Refrigerator explosion Fernandina

[kittygilchrist]

The online news has the story about a major explosion while the owners were out. Sad...

Here is an article about a possible cause...
Alert over new wave of exploding fridges caused by 'environmentally-friendly coolant' | Daily Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1210334/Alert-new-wave-exploding-fridges-caused-environmentally-friendly-coolant.html)

[Phanatic Luvr]

This is very scary, to say the least and a major cause for concern. So happy the owners of the home were out when this occurred, as it could have ended a lot worse. EVERYONE should google Exploding Refrigerators. I hear The Village's have sent people to investigate, as I am sure they are VERY concerned as well.

[Bay Kid]

What would make a refrigerator explode? I heard this happened to a home in TV and caught the home on fire. Never heard of this happening.

[Sandtrap328]

I just read the article on the on-line news. Mighty poor reporting not to include the make and model of the refrigerator.

The isobutane leak possibility sounds plausible. Luckily, it is an extremely rare occurence like the British article stated. This is the first time I have heard of an exploding refrigerator.

That family was sure fortunate to be out of the house at the time.

[Bogie Shooter]

What would make a refrigerator explode? I heard this happened to a home in TV and caught the home on fire. Never heard of this happening.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/refrigerator-explosion-fernandina-172547/

[billethkid]

Just google exploding refrigerators and you will get an education. Here is an example:

CR4 - Blog Entry: The Ignored Disaster: Exploding Refrigerators (http://cr4.globalspec.com/blogentry/13314/The-Ignored-Disaster-Exploding-Refrigerators)

Apparently many explosions are linked to the environmentally friendly coolants being used. And please note most of the dates of these articles go back to 2008-2010.

[Nucky]

Technology? Humbug! I remember the Ice Box when I was young. Just like Ralph & Trixie on The Honeymooners. These people with the exploding fridge...We feel so bad for you! Wish a Brand and or a Model number was published. Could save many others. Hope your Thanksgiving is the best possible under the circumstances. Thankfully no one was hurt. Hope rebuilding goes smoothly.

[kcrazorbackfan]

Very unsettling news. I wonder how many of the refrigerators in TV are using this new environmentally-friendly refrigerant?

[Phanatic Luvr]

Very unsettling news. I wonder how many of the refrigerators in TV are using this new environmentally-friendly refrigerant?

Exactly!!!!!!!!!!!

[DonH57]

It could be possible since the new enviornment friendly refrigerant do contain flammable gasses but I've never seen it happen in my trade experience.

[fred53]

The online news has the story about a major explosion while the owners were out. Sad...

Here is an article about a possible cause...
Alert over new wave of exploding fridges caused by 'environmentally-friendly coolant' | Daily Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1210334/Alert-new-wave-exploding-fridges-caused-environmentally-friendly-coolant.html)

it was easy to find out that The Daily Mail is considered a "rag" of a newspaper. Often being sued for misleading articles. It is akin to our National Inquirer. Why anyone would quote such a useless piece of paper is unfathomable. To top it off there are actually people who believe their tripe.

Come on folks. If you've nothing better to do than surf the internet for juicy tidbits to post on-line at least make more intelligent decisions on what you read and believe.

[kittygilchrist]

it was easy to find out that The Daily Mail is considered a "rag" of a newspaper. Often being sued for misleading articles. It is akin to our National Inquirer. Why anyone would quote such a useless piece of paper is unfathomable. To top it off there are actually people who believe their tripe.

Come on folks. If you've nothing better to do than surf the internet for juicy tidbits to post on-line at least make more intelligent decisions on what you read and believe.

Fred, Fred, Fred....thank you for the setting us straight with your opinion of a newspaper. The article contained verifiable info on what causes the problem which I verified from the edu sites below before posting.
Insulting me seems unnecessary.

http://www.asu.edu/ehs/documents/flamable-storage-refrig.pdf
https://www.chem.purdue.edu/chemsafety/news-and-stories/RefrigStories.php

By the way, for interested readers, explosions can be sparked the release of of gases from stored chemicals producing gases, as well as faulty fridges.

