“Severe heat and Nitrous don't mix so be cautious"
 

As most of you know, there was the NMRA Event at Atco this weekend,
For those there (like me Saturday) as long as I live I will never forget the heat and torture we endeared. Call me a wimp (wimpy wimpy wimpy, hehehehe) BUT IT WAS one of the hottest days ever recorded, and for those that were there, it gave a whole new meaning to HOT. NOT DRY HEAT EITHER, can you say Humidity you could cut with a knife...…

As some also know I had a few issues and that’s what this post is about.
Even Mr self acclaimed Nitrous Guru (that’s me) who’s been doing this since 1979 can sometimes overlook something, OR NOT PLAN for an out of the ordinary condition day “such as this”. Believe me when I tell you I’m still am not back to normal or refueled from it, either is the Lightning.
(got 1/2 the plugs done, but it's raining right now $%@($@$($)

I’ve raced in heat before, Spring Nationals at Cecil last year with the Gatmister would be a good example, on that day the tanks hit 1250 psi on their own and I though it was da schitt, woo hoo no heater needed. Well fast forward to Saturday, I never considered the Black N20 Tank, in a Black Truck, under a Black Tonneau Cover, could have done what it did Saturday, and that was build up OVER 1650 LBS of pressure on it’s own. Gauge was PINNED at 1650 when we turned it on, “it was even more“.
In any case, it equals --> EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PSI <--

Problem one, my gauge is hooked up in a way it only shows pressure AFTER it‘s been turned on, THAT WILL BE CHANGED (never saw it as a prob before, and it never was, but as seen now, CAN BE)
Problem two, my inlet Nitrous Line was waaaaaaaaay too close the to EGR Tube. Again under the last years of use it was never a problem, but after driving a hundred miles or so, and in that heat, and under those conditions of DOUBLE the normal n20 pressure (my heater maintains a MAX of 900 psi) it became a problem.

The combination of dangerously high Tank Pressure, and dangerous high under hood temps the inlet line was endearing, when I turned it on, pissssssssssssssssssssssssss it let go……..
Other issues were; the CAI lines “also being affected by the heat” pulled off the inlet scoop, and then were dragged, wrapped around, and eventually severed from the truck, hence the Fred Decker “Rob dragging his hose jokes and pictures being seen”, hehehehe.....
I also had plug issues, I consider that heat related too (but from inside the motor).

NOT HAVING proper cooling mods, taken the proper step to cool it down BEFORE making a 2nd pass, talking the proper steps to protect it from the extreme conditions, and just plain old expecting too much under those conditions were to blame. What we have here is a clear picture of me not being prepared for the worse possible conditions.

I screwed up big time by NOT protecting the lines, BRAIDED OR NOT from that heat with a product such as this
http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerc...92&prmenbr=361
I screwed up again by NOT KNOWING my tank pressure BEFORE opening the tank, (simple ice could have fixed this issue)
And I screwed up the plugs by NOT USING my less aggresive program,
(we already knew the one I used eats plugs $^%@#$%@#$$#)
AS USUAL I WANTED WHAT I WANTED WHEN I WANTED IT AND GOT NOTHING

After speaking to Denny, and reading up some more, I see that the heat issue is talked about in the instructions and suppose to be addressed, I DID NOT DO THAT. Although I got away with it for quite a while, and would have forever had I not opened the tank under those conditions, WE ALL NEED TO LEARN SOMETHING FROM THIS, I sure did.
AMOF Vin man immediately iced down his tanks, which btw also showed @1600 psi, and within 10 minutes it was down to 800. No he was not running n20 but he did have a tank with him, and after seeing what happen to me he iced it down, we both learned a valuable lesson on Nitrous tanks and Heat

So for the n20 Brothers
Know your tank psi, BEFORE opening tanks
Ice them down if needed
Know your locations of lines, AND DON’T ASSUME YOUR FAR ENOUGH AWAY
PROTECT the lines where needed
AND HAVE FUN WOO HOO......

http://www.lightningrodder.com/galle...0Denso%202.jpg
(I know I have more bad ones, but it's raining and I cant finish now)

http://www.lightningrodder.com/galle...2005_0003b.jpg

http://www.lightningrodder.com/galle...ous%20Line.jpg
waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too close to the EGR tube, @$^%@#($%@$($@#

Rob,
the best thing you did was open the tank to relieve the pressure. of coarse ice would have been a little better. I have heard a few burst disk pop on scuba tanks laying in the sun on a summer dive. I could only imagine the havoc a bursted nitrous bottle would cause.

