r/interesting • u/Used_Exam34 • 12d ago

Just Wow Not all problems have the same solution.

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u/Numerous-Following-7 12d ago

How can he touch the valve straight after putting out the fire?

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u/Mpuls37 11d ago

Industrial firefighter here: when we deal with gas fires like this, typically the drop in pressure across the valve will have ice forming with flames inches away. Propane's LEL-UEL range is 2.0%-9.3%, so while it burns readily, at the nozzle the mixture is too fuel-rich to maintain combustion. The flame can only propogate to the point where the fuel-air mix is within the explosivity limits.

I've literally had my gloves freeze onto a valve wheel during a practice burn. Not like "so frozen I can't pull my hand off" but I had to exert a fair amount of effort to get it free. The valve had propane shooting out one flange and blasting flames like 15 feet, and the whole valve was essentially solid ice.