[juneroses]

Hold on to your "old" fridge. The EPA issued the rule on 12/14/11 which made greener refrigeration gases legal in refrigerators. These gases are:

isobutane (aka R-600a)
hydrocarbons propane
chemical known as R-441a

Remember when we used to be admonished to stop "opening and closing" the fridge. Now the thought is that if there is an unknown leak, opening and closing may disperse the gas build up. If there is an explosion, it's been described as "violent". Pictures from the Fernandina house certainly suggest theirs was more than a "pop".

[justjim]

One would assume that all newer refrigerator's have this type of coolant. Most likely all residents south of 466A have This type of coolant. I have never heard of a refrigerator explosion. I am making an "educated guess" that is very rare and a "freak happening".The Villages have been using Whirlpool for the last few years and unless the resident purchased something different after home was built it was a Whirlpool Refrigerator.

Hopefully we will hear more as the investigation completes.

[philnpat]

I live south of 466a in a new home. We have a Whirlpool side by side.
The refrigerant used in this model is r134a, the same type used in auto air conditioners. The exploding refrigerators that I read about were mostly overseas in the UK.
I'm very interested in the investigators findings.

[Hoosierb4]

There is nothing in Whirlpool refrigerators that can explode. They use R-134a as the refrigerant. It isn't flammable. Also, I don't believe that any American manufacturers use R-600 (isobutane), which is used in Europe. I don't know what the Asian manufacturers use. I was responsible for the design and testing of Whirlpool refrigerators for a number of years before I retired. We considered R-600 and rejected it because it was flammable. If the explosion was centered at the refrigerator, there must have been something flammable stored in it.

[graciegirl]

There is nothing in Whirlpool refrigerators that can explode. They use R-134a as the refrigerant. It isn't flammable. Also, I don't believe that any American manufacturers use R-600 (isobutane), which is used in Europe. I don't know what the Asian manufacturers use. I was responsible for the design and testing of Whirlpool refrigerators for a number of years before I retired. We considered R-600 and rejected it because it was flammable. If the explosion was centered at the refrigerator, there must have been something flammable stored in it.



Thank you.


Thank you very much. Sensible and helpful.

[KayakerNC]

There is nothing in Whirlpool refrigerators that can explode. They use R-134a as the refrigerant. It isn't flammable. Also, I don't believe that any American manufacturers use R-600 (isobutane), which is used in Europe. I don't know what the Asian manufacturers use. I was responsible for the design and testing of Whirlpool refrigerators for a number of years before I retired. We considered R-600 and rejected it because it was flammable. If the explosion was centered at the refrigerator, there must have been something flammable stored in it.

I wouldn't put my TNT in the oven either. :mornincoffee:

[kstew43]

It could be possible since the new enviornment friendly refrigerant do contain flammable gasses but I've never seen it happen in my trade experience.

How about if the fridge was transported on its side.....maybe? the gases moved? I read that on the internet...

[RickeyD]

How about if the fridge was transported on its side.....maybe? the gases moved? I read that on the internet...


No.

[looneycat]

who said the refrigerator exploded? why r u chasing your tails??

[Phanatic Luvr]

Taken directly from the on-line news:
It was a Whirlpool side-by-side refrigerator that exploded Saturday making a Village of Fernandina home uninhabitable.

The model number of the refrigerator is WRS32FDAM.

The owners of the home on Thunderbird Way, David and Sandra Hess, were out at the time of the explosion and fire which left the interior of their home severely damaged.

In the aftermath of the incident, they initially were staying with friends but have located a rental property not too far from their residence.

The kitchen was heavily damaged in the explosion.
The kitchen was heavily damaged in the explosion.

According to Consumer Reports, appliance fires, not related to human error, are more common than one might think.

Jack Sanderson, president of Fire Findings, a forensic engineering laboratory in Benton Harbor, Mich. in 2012 told Consumer Reports that more refrigerators are ending up in his labs for analysis.

“It usually has to do with components associated with new compressors,” he says. “I can’t tell you what the problem is exactly, but manufacturers have obviously made a design change that’s having unintended consequences.”

People don’t normally think of refrigerators as posing much fire danger, but Sanderson says they have heaters and draw plenty of current. And once the electrical components catch fire, he says, plastics in the rest of the appliance provide more fuel.

