Colorado Woman With Flammable Water Fears Blast

Amee Ellsworth says she is terrified that her home could blow up because of natural gas that has seeped into her water supply. She can ignite the water with a lighter from faucets in her kitchen or bathroom. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission determined the gas is coming from a leak in one of eight active gas wells within a half-mile radius of the Elllsworth's home. Amee should look on the bright side. Not everyone gets to take a shower that cleans and sterilizes all at once.

Re:

[v1]

I don't know, I think I'd have to try that at least once if it were that way here. Wouldn't you?

Re:

[TheCabal]

What I'm wondering is what ever possessed her to try to light water on fire to begin with?

Re:

[v1]

She's one of those people you read about that goes looking for a gas leak in a dark basement, using a lighter.

Re:

[conureman]

Bad idea. Why do some people need to be told these things? And why won't they listen. I used to check a couple of vents for pressure near "the La Brea Tar Pits" (love that redundancy). If any gas started leaking out, the neighborhood was to be evacuated.

Free energy!

[CDenno]

A creative homeowner could turn this potential disaster into a windfall... install an entrained gas separator on the incoming water line and harvest the natural gas heating fuel. Not exactly for the faint of heart, but better than waiting for your house to blow up if you leave your faucet on.

A couple of things...

[clone53421]

A quick google search revealed that methane is fairly insoluble in water - so it must be in gaseous form, entrained bubbles of natural gas. That means there's a real danger of build-up if the water is left on.

Now my question is, is this the stinky gas, or the odorless kind? (Natural gas normally has an odorant added because otherwise it's nearly impossible to detect.) If it's leaking from an active well, it might be odorless - which is obviously extremely dangerous: you wouldn't even be able to smell a gas

Re:

[RaceProUK]

Either way, this should do the trick for now: 1. Shut off water main. 2. Drain system by opening all taps. 3. Open all windows. 4. ??? 5. Profit! (By not being blown up)

Finally something I'm a certified geek about!!!

[hitnrunrambler]

...why does it have to be in idle?

I'm a licensed water well driller and pump tech in NY, although I've been out of the business for a few years.

There is A LOT of shallow natural gas around here and I'm very familiar with running into it. When it's in very small proportions you can only tell by a slight discoloration on the tools, when it's moderate you can taste it slightly (if you know what you're looking for) and when it's extensive you can hear it in the well.... You can also do a lot of fun things like