Safety Lesson: How being lazy nearly cost me my life! Extractor Accident

now that i had 22 days to look back on this.

I think the #1 rule now would be NEVER USE A POWER TOOL ON AN EXTRACTOR. WHETHER FILLED WITH GAS OR EMPTY.

I still havent worked on an extractor since this accident. I have packed a few. But ive had no desire to build any nor pressure test any. Or diamond miners… or anything pressurized. I think im taking @TheGratefulPhil and hydrostatic testing going forward.

I still have some serious PTSD from this whole experience. I think about it every single day and how lucky i got. Im telling you that platter came off soo fast. It was like “pop” and as fast as i could raise my hand to my head; im bleeding. It was serious like a flash in the eye. Id imagine death is very similar where its like a flash and your dead. Luckily, i survived but i got a glimpse of how fast it could have ended.

its definitely put a few things in perspective for me.

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Solid decision

I fill vessel with water to as close to 100% as I can manage, then pressurize with air (or N2).

Generally using a recovery pump to compress remaining headspace

Eg: RTFM: CM-EP. hydrostatic testing with a refrigerant recovery pump

This was the last device I pressure tested above 100psi using gas…the amount of energy stored was mind boggling

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Dude glad you are ok

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If you have a specific routine doing a frequent task there is a reason you create said routine, generally it has worked for a long period of time with little recourse. There are those days where we get to confident that things have gone great and we decide to take a fork in the road. That fork in the road can easily be a wrong turn. “Good practice” is a term I hold dearly. Always go into a situation expecting the worst. Create a routine that is the safest way to approach a task and never change that routine even if the task is “less important” than the normal. Accidents happen when our minds get lazy. Always pop the hood on your car no matter what your doing to it. That simple task might remind you to add the oil.

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Just seeing this, so glad you’re okay man. Scary for sure, glad you’re being cautious. Safety and preservation of health are definitely the priority.

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HELL FUCK YEAH… YANKEES IN THE WORLD SERIES for the first time in 15 years and the hurricanes are 7-0 and likely #5 in the country!

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Ive done this accidentally with 30psi and a column full of weed.

The gasket was at eye level and it shot trim particulate so hard it filled my eyelids with trim.

I always open valves before touching a clamp now. Its almost an OCD habit now, but a valuble one.

Glad youre ok, and thank you for the reminder to be safe!

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Ive been waiting all my life for a dodger yankee world series!

Go dodgers!

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I swear there is nothing quite as effective at changing a man’s mind on something like getting hit in the head. Glad you are okay brother! Was gonna also say that I have been seeing more and more of your products on slamazon. Feels good to see a forum homie in the wild!

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