DEMOLITION | Gadsden Steam Plant Boiler House and Chimney

Controlled Demolition, Inc. (CDI) of Phoenix, Maryland, USA (acting as Explosives Subcontractor to Main Demolition Contractor, Jackson Demolition Service, Inc. (Jackson) of Schenectady, New York) performs the preparation for and explosives felling of the Unit #1 and #2 Boiler House and 300’ Chimney located at the Gadsden Steam Plant in Gadsden, Alabama on April 20, 2024.

[@lkj0822g]

Interesting history of this old girl: Plant Gadsden came online in 1949 consisting of two 69mw, coal fired units. What is interesting is that the plant not only generated electricity for the region, but also supplied steam to be used in the manufacturing process at the adjacent Goodyear plant, an arrangement that continued until the Goodyear plant shut down in 2020. In 2015, the plant was converted from coal to natural gas as it's fuel source. If not for the steam production for Goodyear, this plant would have most likely been retired decades earlier. Think of the thousands of jobs these two plants provided over the years.

[@ImNotPotus]

Industrial Grade Steam is a bigger source of "CARBON" than all of the other stuff they get mad about. But that would make NUCLEAR a much more attractive and we can't have that can we.

[@panzfaust9812]

thats neat bit of history. Could have been preserved as museum with some budget

[@natecampbell4708]

I live not far from there, thank you for the history, I really appreciate it!

[@Chirita008]

Thank you for the history. It's pretty amazing how this all works. It would be nice if CDI included a bit of history with each one. It took a lot of hard work and dedication to build these structures and they are gone in an instant. So knowing why they are being demolished after all this time would be nice.

[@hauntedbyhaunted]

It's pretty amazing that those 2 faded green metal buildings ontop of the main boiler house somehow are still intact at the end, like they just enjoyed the ride down to finally be at ground level

[@RobertCraft-re5sf]

Yeah, those must have been very solid.

[@t0cableguy]

The steam boilers were in those buildings. The metal buildings were probably just bolted to them. They are some pretty hefty tubes of steel to hold the steam inside them.

[@ffjsb]

@@t0cableguy The boilers were NOT in those buildings. Those held condensers to recycle steam back into water I believe. Boilers would be WAY too heavy to mount on the roof.

[@mattharper588]

Retired Union Boilermaker here.those structures on top are the precipitators. They are pollution control structures,they don’t weigh anything like the boiler house.the exhaust flow from the boiler goes through them and they use electric charges to remove the fly ash before it goes to the smoke stack

[@ffjsb]

@@mattharper588 Ah yes, big ass vacuums...

[@johnchambers8528]

Thanks for the video. The main building came down just as planed. Some said the chimney did not fall exactly where it was planned. However it did come down safely and close to the old building. I liked the several angles of the blast you showed.

[@roywhitman7109]

This stuff never gets old!!👍

[@Elenesski]

Every one is a different challenge.

[@kathleenharvey5538]

I keep thinking of all the math involved to achieve such perfection. Awesome to watch.

[@alitlweird]

Maybe alitlmath was involved, but it’s mostly explosives.

[@TheMalerdaemon]

Heads 290lbs, tails 2,900lbs.

[@johnrambo8317]

Watch the oter Power plant we demo in gorgas al tha was biger

[@PhancyPants99]

That wasn’t perfection

[@markopolo5695]

That chimney didn't fall as planned😮😮

[@mnghbii]

That tree saw it's life flash before its eyes.

[@DavidVanHelden1]

What I found amazing was that boat on the river doing two hundred miles an hour ....🤣

[@krashd]

1:07 for anyone else.

[@Elenesski]

Really liked the before/after drone footage. Always like to see how well the building fell after the dust as settled.

[@nickmaclachlan5178]

I got the feeling the chimney didn't fall exactly where they wanted it to? Looked like maybe about 10 degrees too far left? Funny how they didn't really show it in the after shots?

[@luciusvorenus9445]

The Loizeaux Family, making the difficult look easy for decades.

[@joeylawn36111]

🐐

[@tomrogers9467]

Your expertise in video production is approaching that of your demolition skills! Great audio, too!

[@Diesel629]

I was going to say the same thing .. absolutely brilliant video and audio 👍

[@johndavid8815]

I’m a retired Union Ironworker and smokestack inspector, I enjoyed this.

[@electrolytics]

Thanks CDI. Great videos.

[@thedownwardmachine]

New to the riverside: Boiler House Lofts. Rustic, roomy barn style living with plenty of patina. Newly renovated and recently lowered, they're a bargain at only $3000/month!

