Surviving My Own Stupidity...

[Squankum]

It did alert me... Five times actually. It's just that I'm a heavy sleeper and the alerts didn't wake me.

Ah. I was wondering how the world of high tech gizmos didn't alert you to this ongoing incident.

Here's a 20th, if not 19th century concept you need to integrate into that system, then:


Red Fire Alarm Bell 10 Inch 120 Volt
by Argco
http://a.co/2D9ZYOu


(In the bedroom... behind the headboard...)

Now, if you had a box fian with a quality furnace filter running in your shop that night, I calculate that you'd only have to clean up... 97% of the soot you're cleaning up right now.

I worry that the junk you're cleaning up is smoke from burned plastic. Are you wearing gloves, respirator, etc etc? I don't know the risks or safety precuations here but I suspect there are some.


_

 

[Ryan]

Ah. I was wondering how the world of high tech gizmos didn't alert you to this ongoing incident.

Here's a 20th, if not 19th century concept you need to integrate into that system, then:


Red Fire Alarm Bell 10 Inch 120 Volt
by Argco
http://a.co/2D9ZYOu


(In the bedroom... behind the headboard...)

Now, if you had a box fian with a quality furnace filter running in your shop that night, I calculate that you'd only have to clean up... 97% of the soot you're cleaning up right now.

I worry that the junk you're cleaning up is smoke from burned plastic. Are you wearing gloves, respirator, etc etc? I don't know the risks or safety precuations here but I suspect there are some.


_

Yeah, I'm going in like a full on astronaut... So. Much. Cleaning. I'm about 80% done with the cleaning and hope to be painting by this weekend.

Super frustratiing to be working my *** off on cleaning the joint up when I would rather be working on projects.

 

[PelicanPines]

Yeah, I'm going in like a full on astronaut... So. Much. Cleaning. I'm about 80% done with the cleaning and hope to be painting by this weekend.

Super frustratiing to be working my *** off on cleaning the joint up when I would rather be working on projects.

Welcome to life within Garage Journal... My time is as follows:

1. Cleaning
2. Fixing things that broke
3. Labeling and organizing
4. Friends projects
5. Wife's Please o Please's
6. My projects

I will add... cleaning is so high because my wife lets me have my space in the garage where she houses 2 garage cats...

 

[Squankum]

A quick article on which kinds of oils to worry about (hint: not motor oil or grease):

http://www.popularmechanics.co.za/how-to-fix/foil-that-fire/

 

[Fyrme]

Thank you Ryan for swallowing your pride and making that little video as a informational/reminder for everyone else. I'm sure it was humbling and a bit humiliating for you. I don't know you personally, but I'm so thankful that your shop didn't get any more that just smoke damage. I still now and then forget and pitch rags in the trash not thinking about what is on them.

 

[Rod N]

Glad to see this had a happy ending. Too scary.

 

[Zeke]

Miracle. So glad it wasn't worse. I've had that plastic soot everywhere before because of exactly that, a plastic trash can. Coffee maker shorted out while sitting near the front of the counter. The base melted and the thing tipped over into the can. I got there when it was in flames at 3 am and threw the whole hot mess out the door — still burning.

 

[driz]

Good clarification.

The problem with labels is that you buy a simple tool which has four pages of "don't put the sawsall blade in your mouth and turn it on" type warnings

That right there speaks volumes and in itself a serious safety hazard. Let's face it, there is so much bull$&@! On everything to fend off ambulance chasers that No One will ever really read the warnings.

 

[tvtaurus]

Could have been any of us. Glad the only casualtie was a trash can. I hope we all learn from this lucky mistake.

 

[Mike.VA]

I couldn't sleep thinking how fortunate you were ,and that I had to ordered me a can right away.

It came in and is going to be on the floor being used today!

 

[Ryan]

I couldn't sleep thinking how fortunate you were ,and that I had to ordered me a can right away.

It came in and is going to be on the floor being used today!

Ha. I got the exact same can.

 

[PoorOwner]

^^ I just bought the same thing too, it came in the same box based on this story here.
I figure I will throw my regular trash in there when I am not doing oily stuff.

Does anyone know if it is OK to have a smoke detector in the garage, or will it be a nuisance ? Is there a particular model you would recommend?

 

[ChevyEFI]

Thanks for sharing the experience.

Even watching this only once, I will remember the precaution needed for linseed oil years from now.

 

[Itsahobby]

This showed up today.
I had a garage fire back in 2000, lost everything.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[-Brent-]

I think with all the can purchases it'd be a good time to talk about where to keep the cans. Right now I'm not thrilled with where mine sits (not far from the electrical shut off for my compressor). I haven't found a great spot but that's near where my extinguisher is. Anyone have opinions?

 

[Itsahobby]

I think with all the can purchases it'd be a good time to talk about where to keep the cans. Right now I'm not thrilled with where mine sits (not far from the electrical shut off for my compressor). I haven't found a great spot but that's near where my extinguisher is. Anyone have opinions?

I put mine under my fire alarm.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[Itsahobby]

We should also all buy stock in the oil rag can companies.

