
https://talkintrashwithuhn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/boiler.jpg
So wait. That implies that there are other parts of it that are significantly hotter, probably near the burner.
Is some magical process happening keeping the whole thing from turning into steam and chunks of metal?
The furnace section or combustion chamber it's called. It's usually corrugated steel in these package utility boilers. Almost looks like culvert pipe, just not spiral.
There's a refractory throat to shape the flame at the burner end too.
Water boiling into steam takes the heat away. It's flooded full of water on the other side, like a pot on a stove.
Saddam Hussein in his hiding spot.
Holy shit, is that a Dreamcast in the box in the plastic wrapping?
Hmm, no. Ah nevermind then.
Damn.
That printer is toast
Given that this room is full of trash. I'd call the fire department on them, before someone gets hurt.
What in Zu Warado
Mine's: "ummmmm..."