[dayslug24]

Ive heard people say water heater tanks that have blockage or suddenly let cold water into hot tanks will"flash" and explode, causing severe, if not total structural damage -
Has anyone ever seen this firsthand?

[iamgrowler]

Ive heard people say water heater tanks that have blockage or suddenly let cold water into hot tanks will"flash" and explode, causing severe, if not total structural damage -
has anyone ever seen this firsthand?

I've seen a number of hot water tank incidents, but none that were a result of a sudden infusion of cold water.

As for blockages, the result of this type of scenario is that the T&P valve will pop-off.

Although I have seen instances where the T&P failed to pop-off -- In one instance the welded female orifice in the top of the tank blew up a 2-1/2" oak stair tread and turned the basement into a swimming pool -- In the other instance the pressure bulged out the side of an older hot water tank and blew apart the braided supply, turning yet another basement into a swimming pool.

We had an incident in Burien a few years ago where a hot water tank literally exploded from a build up of pressure, but that was because some idiot replaced the T&P valve with a plug.

[speedball1]

I saw the results of a water heater that exploded some 55 years ago up in Wisconsin. It went up like a skyrocket. Blew through the first story and out the roof. It lit in a vacant field a half a block away and was flat as a pancake when it did.