Welding in a pre fab

[Blake150]

Hi guys I'm not new to welding but I want to weld in my garage at home.the walls are dry wall and I fear the possible fire hazard.any thoughts.

 

[twohaggard]

I think grinding would be worse, but I been grinding and welding in mine with no probs, I'm wondering if anyone else has too, I Gota fire extinguisher and a jug with water also in the garage

 

[aaron h]

you need a fire extinguisher reguardless, but i wouldnt worry too much. i was welding and grinding and cutting with a chop saw building a rollcage in my garage showering the place in sparks. I had my insulation up and no drywall hung yet. no fires to report

 

[volvo92906]

Find a bunch of old metal street signs and put them on the walls..... Other than that, be careful and know your surroundings I guess.

 

[Blake150]

Ghats a good idea usually when I'm welding I'll have a air line available with my blower but since this is my garage and not a shop I was tring to figure out how others do it with no fear I was thinking about welding curtains as well .

 

[1967lemans]

Nothing wrong with putting safety first. I installed an extinguisher on my welding cart and had one posted at each exit. Bucket of sand and the garden hose on stand by. Stop all hot work at least 30 minutes prior to quitting. Keep your work area clean of debris and flammable items.

 

[Zeke]

Don't worry a thing about the structure. Do follow proper safety practices. When finished with any project, allow sufficient time to check out your work area. Some say you should be able to check up to an hour later to make sure.

You could deactivate a smoke detector and then put it back in service when you leave the area.

 

[BD1]

Welding screens come in handy as do fire blankets. I always keep a 5 gallon bucket of water besides the fire extinguishers. Having a garden hose connected is another feature.
Just make sure all flammable are out of spark range. Checking and rechecking welding area after completed .

 

[WhoWhatNow]

Multiple fire extinguishers and a good escape route. I put tile 6' high on the walls in the area I weld in as added insurance. Make sure you keep flammables as far away as possible from the area and at least 30 fire watch after you finish welding/grinding.

 

[LWaite]

Nothing wrong with putting safety first. I installed an extinguisher on my welding cart and had one posted at each exit. Bucket of sand and the garden hose on stand by. Stop all hot work at least 30 minutes prior to quitting. Keep your work area clean of debris and flammable items.

 

[andywander]

Fire extinguisher, of course, is a must to have.

But drywall, also called sheetrock, is filled with gypsum(hence the "rock" part of the name), and really not too flammable, except for the paper covering.

 

[Outlawmws]

Worst fire hazard in a garage is the ****** rags. I think every welding "fire" I've had was with a loose rag...

If you are sheet rocked I'd not be too worried, but a good abc extinguisher is a must, and I like keeping a couple of old air pressurized 2-1/2 Gallon water extinguishers around for welding.

 

[spotco2]

I grind and weld inside mine all the time with no major problems unless I do something stupid and set another box of rags on fire.

I do use welding curtains more to contain the mess than anything else. Also have fire extinguishers (be sure to keep them checked) and have a hose pipe in the shop so normally it's not a big deal.

 

[djb2]

Most codes have been updated to require continuous drywall in garages that adjoin living spaces. This is because drywall is a excellent fire-break and is essentially non-flammable.

The paper outer covering can be scorched, but won't sustain a flame. Painting it can change the characteristics a bit, sometimes for the better, but generally you can't light it on fire even with a cheap pigment-poor binder-heavy paint.

 

[crewchief888]

if you're welding ,cutting, grinding next to a wall,
you could always get a cheap welding blanket from HF and attach it to the wall if you're than concerned.

 

[Provincial]

I always mount my fire extinguishers near each exit (man) door. That way you are at the exit when you make the decision to fight the fire or retreat, and if you do return to fight the fire, you have an exit path.

If I have a situation where I am concerned about starting a fire, I keep an extinguisher directly at hand.

Does anyone have experience using the new aerosol-type small fire extinguishers? I have a couple that I have not needed to use, and wonder if they are effective. They claim to be effective and not make a mess, but don't have a letter rating. I keep one handy when welding just in case.

 

[d_rock]

if you're welding ,cutting, grinding next to a wall,
you could always get a cheap welding blanket from HF and attach it to the wall if you're than concerned.

what he said

 

[NASTYZEN]

Worst fire hazard in a garage is the ****** rags. I think every welding "fire" I've had was with a loose rag...

Rags yes.
Garbage cans is whats almost burned mine down a couple of times.
Iv'e seen sparks fly clear across the shop! Pop! tzzzzzz!!!

 

[bobemmerich]

I grind and weld in mine without issues-And I have a plywood floor! I have a CO2 and ABC extinguishers just in case.

 

[crewchief888]

FWIW

i've set myself on fire far more times than i ever did anything else

 

[Zeke]

FWIW

i've set myself on fire far more times than i ever did anything else

Yes, fires often originate at the equipment, so it's imperative that you have adequate fire suppression equipment. I had a fire at the handle of my cutting torch once. I dropped the torch and was tripping over the hoses. I damn near lit myself up. I have backflash arresters , but they don't do anything for a handle fire. I must have somehow loosened the nut while working.

 

[maddawg1952]

FWIW

i've set myself on fire far more times than i ever did anything else



[/QE]

Oh hell yes! I've set my clothes on fire more times than I can count ,welding out of position under some piece of yellow iron, even when wearing leathers. You'll be welding and all of a sudden you smell "THAT" smell and hope you can finish the bead b4 you have to look to see what part of you clothing is on fire.

 

[crewchief888]

FWIW

i've set myself on fire far more times than i ever did anything else



[/QE]

Oh hell yes! I've set my clothes on fire more times than I can count ,welding out of position under some piece of yellow iron, even when wearing leathers. You'll be welding and all of a sudden you smell "THAT" smell and hope you can finish the bead b4 you have to look to see what part of you clothing is on fire.

i was torching a laoder bucket cutting egde one time, had a perfect cut going on.
i could feel the heat in my boots, really didnt think much about it, but was thinking, "man it's getting hot in here"
as i finished the cut and stepped back, the 1" thick edge hit the floor.

i looked down, and about 1/2 of one pants leg was gone, the other smoldering, about that time i really started to feel the heat in my boots, as the steel toes got really warm.

i've set more than one pair of pants to smoldering in the garage from cutting sheet metal with an angle grinder.

i've been finding use welders greens popping up at thrift stores over the past year or so. used pants and jackets aound $4-$5 each, new (some still in the package) for $7-$10.

i talked to the owner of one little mom & pop resale store, that are gonna "hold" all the pants in my size, all he asked was i drop by at least once a month

 

[roachcoach]

Use the fire hazard as an excuse to convince the wife that you need a tig welder