Is there no pressure relief valves for these things? You would figure, something that will just vent at 1500psi or such.

Rob,

Looks like it's time for the EGR delete.

There are such devices, yes. I ran one that vented through a blowdown tube through the trunk floor in my old car.

Bingo! Do you really care about that extra 1mpg you may get? :lol:

Rob has our older valves that are like most other valves out there which have the standard 1800psi burst disc. Our current max-flo valves have a SPRV that replaced the burst disc design and bleeds excess pressure off instead of just letting go of all the contents. The factory setting is 1,000 psi and is adjustable. How it works is it would open if bottle pressure is above 1,000 psi and close again when bottle pressure goes below 1,000. It only releases the gaseous pressure on top of the bottle and not the liquid so very, very little nitrous is wasted.

Our main nylon nitrous line is rated at 1500psi and this is what burst. Many may freak out but in reality there are 2 main reasons why an owner shouldn't. 1) Nitrous should never be used at such an extreme pressure as it will just convert to gas immediately and cause a power loss as there isn't enough oxygen to burn the extra fuel added. A bottle should be cooled and the line should not be pressurized at these levels. That's why it's importnat to keep an eye on your pressure gauge.
2) The nylon will only burst which is stated in the owners manual if under such extreme heat and pressure which tells the owner that the nitrous is not being protected properly to deliver optimal performance. If the main nitrous supply line is heat protected as mentioned in the manual and bottle pressure is kept to the proper pressure then the owner will get the performance they expect out of nitrous whether with our kit or any other.

As simple and crude as nitrous may seem to add, it takes a lot more thought to do it right and get the most from it like anything else. We offer braided lines that have a higher pressure rating but over compensating isn't the answer, educating yourself on how to do things right is.

Words to live by.

I deleted my EGR... lines don't run anywhere near it now lol.

The one thing I have the hardest time explaining to customers is how to "properly" use their nitrous systems. Many people think that nitrous is a bolt on in an hour and hit a button cheap power adder, but this could not be more untrue. These systems require proper monitoring and checking to ensure maximum performance, safety and consistancy. People should NEVER leave their nitrous bottle in the vehicle when it's not in use. And when you are using it, you need to make sure that you can both heat and cool the bottle if needed, to maintain a proper bottle pressure during changing track weather conditions. In this weather, I always keep my nitrous bottles in the shade and out of the truck at the track until I am ready to use them. You can cool your bottle by keeping a cooler full of ice and a towel.

People with braided nitrous supplies lines should think about how they route their lines to be in the coolest spot possible and heat protected also. You most likely won't have the burst (although braided does burst believe it or not) to notify you nitrous is getting to heated, so people don't put much thought into the install and can be giving up a lot of performance. The braided metal also abosrbs heat so it's even more crucial for 'performance' to protect the lines.

damn Rob that sucks, i would say it could have been worse but it looks like you got most of the bases covered in that one
looks like time to try another plug cause that is toast

Vinnie,
Maybe I should have Trev add that line to his book about nitrous.:lol:

Very true Sal. Proper maintenance won't require a lot of effort but you may get results back tenfold.

Holy N2O Rob! :eek: This could have been disastrous. Looks like you and Vinnie jumped all over this before it turned bad! Niiiiccceee! :rocker:

How often do you guys perform hydrostatic testing on the bottles? At what psi are the bottles tested? I would definitely keep these bottles current on recertification.

All nitrous manufacturers use the same 2 bottle companie as they aren't made by any nitrous manufacturer, so our standards are the same as anyone elses. 5 year certification on aluminum cylinders and hydro static testing can be done by any local testing facility.