[@Barbariandisks]

That's nota bargain

[@AnotherSwissYoutubeUser]

Yet another job done to perfection.

[@mrwest5552]

we all remember with fondness watching The Loizeaux Family being featured on Public Television as they prepped and successfully brought down some structure.

[@joeylawn36111]

CDI - The 🐐of Demolition Contractors.

[@davidtaylor7174]

Did the chimney go where you wanted?

[@fredfonebone5108]

That had to be the fastest 10-second countdown on record. Dude really wanted to push the button!

[@mikepeterson9733]

If Fred Dibnah was still around I'm sure he'd be a fan!

[@stevenschiffel4294]

These guys have WAY too much fun...

[@chickencrapoperator]

CDI is simply the best. I’ve been watching them since 1988 with the demolition of the Travelers building in Boston.

[@LatitudeSky]

If you know where to find that video, share it! Been looking for that for ages, after it stopped getting shown on TV. CDI told me even they don't have a copy. It's lost media unless someone recorded it on a VCR.

[@wkk9925]

The roof is landing on planned location great job 👍🏻❤️

[@tomcampbell6384]

It's like watching a skilled surgeon

[@georgewhitehead8185]

Really??? I have been a skilled surgeon for the last 48 years, and I have never done anything like that. Doctor George Whitehead

[@shawnbottom4769]

Fred Dibnah would've done the job for a fraction of the cost. Just an extra pint or two on the side.

[@Kesss]

Hmm, did the chimney missed the spot a bit? Regardless, it's beautiful as always, thank you for sharing!

[@SLO-Ride]

I was thinking the same, but concluded the berm was more for containing the debris "splash".

[@DimensionMachine]

Given its final placement in the trees and the fact that it missed the berm had me asking the same question. Then when the overhead shot at the end quite intentionally failed to show where the end of the chimney lie had me convinced that it did not land where they wanted it! (not saying I could do better BTW)

[@SLO-Ride]

@@DimensionMachine If you look close at the 2nd take, the berm is protecting equipment. Also, the ending flyover, shows a slope where the chimney falls between it and the berm. I think the trees were simply in the way. The shot with the camera on a tripod. shows this too.

[@cuda7133]

I think the fall was supposed to be in line with the camera, but it went to the right. They set up the same camera shot when they did our stack in 2022.

[@JimDog794]

Awesome! You guys are demolition artists!

[@natecampbell4708]

I live fairly close by, and had not heard about any of this! I just happened to find this in the suggested videos on the right side of the page after watching something else. So awesome, thank you guys for posting it!

[@oneshotme]

Great job!!!!!!!!!!!! I very much enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

[@dustysherrmann4427]

Good job, but could it be that the chimney didn't quite fall where it was supposed to?

[@drteknical6571]

I wondered that too! Hard to tell, and CDI doesn't ever seem to answer any questions in the comment section.

[@grilnam9945]

Send the chimney in the other direction and then you don’t need to clear so many bricks off the metal sheds that were on top of the main building.?

[@potblack6043]

@@grilnam9945 No, they mean that it looks like the stone berm in the foreground at 3:00 was placed to cushion the chimney as it fell and protect the ground, but instead the chimney fell just to the side of the berm, missing it. it also nearly crushed those trees.

[@grilnam9945]

@@potblack6043 yes good call, I see what you mean now I rewatch it

[@foghornleghorn8536]

The berms were positioned to prevent debris from entering the river.

[@jamesburnside3023]

awesome work se well done amazing

[@JohnShinn1960]

I love these nicely assembled videos as of late, I really do. Exquisite! 👍🧐 Thanks CDI! 👍🤠

[@prestonvaughn2078]

Video was spellbinding as usual. Especially enjoyed the video footage with the added drone shots. Editing the story added much appreciated shots. Descriptions of various features was appreciated. Were you (hopefully) the company performing the explosions of the bridge section on the container ship Dali? Overall, another great CDI video.

[@leegilbert5804]

I believe that I saw or read that they were.

[@prestonvaughn2078]

I hope so! Thanks.

[@76629online]

I wonder if anyone ever wonders, when they see one of these old coal plants demolished, how much work was done with the electricity it produced over the span of its lifetime? I would bet most people never think about that stuff. Just imagine how many trillions of hours of artificial light was provided....how many nights hundreds of thousands of homes were kept warm. How many hours of production line time in manufacturing facilities. How much water was pumped. How many lives did it save? Just imagine.

[@SJR_Media_Group]

I can almost always tell if it's a shot by CDI.... columns cut then kickers... on tall structures about every 5th floor is prepped. Steel pre-notched and wired with shape charges.... kickers boxed in... love a good blast as much as next guy.... thank you....

