It Didn’t Explode!

by up10ad | Apr 1, 2010 | All (Home), Homestead, Strange

It’s the time of year to burn the fields in preparation for the new hay season.  I have a bit of pyromania in my blood so I always look forward to this task.  Armed with my LP tank and weed burner attachment I set out burning the field south of the house.  All went well until the flames crossed under the fence into the neighbors field, but that isn’t really too much of a problem.  I surveyed the situation and set down my flamethrower well away from the burning area, then climbed the fence to put out the small fire in the neighbors pasture.

Shortly after working on the absconding flames something made me turn around and I immediately learned that I, uh, well, I had a problem.  I swear that in less than a minute the wind changed and pushed the flames right up to my LP tank!  I just about shit a brick!  I watched in horror as the fire engulfed the tank and melted the hose to the weed burner attachment.  The tank valve was open all the way as there is a second valve at the top of the burner.  I ran.  Like the wind.  But, as the title of this post says, it didn’t explode.  Despite being totally engulfed in flames for a minute or so, the fire just passed over the tank and burned on down the hill, just the way it was supposed to do.

I’ve since learned that LP tanks of any size rarely explode even in much larger fires, probably because of the internal pressure release valve.  Anyway, it was an exciting day.