Rookie plumber's $12m blunder [burned down a $12 million mansion]

news.com.au ^ | 4-18-2007 | staff writer

[bedolido]

A 17-YEAR -old rookie plumber has burned down a £5 million ($12 million) waterside mansion in southwest England, after a soldering task during his first day on the job went horribly wrong.

The historic mansion in Kingswear, Devon, was undergoing a £2 million renovation when a fire ripped through the eight-bedroom house overnight.

[Francis McClobber]

I hate it when that happens.

[Jaysun]

Oops. Won’t happen again boss, I promise.

[Petronski]

His torch lit the polystyrene insulation.

Poor lad didn’t use a piece of tin behind his work to keep the flame from combustibles.

[martin_fierro]

Always Look For The Union Label.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Is polystyrene legal for insulation in the U.S? I mean, except in nightclubs in Rhode Island?

[investigateworld]

Lemme see now if I can recall the Plumbers Rules of Conduct:

Payday is Friday

Boss is a sumbitch

Poo runs downhill

Don't burn down customers house?

[RSmithOpt]

Hot’s on the left.

[RSmithOpt]

Hot’s on the left.

[Hatteras]

You forgot

"Hot's on the left, Cold's on the right"

"Don't chew your fingernails".

[martin_fierro]

Hey!

Was that a plumbers crack?

[CholeraJoe]

Some people are too stupid to be trusted with blowtorches.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

If you are sweating a joint you have to watch out for combustibles. Usually its just joist or a beam. Here it sounds like he hit some foam insulation.

I feel for him. Pretty young, he has to carry this the rest of his life. I wouldn’t wonder if he turned alcholic.

[east1234]

He lives in the UK, he’ll turn into an alcoholic.

[aft_lizard]

Back in the day when I did electronics and appliance repair I would never have thought to let a rookie go with out supervision on a job that required the use of a torch, too much is at stake.

[sticker]

I know some people that were installing inwall speakers in a log home and had one blow up, set the saw dust in the cut out on fire. Luckily, it got put out very quickly

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Thats only a given if you live outside of Londanistan. In that case he can feel better by beating his wife.

[wolfcreek]

This has happened several times in my area. As I recall, the insulation or other combustable can smolder for some time after the heat is applied before igniting.

[ThreePuttinDude]

He lives in the UK, he’ll turn into an alcoholic electrician

[CharlesWayneCT]

This was Britain, isn’t hot on the right?