The area had
recently experienced heavy rainfall, and it is suspected that water hammer is
the cause of the explosion. Proper maintenance of the system’s steam traps is
needed to take care of condensate. “Unfortunately, it’s impossible for (ConEd)
to stay ahead [of maintenance] because the pipes are very old and underground,”
Barry Abramson, an analyst at Gabelli Asset Management told the Associated
Press.
PM
columnist Dan Holohan
agrees that we shouldn’t be surprised when 100-year-old basically unmaintained
pipe has had enough. “Heck, parts of NYC’s water system still runs through
wooden pipes,” he says.