Hidden Iron Pipe Danger – Weekend Welding Warrior

View Comments

• Fascinating. If it were me, I would have ignored the pressurized H2 gas and probably blew myself up.

• Most of the welding I had done was on pipe that had never been welded before. Lot's of hidden dangers
  Thank you for sharing.
  All my best.
  Bobby

• ts, the high pressure gas was more than likely not going to kill you, but could give you a definite scare. Now the electrocution aspect with the water would indeed be frightening. I recently drilled relief holes in my mom's perimeter fencing at her house. It was welded years ago by an unknown. When I drilled into the bottom corners of the square tubes, those also were under pressure. Air and rusty water came out and amazed me. I plugged the drill into a GFCI outlet which would have easily stopped any electrical current from wrecking havoc on my "ticker," had the drill shorted out from the water.

  Once a GFCI outlet saved me when I cut into the power cord with my metal circular saw on some thin sheet metal. My bare hand was holding the piece of sheet metal when the cord cut and wedged between the blade and the sheet metal. The exposed wire the sheet metal, before I realized what happened. Never felt a thing as the safety circuitry did exactly what it was supposed to do.

• thanx for the warning!! very usefull!

• I hope you've drilled that fence full of weep holes to stop any build up of water.

• all that is is a little water got into the pipe because the welder didn't get the weld in all the way. the gasses are not hydrogen, but more likely atmospheric pressure increased inside the pipe from heat. I've welded on 100's of old pipe fences, nothing to get paranoid over, no need for a hazmat suit.. lol actually, I don't buy the pressure claim at all, it looks like a 8' piece of pipe, if the amount of water you described ran out the hole from gravity, that much water wouldn't have allowed enough void in the pipe for air=gas pressure to accumulate, I call BS sorry

• like Dave glen said three month ago, condensation and or a pin hole in welding causing moister in the pipe the warming of the pipe due to the sun causes a bit of pressure but still not unsafe because your not dealing with any large volume, I've been welding and cutting that stuff for 40 years there is no safety issues here , obviously you don't let your electric drill get so soaked that you electrocute your self but get a hole in it and let it drain out then get to work? I've taught many of book smart people in my day some on hands practical knowledge and common sense, it goes a long ways.

• Drainage hole... hmm. I learn something new every day!

• Yes I did find it interesting and useful. You got a new subscriber. Would have never suspected that myself.

• Thank goodness them battery drills dont have that electrocity in ‘em.