Methods of Ignition

4 different methods of ignition are, or have been, used for Tunnel Buster type products. They include:

1. Hand Held
2. Hand Line
3. InLine Remote Control
4. Wireless Remote Control

Hand Held – Definitely not recommended - only buy a handheld device is you are prepared to suffer the consequences of flying rocks smashing into your body. We know, past experience with handhelds has resulted in hospitalisation on more then 1 occasion.

It has become clear to all manufacturers and operators alike that the hand held method of applying gases to a tunnel system is simply not a safe enough method. All equipment manufacturers except the BurrowBlaster manufacturer developed hand held devices and amazingly some still sell them. No matter the price, handheld devices are dangerous. Some manufacturers have realised this and have modified their devices to enable the operators to stand a few more feet away. These modifications led to the introduction of the Hand-Line devices.

Hand Line devices

These are all modified devices that use the original hand held devices with a cable attached to provide some distance between the operator and the handheld device. Although these offer a small improvement in operator safety, they have introduced more problems for the operator. The hand held devices used are heavy and cumbersome; they were designed to have the operator hold them in the hole. Now the operator has to figure out how to keep the device in the hole standing up whilst at the same time pulling on the cord attached to the device to trigger the spark. The BurrowBlaster offers a much better and much safer way to achieve this. The BurrowBlaster delivers the simplest, most cost effective and user friendly operation using the patented ‘Inline Remote Control’ method.

InLine Remote Control - Safe, in control operation at a reasonable price.

The BurrowBlaster is the only ‘inline’ remote control device on the market. The original design more than 6 years ago was with operator safety at the heart of the machine. The wand is light and easy to carry about. It is easy to stand in a hole and there is no problem with tugging on it to deliver the spark like there is with the hand line devices. The standard remote controller is 25 feet away which places the operator at a safe distance from the blast. The operator has full control over the electronics and flow of the gases from a safe distance. There is no possibility that the gas can be exploded whilst the  gas is still flowing and in the event that the gas is still flowing, the operator knows this is happening as he/she is right where the tanks and control unit are and the gas makes a noise as it flows. The control unit has a failsafe that will not allow the spark to occur whilst the gas flow is open.

Wireless Remote

The introduction of wireless remote control devices for use with an explosive device is still under investigation and should be avoided for the time being. BurrowBlaster developers researched the use of wireless devices some years ago and the decision not to proceed with the development was based upon operator safety exposures. Those reasons remain valid today. There is a detailed review of the wireless operation on this website.