Green Flames: London’s Lesson

[K Frame]

That would be an awfully small water heater for four kitchens and eight bathrooms.

Generally a water heater/storage tank will simply be represented by a circle. I've never really seen them being proportionally scaled to the actual size of the unit.

It could even represent one of the very large, high capacity on demand units.

[KD5NRH]

I'm not sure the space is big enough for a tank unit to handle 16 bedrooms worth of people. As for tankless, is that a plan from a remodel?  Can't see it being tankless from the early 1970s.

[Doggy Daddy]

What confuses me is the placement.  None of the other 3 units require going through 2 doors to enter through the living room.  If it was a water heater, wouldn't the door be used to close its little cubbyhole by itself instead of the whole entryway to that unit?

[K Frame]

Ah geesh, I didn't see the whole floorplan that Hawk posted. I was only seeing that little snippet...

My guess, from looking at that layout, is that Agricola may very well be right. It may well be the garbage chute. 

[Hawkmoon]

Looks like this is going to be a VERY expensive lesson.

http://www.newser.com/story/244712/police-find-cause-of-grenfell-blaze.html

Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack—who has promised an "exhaustive" investigation, per the BBC—adds authorities will now consider manslaughter charges after the building's insulation and cladding "failed all safety tests." Officials say cladding samples from 11 other high-rise buildings in eight municipalities in the UK, including in London, have also failed tests.

[TechMan]

Looks like this is going to be a VERY expensive lesson.

http://www.newser.com/story/244712/police-find-cause-of-grenfell-blaze.html

As you know, building codes are written in blood.

[Hawkmoon]

As you know, building codes are written in blood.

True. Sadly, that's what motivates government.

Dangerous intersections only rate lights ("signalization") when the body count reaches an unacceptable level -- which around here can be pretty high.

[just Warren]

Heard on the news that searchers might not be able to find all the bodies.

Are they not going to search every floor?

[HankB]

Heard on the news that "officials" invaded 4 other London high rises late in the evening, told the residents that the buildings had been deemed "dangerous" . . . and chased them out.

Residents barely had time to dress and gather a few belongings in a bag or suitcase before being evicted by the hundreds.

[RoadKingLarry]

Sounds like good new homes for a certain demographic of immigrants.
 

[KD5NRH]

Interesting: "A firefighter had found Ahmed passed out on a fire escape on the 18th floor of the 24-story tower and carried her out."

Sounds like SCBA or at least filtered escape hoods might have been a worthwhile investment.

[RevDisk]

If I recall correctly, weren't insurance companies screaming about certain types of blow in foam being insanely dangerous if not installed 100% correctly and appropriate fire barriers? As I remember, badly, polyurethane foams specifically are petrochemicals that can give off cyanates when burned.

[Hawkmoon]

If I recall correctly, weren't insurance companies screaming about certain types of blow in foam being insanely dangerous if not installed 100% correctly and appropriate fire barriers? As I remember, badly, polyurethane foams specifically are petrochemicals that can give off cyanates when burned.

Correct. When I was in a firm that specialized in large reroofing projects -- 20+ years ago -- this was already in the codes in the United States. Foam plastic roofing insulation boards in the U.S. typically aren't polyurethane, they are polyisocyanurate. Less flammable.