Honda Accord Recall

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced that Honda has recalled 1,148,550 vehicles because of a battery fire hazard. More specifically, the recall is for 2013-2016 Honda Accords.  The problem is that a battery sensor, when wet, will short circuit and can ignite.  Honda will begin notifying owners by sending out an initial notification letters beginning July 31, 2017, since parts are not yet available.  The letter will instruct owners to take their vehicles to their Honda dealer and that the dealer will replace the battery sensor free of charge.  Owners should also know that the NHTSA campaign number is 17V418000 and the Honda recall number is KGO.  Lastly, for additional information owners can contact American Honda Customer Support by calling 1-888-234-2138.

More on the Use of PEX Pipe

I just completed watching a webinar on “Designing Effective PEX Hydronic Piping Systems”. I have written on the subject of PEX piping before (See “The Problem with PEX Pipe” published 7/21/2012 and “Update – The Problem with PEX Pipe published 1/9/2013) and as a refresher, PEX stands for cross-linked polyethylene.  This is a chemical process whereby pipe is manufactured by cross linking elements of the molecules that make up the material.  The resulting pipe definitely has some advantages in terms of price and handling.  However, no matter who the manufacturer is, the pipe still has two major drawbacks: it is affected by UV radiation (sunlight and similar lighting) and it is made brittle by chlorine.  In the case of hydronic systems, these are systems that carry cooled or heated water for cooling and heating purposes, mostly found in large commercial and office buildings.  These types of systems don’t carry potable water and as a result are not susceptible to the deterioration caused by chlorine.  Since the piping is usually hidden, it is also protected from the effects of UV radiation.  The concern arises when PEX piping is used in plumbing applications to carry potable water to any end user.  Chlorine can and will attack the pipe and cause it to eventually leak.  Water leakage, depending on the location can result in property damage costing thousands of dollars to repair.  Some manufacturers use antioxidants to neutralize the effect caused by chlorine but, it can be “used up”.  That is, when the antioxidant effect has been depleted, chlorine will continue to attack the pipe as if the antioxidant were never there.  Uponor, the sponsor of the aforementioned webinar, has been contacted and questions submitted for their response but, we have not yet heard back from them.  If Uponor responds after this article is published, then we will pass along their comments.

Natural Gas Explosion at Murray State University

On June 28^th, NBC News reported a natural gas explosion on the campus at Murray State University.  According to the report, a dormitory building known as the Richmond Residential College, sustained heavy damage and injured at least one employee.  Since the incident occurred, no news reports have been issued with regard to exactly where the gas leak was located, ie, whether the leak was inside the building or outside; upstream or downstream of the gas meter.  The location of the gas leak is significant because it served to indicate whether the leak was the fault of gas line installers or servicing personnel since the building was constructed in 2009 OR the fault of an aging gas line infrastructure that was the responsibility of the local natural gas provider.  If installers or servicing personnel had been working on the line and failed to adequately test for leaks, then the fault would lie with them.  However, if the gas supply line failed, then the gas company (or the owner of the line) is most likely at fault.  If this is what happened, then this becomes another example of how an aging gas line is neglected and becomes a serious danger to those who use the fuel that is piped to their homes and businesses.  The sale of natural gas is a business – everyone knows that.  Because it is a business, the business also has expenses, one of which would be the expensive replacement of line segments as they reach the end of their useful life.  Natural gas pipelines are not all the same size.  Some are much larger and require thicker walls depending on the pressure within.  The pressure that has to be contained is a factor that has to be considered in establishing the useful life of the pipe.  But, when decisions are made (by management) that extend the use of pipe beyond the expected life, that’s when people and property are put in harm’s way.  The company’s and their managing personnel that utilize this kind of asset management must be held accountable.  One only has to do a little bit of research on the internet to find that there have been a number of explosions in recent years, not only in the natural gas industry but, in the petroleum industry as well.  A little more research and one will find that gas line age can vary from 20 to 50 plus years.  Infrastructure in the United States is important and part of that infrastructure depends on maintaining our natural gas lines.