[@troycarothers8254]

2:15 What's up with the garden hose spraying water onto a humongous dust cloud? Does that satisfy OSHA?

[@theadmiral5425]

love these CDI videos......why does it seem like the stack fell the wrong direction

[@dominikmartinisko]

Cdi try released all your old videos demolishing old structures outside america like compilation or something

[@RobCCTV]

CDI - a global scarecrow of the demolition industry (i.e. known to be outstanding in their field)

[@markdanielczyk944]

Farmers are also outstanding in their field!🤣

[@akshonclip]

Congratulations on 💯K subscribers! 🎈

[@BruceWSims]

Not quite sure how to say this, but there is something reassuring (?) about having work such as this accomplished by a singularly dedicated group who focus on a single service of this type. There something about seeing the uniform outcome and attention to detail that says that confidence in such people is not misplaced....and that specialization needs to be encouraged. Well Done!!

[@helensarkisian7491]

The two roof structures just sat down sweet and easy. Pretty.

[@jimkavalier2831]

Thanks for posting ! How long does it usually takes for the dust cloud to settle? 20 minutes? An hour? More?

[@rickeyburke2596]

Nice and clean, Well done

[@johnnymnemonic69]

Beautiful demolition guys!

[@ceedaddy]

Love how they document things like this....in case people in the future ever want to know what that piece of lands history was...!!

[@livenhfree]

Very nice production. Hauntingly beautiful. Some strange poignnancy about it as well.

[@jlangevin65]

Dust cloud lookin' at the water cannons like, "lol - whatevs."

[@TempleOfAcid]

Perfekt, wie immer 🧐👍

[@mattywho8485]

I'm kind of wondering why they don't cleave the chimney at the mid-point just as it starts to tip ? Wouldn't it make the top section fall more vertically, instead of gaining all the horizontal momentum ?

[@Salutimondo]

I guess we'll leave it up to the experts to decide the best way to demolish a structure.

[@jamesmeredith381]

Such a beautiful building in its day!

[@tedlewandowski6337]

Great job 😊😊

[@blipco5]

No shortage of camera angles. Nice job. 👍

[@Shackleford8]

2:31 Sounds like some cars got dinged.

[@pyrog.c.c89]

Awesome job guys.🇺🇲

[@Chirita008]

Great job with the green buildings at the top. Virtually unscathed all the way down. Amazing! 👍 I expected to see all kinds of green metal rubble, thinking what a clean up that will be. Just one question - why not have the chimney fall into the same pile as the plant? Would make for a lesser area to clean up. TIA

[@jmcc5877]

I am glad it wasn't the original 110 year old plant from 1913 which was sadly demolished in 1964. These biulding were from 1949.

[@augustinep6193]

Good. Thanks.

[@lineshaftrestorations7903]

How can I miss you if you don't go away?😢

[@struck2soon]

Chimney looked to miss the intended landing zone?

[@bustertaco]

Was chimney 300' at where it was pointed at,30 seconds into footage?

[@user-dq5xx9hi4q]

I want a house made by the same guy whole made those boilers.

[@-mike--m-9629]

I worked with a crew of other Millwrights from Mwlu1263 in Atlanta GA and rebuilt the coal crushers in this plant in the early 2000's. A big job. I hate to see the old girl go down.

[@user-ne3yw2cu6c]

They should have left the 300 Ft. Chimney as a Memorial to the Industry and as a Location Marker.

[@remmiemax3624]

EXCELLENT! Esp the footage inside AND more factoids on the jobs.

[@DavidVanHelden1]

Chimney was about 30 degrees off but other than that it was a great blow down ....

[@wilfstor3078]

By the looks of it, that 300 ft chimney is not the original, I believe the plant originally had 2 much shorter stacks, as evidenced by what appear to be caps on the boiler house itself, the Richard L Hearn plant in Toronto has similar caps

[@miket2120]

I wonder what the two sprays of water does? It's far too small for dust mitigation.

[@greggreg2263]

You gotta do this to building when you see a bunch of spiders 🕷️ in there

[@revelationakagoldeneagle8045]

Beautiful 💥💥💥

[@thomasrapp2536]

You broke it up into a million pieces, and put it in the basement. Nice job containing the boiler house.

[@legendsatlunch]

Who else would have ridden the coal hopper up top. pretty smooth ride considering. awesome shots.

[@larrymeyer2917]

Reminds me of the decommissioning of Umgeni power station in 1992 in New germany Natal. Life moves on.

[@theamerican7080]

So hard-core!

