HOT WATER
HEATER ACCIDENTS
In
the last one month I have heard of two electrocutions connected with the hot
water heater. Last week a lady just a few days to her 50th birthday
got electrocuted and died as a result while having a bath in Lagos. Last month in Port Harcourt the wife of a
Reverend Gentleman died under similar circumstances. These are just the few
that people write about. How many of our people are being destroyed because of
lack of knowledge?
Particular
attention should be given to use of water heater facilities in your house or
during short stay at Hotels, friends or relations lodge. With our kind of maintenance culture, it is
better to switch off the water heater before you step into the bath or shower.
The hot water heater represents one
of the greatest hazards in the modern home. A Nigerian would do better without
one because of our very poor maintenance culture and the fact that our
environment does not really need hot water for bathing. Common dangers
associated with Electric hot water heater in the home include severe burns from
scalding water, electric shock hazards, explosions, and fire.
Because most water heaters are for
the most part hidden or up there from our daily lives, many aren’t as aware as
they should be of the maintenance and precautions which are necessary for
safety. Many don’t know that water heaters should be drained and flushed every
six months, to prevent sediment buildup.
Hydrogen gas can build up inside electrically
heated hot water systems when they remain inactive for two weeks or more.
Hydrogen buildup requires carefully performed procedures to safely remove this
flammable gas from hot water pipes. If not removed by experts, it cause fire.
Every electric hot water heater
should be properly grounded with the correct gauge of copper wire. Hot water
heater contains electrical heating elements immersed in water; these elements
can deteriorate with age and short out electrically to the water heater’s metal
casing. When this happens, it’s possible to receive a severe and perhaps fatal
shock when touching the hot water heater’s housing or connecting pipes.
Electrical shots can also result in fire.
Hot water heaters are pressure
vessels and carry the risks associated with boilers. If the temperature
regulation fails, the water heater will be so hot that it will produce steam
which has a volume that is 1600 times the water that produces it. Except the
relief valve is very efficient, the small boiler explodes under such
circumstances and sometimes demolishes or de-roofs the building. If anybody is
around at such times, they become casualty.
It is not uncommon to receive very
severe burns from very hot water flowing from our Hot water heater while trying
to bath.
You can at least avoid electrocution
if you switch off the water heater before entering the bath or shower. You can
in this nation do without it.
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