[justjim]

Taken directly from the on-line news:
It was a Whirlpool side-by-side refrigerator that exploded Saturday making a Village of Fernandina home uninhabitable.

The model number of the refrigerator is WRS32FDAM.

The owners of the home on Thunderbird Way, David and Sandra Hess, were out at the time of the explosion and fire which left the interior of their home severely damaged.

In the aftermath of the incident, they initially were staying with friends but have located a rental property not too far from their residence.

The kitchen was heavily damaged in the explosion.
The kitchen was heavily damaged in the explosion.

According to Consumer Reports, appliance fires, not related to human error, are more common than one might think.

Jack Sanderson, president of Fire Findings, a forensic engineering laboratory in Benton Harbor, Mich. in 2012 told Consumer Reports that more refrigerators are ending up in his labs for analysis.

“It usually has to do with components associated with new compressors,” he says. “I can’t tell you what the problem is exactly, but manufacturers have obviously made a design change that’s having unintended consequences.”

People don’t normally think of refrigerators as posing much fire danger, but Sanderson says they have heaters and draw plenty of current. And once the electrical components catch fire, he says, plastics in the rest of the appliance provide more fuel.

Thanks for this post. Although I believe a refrigerator explosion is still very rare, apparently it does happen, and as far as I know, this is the first reported such incident in The Villages.

Iam sure we will hear more discussion and get more facts about this in the future. If the resident had been home, this could have been a real tragedy.

[looneycat]

that tells the story as opposed to the OP a possible cause.

[jimbo2012]

the damage

Has anyone found out the brand and model?





.

[graciegirl]

Read post #21. It clearly says what brand and model.

[villagetinker]

From what I have seen, my UNINFORMED guess, there was something in the refrigerator that leaked an explosive gas, which was then ignited by the compressor contacts (or anything that generated an arc), ice maker for example.
I have not had a chance to research this, but I suspect there are items that have flammable propellants that might be found in the refrigerator and a small leak could allow the gases to accumulate until an explosive level was reached.
It appears also that the flammable coolants are used in Europe, not in the USA, and I believe the Whirlpool units use R134a, which is NOT flammable.
Hopefully, there will be a follow-up report from the fire marshal that will detail what happened.

[kittygilchrist]

From what I have seen, my UNINFORMED guess, there was something in the refrigerator that leaked an explosive gas, which was then ignited by the compressor contacts (or anything that generated an arc), ice maker for example.
I have not had a chance to research this, but I suspect there are items that have flammable propellants that might be found in the refrigerator and a small leak could allow the gases to accumulate until an explosive level was reached.
It appears also that the flammable coolants are used in Europe, not in the USA, and I believe the Whirlpool units use R134a, which is NOT flammable.
Hopefully, there will be a follow-up report from the fire marshal that will detail what happened.

Something in the fridge making gas...like what?

[Retiring]

If this was truly the frig and not due to contents, I have to believe it is extremely rare. Recently I had a bathtub enclosure glass door explode in a guest bath. When I talked to the manufacturer, their response “yea that happens sometimes.” What??? Went online and found this can happen with tempered glass. Thankfully, no one was in the bathroom at the time. Rare events DO happen to somebody. I hate being one of them.

TOTV is a great resource. The only place I’ve ever read of exploding refrigerators. Educated consumer is a safe consumer.

As to this frig, I do hope there is a thorough investigation so the rest of us can make any necessary corrections in our own kitchens, if needed.

Exploding Shower Doors A Problem In Texas & Nationwide « CBS Dallas / Fort Worth (http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/09/18/exploding-shower-doors-a-problem-in-texas-nationwide/)

Tempered Glass Shower Doors Are Shattering For No Reason (http://consumerist.com/2015/09/23/tempered-glass-shower-doors-are-shattering-for-no-reason/)

[villagetinker]

Something in the fridge making gas...like what?

Well, we have Ready Whip in the fridge, and guess what the propellant is NOT listed, tried to call, but they are closed, but any aerosol (cheezewiz?) that might have a flammable propellant, not sure I can think of anything else.

