Fermenter Explosion

[adamOVD]

I heard a few years ago someone was badly burned because he was mixing his mash in the fermenter with a drill and the ethanol in the head space caused an explosion. Is this true? 

[indyspirits]

My money is on "not true". 

[Glenlyon]

Yes it is true - but, not with a fermenter. The gentleman in question was trying to aerate some spirit to hasten the aging process - while using a drill. Not so smart in a high hazard area as anyone who has used a drill, knows they do spark.

[Tom Lenerz]

Yes this is true (in part) as Glenlyon mentioned, not a fermentor but a spirit tank. Using a drill not an appropriate agitator for mixing.

There have been several incidents (over 5 I can think of off the top of my head) at various small distilleries with various causes in the last 5 years that resulted in either a person being hurt, property damage, and even death. 

Discussions on many can be found on these forums.

[adamOVD]

Thanks, It never really made in any sense to me, but I've always refrained from mixing a mash with a drill anyways. I probably still will.

[Foreshot]

https://abc13.com/worker-with-blender-sparks-blast-at-vodka-distillery/2609609/