It doesn't happen often, figuring that hundreds of thousands of HPA tanks are filled repeatedly every weekend by players around the globe.
But when it does, watch out!
Jason goes 'bang' and lives to tell the tale Do you ever have that unnerving feeling that something could go wrong as you attach your marker to a high pressure hose and gingerly press down on the gas release lever? Well a few weeks back, if you were Jason Jordaan from team Coastal Legion, then your nerves would have been right. Imagine a flaming ball of compressed air ripping clothes, mask and gloves from your body, burning your hand and arms and knocking you out cold. That's what happened to Jason. Imagine a high presure gas bottle rocketing past your ears. That's what happened to his team mates.
Jason is quite Zen about the whole episode and, although his injuries are keeping him out of the game now, he swears he'll be back on the field come the Bloem SAPPL at the end of September. Despite some significant sleuth work that would put CSI to shame he says he hasn't been able to work out what exactly caused the explosion. He suggests it could have been a number of factors. For one, people often don't know that lubricants and high pressure just don't go together: oils on the nipple of the gas station can ignite under high pressure, dirt or a splinter of metal could also be a potentially lethal combination when you throw in high pressure air.
Jason says he will make the full extent of his investigations available in the interests of safety in our sport. In the mean time the lessons are clear: Check the gas nipple for abrasions, dirt or oil before filling. Never service your high pressure system unless you know what you are doing. Never introduce lubricants into your high pressure system unless they are made for that particular application. Make sure your bottle is tested as per legal requirement. If you take a hard dive into the dirt then take the time to take off your bottle cover and check for cracks or tears. Remember: Safety first!
As for the lessons in life, learn from Jason: when the going gets tough the tough get going!
More pics at: (Note: There is pictures of his burnt hand.)
But when it does, watch out!
Jason goes 'bang' and lives to tell the tale Do you ever have that unnerving feeling that something could go wrong as you attach your marker to a high pressure hose and gingerly press down on the gas release lever? Well a few weeks back, if you were Jason Jordaan from team Coastal Legion, then your nerves would have been right. Imagine a flaming ball of compressed air ripping clothes, mask and gloves from your body, burning your hand and arms and knocking you out cold. That's what happened to Jason. Imagine a high presure gas bottle rocketing past your ears. That's what happened to his team mates.
Jason is quite Zen about the whole episode and, although his injuries are keeping him out of the game now, he swears he'll be back on the field come the Bloem SAPPL at the end of September. Despite some significant sleuth work that would put CSI to shame he says he hasn't been able to work out what exactly caused the explosion. He suggests it could have been a number of factors. For one, people often don't know that lubricants and high pressure just don't go together: oils on the nipple of the gas station can ignite under high pressure, dirt or a splinter of metal could also be a potentially lethal combination when you throw in high pressure air.
Jason says he will make the full extent of his investigations available in the interests of safety in our sport. In the mean time the lessons are clear: Check the gas nipple for abrasions, dirt or oil before filling. Never service your high pressure system unless you know what you are doing. Never introduce lubricants into your high pressure system unless they are made for that particular application. Make sure your bottle is tested as per legal requirement. If you take a hard dive into the dirt then take the time to take off your bottle cover and check for cracks or tears. Remember: Safety first!
As for the lessons in life, learn from Jason: when the going gets tough the tough get going!
More pics at: (Note: There is pictures of his burnt hand.)
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