The other possibility, a very low grade fire (very little oxygen, but lots of combustible gas) occurred that finally found its way into the cooled area and some oxygen, and boom.....

I will stop with supposition and wait for the follow-up report.

[dendr]

When I look up that model # nothing comes up. Has anyone else found any info on that model #? Wrs32fdam

[dotti105]

We never had an explosion. But we did have an LG bottom freezer refrigerator catch on fire in 2009 in Utah. The light that turns on when you open the door, malfunctioned and never turned off apparently. We started smelling a chemical smell in the kitchen and were worried that it was a natural gas leak.
After checking everything we could, we opened the refrigerator to find the light dangling and the housing charred. The plastic ceiling of the refrigerator had melted and was hanging like stalactites. The plastic containers on the top shelf had melted.
We called LG and were told that they knew nothing of this type electrical problem. (we were out of warranty by a few months) when checking online though, there were many incidents with our model number.
We appealed to our retailer and they were wonderful and replaced the refrigerator. It was a counter depth, SS, bottom freezer, so it was about $2,000. The retailer did this on his dime. But asked us to get another LG and extended warranty this time. He hoped to get LG to credit him for it.
I was leary of another LG, but didn't have any real option.
The new LG had LED lights! Big improvement!
When we were looking for info on our model there were several house fires caused by the refrigerator shorting out and the short traveling to the outlet and to the wiring throughout the house. We were lucky.
Our replacement LG was wonderful. Not a single problem.
Appliances are so complicated these days, we have so many bells and whistles it does not surprise me to hear about this explosion. It's horrible and could have been even more so if the residents were home.
I hope they figure out the cause and changes are made at Whirlpool.

[graciegirl]

Those pictures are very troubling to me. To be honest at first I thought it was a meth lab explosion because in all of my long life I have never heard of a refrigerator exploding. Plenty of things about stoves and even some dangerous things about microwaves.


This would be an unusual place because thousands and thousands of us have appliances from the same manufacturer. I imagine it is cheaper to buy in bulk.


I sit here in the kitchen and my desk is right next to the refrigerator. I know some of you are waiting..................

[Topspinmo]

[QUOTE=kittygilchrist;1150677]The online news has the story about a major explosion while the owners were out. Sad.


who makes my appliances?
Appliance411 The Purchase: Who Makes What? (http://www.appliance411.com/purchase/make.shtml)

even though my Fridge looks like the one that blew up, its not made by whirlpool.

[mixsonci]

When I look up that model # nothing comes up. Has anyone else found any info on that model #? Wrs32fdam

I have the same model

[MDLNB]

Something in the fridge making gas...like what?

Beans maybe??? Sorry, just couldn't help myself.

[OhioBuckeye]

I agree with the article about refrigerator exploding. The only thing in a Frig that could explode is the refrigerant, it's a gas & just getting a spark would ignite the refrigerant gas. Never heard of this before. I'm guessing it's a Whirlpool, because that's all you see in The Villages. Might be a good appliance but I'm not a big fan of this product.

[RickeyD]

I agree with the article about refrigerator exploding. The only thing in a Frig that could explode is the refrigerant, it's a gas & just getting a spark would ignite the refrigerant gas. Never heard of this before. I'm guessing it's a Whirlpool, because that's all you see in The Villages. Might be a good appliance but I'm not a big fan of this product.


134a is non-flammable.

[JaniceOhio]

The model number of the refrigerator in question is WRS32FDAM. It's Whirlpool..

Go Bucks!

[villagetinker]

It has been almost a month, did anyone ever see a follow-up on what actually caused the explosion?
Thank you.

[Down Sized]

///

[Phanatic Luvr]

It has been almost a month, did anyone ever see a follow-up on what actually caused the explosion?
Thank you.

The insurance adjuster and a rep from Whirlpool are scheduled to meet and inspect the damaged home on December 30th. That apparently was the first date they could make together. The correct Whirlpool Serial # is WRS325FDAM02. The M (in DAM) I believe stands for metal, since there are many with the same serial # but with a B (DAB) which are black. I have checked many of my clients refrigerators here in The Villages and waiting patiently to hear the outcome before instilling panic.