Updated: One minor injury in UW-Whitewater boiler explosion
WHITEWATER—A contractor suffered a scraped knee when a boiler exploded in the power plant on the UW-Whitewater campus around noon today, said Greg Swanson, director of facilities planning and management.
Crews are on campus now assessing the situation. The cause of the explosion is unknown, but no foul play is suspected.
Students said they could hear the explosion across campus. The heating plant is on the north side of campus, next to Esker Dining Hall.
The explosion shook loose some asbestos that insulated the boiler. The asbestos has the potential to become airborne, and the dining hall was evacuated as a precaution. Students also will have no hot water or heat for an indefinite amount of time.
The university is posting updates of the situation on its Web site.
Apr 17, 2008 at 1:10 p.m.
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the food at the dining hall was beyond repair way before the explosion !!
Apr 17, 2008 at 11:20 a.m.
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i am more worried about esker dining hall.
Apr 16, 2008 at 11:06 p.m.
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If the pressure safety valves fail and a boiler or hot water heater thermostat fails, the unit can explode with tremendous force in some cases damaging an entire block or completely blowing up a house. It's a good idea to check the safety valve on your home water heater once or twice a year to make sure that it has not become blocked. Sorry about being MKIA ... again. :-)
Apr 16, 2008 at 8:51 p.m.
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Tryin to be like parker, with their asbestos...haha
Apr 16, 2008 at 6:58 p.m.
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My bet is that the boiler was being shut down at the time of the explosion. Workers could have been in the process of completing safety procedures designed to prevent fuel leaks, including through the natural gas pipes leading to the firebox. They might have been blanking the flow of the blast furnace gas, which means they inserted a piece of metal into the pipe, physically preventing the gas from entering the boiler. A valve is used to control the flow, and that is shut off first. But the physical metal barrier is also needed. Gas could build up in the fire box. With the fuel built up, and not burned, the result could have been the explosion.
But then again, I could be full of beans. And that could cause an explosion also!
Apr 16, 2008 at 1:19 p.m.
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Ame - click on the web site link now...there's a link to the update of the situation on the right side of the window.
Apr 16, 2008 at 12:57 p.m.
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just tried going to web site mentioned. could not find anything
Apr 16, 2008 at 12:52 p.m.
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Oh it was so scary, I felt and heard the explosion.
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