We’ve often written about how dangerous the seemingly-innocuous gas boiler can be. High temperatures, intense pressure and many moving components mean that boilers can catch alight, release deadly carbon monoxide or even exploding if they are not maintained and serviced properly.
Therefore, some boiler breakdowns can be very dramatic. For instance, the Evening Telegraph today reported about a 71-year-old woman who came back home on November 4th after spending a few hours with friends to discover that her boiler had exploded in her garage.
Gina Stewart Campbell, of Bailmossie Terrace, Broughton Ferry, Dundee, was lucky that this home emergency was not more serious, too – fortunately, the explosion appeared to have ruptured a pipe, and the leaking pipe is thought to have put out the subsequent fire.
Ms Campbell told the newspaper that she had left her dog at home and came back to check that the pet was okay.
When she arrived home, she discovered that water was gushing out of the garage door. The door’s electric shutter was also broken, so she needed to open it manually.
When Ms Campbell opened the door, there was a heavy smell of smoke – she described this as an “unreal” stench, and that her boiler’s casing had been “blown to pieces”.
The house was filled with the “acrid” smell, she added, noting that this smell is still “heavily” present.
Ms Campbell immediately called the gas board and the fire brigade, and said she was “pretty lucky” that the fire had been put out by a burst pipe. She then went to her neighbour Alison Montieth’s home and had a cup of coffee while the fire brigade resolved the problem.
However, she still has no hot water or central heating, and is making do with a wood-burning stove in her living room.
Ms Montieth, 44, explained that the she smelled chemicals and smoke at around 4pm, but that the “last thing” she expected was a boiler explosion.
The emergency services arrived on the scene just before 5pm and isolated the water and gas supply.
Stay safe with boiler cover and an annual service
Get your boiler checked for safety every 12 months with a 247 Home Rescue boiler cover service plan! We can keep your boiler safe and sound every day of the year, and if it ever stops working, you simply need to give us a quick call to get it operating properly again.
And it’s very rate that burst pipes have the fortuitousness that Ms Campbell experienced; if you want to get broken plumbing repaired without spending a fortune and waiting for weeks, then our plumbing and drainage cover is perfect for you.
If you’re suffering from a boiler problem, call us on 0345 3192 247 and we can help. Our technical team will run through some simple troubleshooting to see if your problem can be resolved on the phone or they can book one of our friendly and knowledgeable Gas Safe registered engineers to get you back up and running as soon as possible.