I think with all the can purchases it'd be a good time to talk about where to keep the cans. Right now I'm not thrilled with where mine sits (not far from the electrical shut off for my compressor). I haven't found a great spot but that's near where my extinguisher is. Anyone have opinions?

 

[KenC]

MY oily rag story:
I knew better, was taught that is wood shop in 1958, yep I'm old!

Still, we bought an old building that has a 70x70 section floored with 1917 vertical grain (quarter sawn) longleaf pine. Beautiful wood, but the building had been vacant for 25 years and it was filthy and water damaged in places.

I decided to do a quick cleanup, repair and refinish using a mix of varnish, linseed oil and mineral spirits. Just like you would use on furniture. But, with 4900 sqft, I used couple of big mops. Sort of like wax on, wax off.

about half way into the job, we broke for lunch. Came back less than a hour later, picked up a mop which promptly broke into flames. ran outside with it before the fire spread.

Had we been out for another few minutes all that freshly spread finish, the 5 gallon cans of its' components would have surely destroyed our building.

 

[Markomyt1]

Ryan, Thanks for sharing. Your experience might have saved a life or a shop for sure.

 

[C_F]

Just saw this thread...YIKES, that was close!

I'm glad there's a happy ending, thanks for the heads-up for us all.

 

[Ipassgas]

That right there speaks volumes and in itself a serious safety hazard. Let's face it, there is so much bull$&@! On everything to fend off ambulance chasers that No One will ever really read the warnings.

"Alarm fatigue" is a thing, and it's killed people.

Ryan, again, so glad everyone and everything is "fine". It's already been said, but you may want to find a new way to alert you to these types of things.

Also, since you don't have a fire suppression system in your garage, have you considered adding some fire grenades?

(https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JVXFQ6E/?tag=atomicindus08-20) or (https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/automatic-dry-powder-fire-extinguisher.html)

 

[PMT314]

Nest makes a product called protect that connects to a wifi network and can send alerts to your phone

 

[Ryan]

Finally done cleaning... had to do a complete repaint which wasn't easy with only a ladder!

 

[holdover]

being a fireman I have seen what linseed oil can do, bet you lucked out because your garage was tight and the fire starved for O2. That burnt plastic can fumes can be corrosive best to give your tools and vehicles a good scrubbing.. And thanks for sharing and making people aware of what can happen....

 

[Greatbear]

The other thing not mentioned yet is the value of an uncluttered garage.

 

[jhn9840]

Have always heard of that happening. Actually seeing it happen really makes you think. Glad all you had was some clean up and repainting.

jhn9840
John

 

[Ryan]

The other thing not mentioned yet is the value of an uncluttered garage.

Thankfully, that has never been a problem of mine. I'm kind of the opposite of a hoarder... to a fault...

 

[EOC_Jason]

Seriously though, looks good in the image above. I see a metal can there! lol

 

[Nexussian]

Glad a good cleaning and paint turned out so well.

 

[rlitman]

Finally done cleaning... had to do a complete repaint which wasn't easy with only a ladder!

Wow. That's some progress! Glad to see you're back on track (or close to it).

I love the look of that galvanized safety can. So much more civilized than the ugly red one I've got.

 

[AHotRod]

Thank God no one was hurt and the building survived. And Thank You for telling us about this.

 

[dreadman]

Glad the place didn't burn down. Now, upload the spider and helicopter video

 

[Ryan]

I rebuilt the lumber cart and now I'm back in business.

 

[Ryan]

Glad the place didn't burn down. Now, upload the spider and helicopter video

Oh man. The spider...

 

[EOC_Jason]

I rebuilt the lumber cart and now I'm back in business.

Not going to coat it with fireproof paint?

 

[Prokiller]

a local hardware store i worked at for years actually burned to the ground from this exact situation. it was an old barn that converted to this awesome store and they had linseed'ed the floors and some rags got tossed in the normal trash and combusted in the night. i'll never forget it. the batteries and aerosol cans were exploding like bombs during the flames. they found battery and can remnants almost half a mile away.

 

[James E]

Not going to coat it with fireproof paint?

Apparently, there is no need to. That Chinese plywood is so full of formaldehyde that it just won't burn, even when exposed to open flame for an hour or two.

 

[sublime68charger]

I rebuilt the lumber cart and now I'm back in business.

I would have left the lumber cart with the scaring as a reminder to always' read the directions. on things and would make for a nice story to rehash time and again.

but then again your shop is awesome looking and a burnt lumber cart would be out of place there!

thanks again for the thread.
its a great safety lesson to all!

 

[rlitman]

I would have left the lumber cart with the scaring as a reminder to always' read the directions. on things and would make for a nice story to rehash time and again.

but then again your shop is awesome looking and a burnt lumber cart would be out of place there!

thanks again for the thread.
its a great safety lesson to all!

There is that. There is also the fact that the burnt wood will continue to add a burnt wood smell to the shop for years. Also, the charred wood is MUCH easier to ignite in a future fire than the new cart is. It's basically wood coated in charcoal.

 

[Jackfre]

Thanks for the post. I "lost" my small metal trash can that I have used in the past and have been very careful with rags. I know how my "very careful" goes over time. Your post got me off my *** and I bought a new can for rags. Thanks!