[@midiwall]

@3:16 - it's almost like y'all knew _just_ where to put that barricade! 😂 😎

[@user-uo4qg6lp7x]

Another explosive day for CDI great job, not so sure of the smokestack though.🤔

[@patmcbride9853]

Professional Precise Perfection

[@user-df8fj2np2t]

I bought a car from a guy who used to do this. He drank a lot, and told me he would set up the charges in a black out and not remember blowing up the coal mine. That was in the 70s,. He got sober and a different job. Still wild though.

[@dominikmartinisko]

Could you release cranes demolition compilation?

[@Kresnov]

I dont think the chimney was supposed to go the way it did.

[@curtiswright4757]

I worked in that plant as in intern in 2006.

[@simonpaine2347]

Maybe someone can explain why they don't have a complete curtain of water hoses surrounding the blast area to limit the dangerous and toxic dust clouds from entering into the surrounding areas. Especially in this case, being right alongside a river.

[@bruceringrose7539]

Interesting that, from the 3:00 view, the stack hitting the ground did not cause any camera shake.

[@davidbeers5949]

Am I wrong or was the two fire hoses an attempt to control the dust according to regulations? Whatever they were there for didn't seem have much effect on anything. Anybody down wind got blasted with lots of dust.

[@Collie1228]

The chimney usually collapses on itself. Did someone screw this one up?

[@jlpowell51]

Looks like some of the charges on the side away from the fall didn't go off properly, or at all, so instead of dropping it straight down it created a hinge to tip it over. Oops.

[@johnchambers8528]

I don’t feel the blast on the chimney was wrong. The chimney did fall in one piece at an angle away from the river. Did it fall straight and to its intended spot? Hard to say but it did land in a safe space so I would say they were successful in getting it down.

[@jlpowell51]

@@johnchambers8528 It didn't land where it was intended because it crossed a temporary berm specifically put in place to block debris from the demo.

[@Dills1995]

Up next: The Tropicana in Las Vegas!

[@jalphabet5]

What is the purpose of the stream of water?

[@jalphabet5]

@@nonenone4848 That's what I initially thought, but it seems incredibly insignificant. It's probably a requirement to have dust control in place - it doesn't have to work, it just has to be there.

[@TishaHayes]

I heard its demolition from my house; I live about a mile to the northwest.

[@stuartwatson3959]

I'm a DP who'd love to work on your promotional videos! Demo reel upon request...Great stuff!

[@DonFarmer-hq5sw]

For a minute, I thought the porta potties were going to be crushed 😮

[@miket5331]

Have you ever considered Fire fighting aircraft for dust suppression.

[@iancanuckistan2244]

They even timed the blasts so there were two separate demolitions.

[@philipjones9458]

Have any subscribers heard of Fred Dibnah deceased U.K steeplejack. Famous for demolishing chimneys without using explosives.

[@StevenGunn-mu1wd]

Bet you can’t drop that building leaving the two green structures in tact. Hold my beer 😂

[@handbananaistherapist642]

They blew it up 7 times?

[@rickkearn7100]

I wonder why the chimneys in these videos always break in half just before impact. Perhaps wind resistance once the top picks up enough speed, imparts a force that the lower part begins to detach because it is falling slightly faster than the top? It seems this happens to every chimney in these demolition videos.

[@TishaHayes]

Its from the loading being in a direction that the chimney was not meant to sustain. Wind resistance is really not an issue but the velocity that the top half is trying to achieve while the bottom half doesn't need to meet puts tremendous additional stresses on the structure. The normal loads on a chimney are vertical, while it is standing vertically. There is some resilience to wind forces because all tall structures would not survive high winds without some resilience. A loose pile of bricks stacked that high would collapse in a high wind but the mortar between the bricks also provides structural strength. It has been 40 years since my university engineering degree but modeling the forces on a structure like that was fascinating.

[@rickkearn7100]

@@TishaHayes Hey, Tisha, that is a top-shelf explanation. Makes more sense to me now. Cheers.

[@tonydelaney3536]

I wonder why they didn’t get the chimney to fall into the mess of the buildings already collapsed??

[@ImNotPotus]

Is going to the left a HOOK or a SLICE? I don't golf.

[@sidewinder666666]

Hey, CDI, your intro has some guy talking about... what you do, I *think*. *But I can't understand more than about every 5th word, the music and sounds drown him out.* Who is that? He's got a real "announcers" voice. And next video your team makes... can you remix that so he's understandable?

[@LadyLithias]

is it rude to wonder if CDI publishes videos of their oops?

[@mariop8576]

and no trees were hurt in the process.