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BuildCraft's Redstone Engines are slow, but I have always been taught that their one advantage is their inability to explode.

Is this true, or am I secretly in danger if I leave them on too long?

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No, redstone engines don't explode in normal conditions (when are connected to something):

Redstone engines ... unlike Combustion engines, will never explode on running hot, except when not powering anything.

Unofficial Buildcraft Wiki

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  • So as long as I have them hooked up to a wooden pipe, they won't explode. What if the chest the pipe is connected to is empty?
    – Unionhawk ♦
    Mar 27, 2012 at 13:06
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    It's completely OK, not being able to do anything useful is pipe's problem.
    – Alec Mev
    Mar 27, 2012 at 13:09
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    Pipes now (as of BC 3.2.x) eventually explode when they have nothing useful to do with the energy, eventually making the power the engine's problem again. Is this answer still correct, or do I have to worry about my redstone engines blowing up now?
    – SevenSidedDie
    Jan 16, 2013 at 1:26
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A single engine that is powering something cannot explode, period, even if the thing it is powering is doing nothing. However, it is technically possible to blow up a redstone engine if you have other engines pointing into it (daisy chaining power), even when it is powering something. You really do need to put effort into it to get it to explode.

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Yes, any engine can explode if not powering something. However, only combustion (iron) engines will explode if not cooled. Cooling can be done with water (if it's a combustion engine) or turning it off for a bit.

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This has changed, from the wiki:

Prior to BC3.7, redstone engine would explode if allowed to overheat. Being connected even to a single wooden pipe (even if leading nowhere) will allow it to run indefinitely without any risk of exploding.

So, a single wooden conductive pipe (even just a 'stub') is enough to prevent them from overheating and exploding. Thus, it's definitely worth considering a redstone engine any time that it'll be operating without much supervision (presumably through the use of a chunk loader), and the power demand is compatible.

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The short answer: Not under normal conditions.

The long answer: They can blow up if they aren't powering anything or they have other engines daisy-chained to them. However, if it is a lone engine just sitting powering a pump or something it will never explode.

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