Board logo

Safe Welding
joneh - 4/1/13 at 10:09 PM

Hi all,

Its been a while, and i'm finally getting close to starting my build, after new job, child, marriage, 5 years, extension and another new job!

I'd like to ask people's opinion on MIG welding in the garage? It's attached to the house with a bedroom and bathroom above it. My primary concern is burning the house down... I can clear the garage out and remove anything flammable however it also houses my gas meter and pipe work.

Your thoughts are appreciated!

Jon

madteg - 4/1/13 at 10:18 PM

Just fit an extractor fan in exterior wall.

flibble - 4/1/13 at 10:20 PM

As long as you havn't got a nice fluffy carpet in there I wouldn't worry at all. If theres lots of nooks and crannys near where you weld then maybe try and cover them over but there's not really too much hot spatter with mig. Keep a squirty water bottle and fire extinguisher around just to be sensible but I'd say it's no worse than having a ciggy in the garage etc. Go for it

Dangle_kt - 4/1/13 at 10:22 PM

i've never had any problems either arc or MIG welding the garage. In fact I try not to weld outside as it blows away the gas prptecting the weld - and knowing my luck one of my snooooty neighbours would try to sue me for arc eye!

T66 - 4/1/13 at 10:35 PM

In my garage I have two wall mounted bcf extinguishers, another thing I always have handy are a couple of 2L pop bottles full of water, small holes in the bottle tops, useful for the the smaller fires. Welding clean metal, you shouldnt have many fires.

If you have been welding, its a good idea to have 20 minutes when you have finished just tidying or whatever, just incase you have a spark festering somewhere. And do your final checks before you come into the house, ie plugs all off, Co2 valve shut etc...


Mine is a single garage attached to the house, worst fire I have ever had was welding my Lada when the bodywax took a hold, it was put out with a pop bottle.


Just be careful and you will be fine....

David Jenkins - 4/1/13 at 10:36 PM

I've never set fire to anything with my MIG or TIG welder - but I have caused a couple of minor 'incidents' with my angle grinder! Those sparks go a looooong way... I caught a few rags now and again. In the end, I had a tatty old bit of hardboard that was strategically placed to deflect them down to the ground when grinding.

[Edited on 4/1/13 by David Jenkins]

rdodger - 4/1/13 at 10:36 PM

I managed to set my foot on fire a couple of months ago with my MIG. Makes a change to the garage carpet i guess

As already said, I have a small extinguisher nearby just in case it gets out of hand but even big spatter on the carpet goes out with a little pat.

emwmarine - 4/1/13 at 10:41 PM

I regularly set fire to my dressing gown and pyjamas while using the Mig. Garage is generally safe as long as you keep some water and an extinguisher around.

theprisioner - 4/1/13 at 11:46 PM

All my minor fires have been caused by spirit containg rags. It does not matter how far they are away they just take off. I had one 3m from my weld go on fire. Get rid of all such materials and have a fire extinguisher handy.

joneh - 5/1/13 at 08:07 AM

Thanks all, that's reassuring, ill clean up, fit an extractor, and do some "boxing in".

Just waiting for the next VAT free day, the off to get a 151en

Jon

iank - 5/1/13 at 09:05 AM

quote:
Originally posted by emwmarine
I regularly set fire to my dressing gown and pyjamas while using the Mig.


*Boggle*

snapper - 5/1/13 at 09:13 AM

Do remember that mig welding produces lots of UV
Coverup or get sunburn

Ben_Copeland - 5/1/13 at 09:14 AM

Bit of health and safety rules here:

Generally they recommend an hour after any hot works. So just don't do anything just before bed. Check theres nothing smouldering first.

Other than that, if your worried about fumes open up the door

Slimy38 - 5/1/13 at 09:45 AM

quote:
Originally posted by snapper
Do remember that mig welding produces lots of UV
Coverup or get sunburn


This might seem like a silly question (after all, the sun UV light manages to travel millions of miles) but what is the range of the UV from welding? If I have my garage door open, the people across the street would be able to see into my garage from their living room. Should I be using a curtain or something to protect them?

Or is it their own fault for being nosy?

Macbeast - 5/1/13 at 10:42 AM

I guess the inverse square law would apply, so the intensity of the UV would fall off with distance ?

johnemms - 5/1/13 at 11:35 AM

Yes... i frequently set fire to oily rags and myself......
After welding i make a point of going back into the garage a few time later..
'Just to check'...

Furyous - 5/1/13 at 03:20 PM

quote:
Originally posted by snapper
Do remember that mig welding produces lots of UV
Coverup or get sunburn


Adding to this, the "sunburn" you get is not equivalent to lying in the sun for an hour and getting a nice tan. Your skin will burn, and be red and sore for a few days. You won't get a tan from it.

I weld on my driveway and as a courtesy to my neighbours I put some chip board up around my work to stop them getting arc eye. I don't know how far away would be safe to briefly glance at the weld but it's best to be sure and cover it anyway.


It's best to wear flame retardant overalls while welding. A lot of clothing has polyester in it, which can melt onto your skin. Having said that, I once burnt a big hole right through my overalls and didn't even have a mark on my jeans.


I like to keep a wet rag in a bucket that has a small amount of water in it for the small flames and in case it ever gets out of hand, I keep an extinguisher nearby.

Wear thick leather gauntlets while welding. They protect from the UV, sparks, and heat. Standard work gloves are no good.




And I would strongly advise getting an automatic mask, just for the fact that it's improved my welds a huge amount compared to the fixed-lens mask I used to use. It's so much better when you can see what you're pointing at.

kwakkwak6 - 5/1/13 at 03:23 PM

If concerned buy a small welding tent that goes behind you and stops stray sparks .. would take your pipe rupturing to get it alight and the insulation in walls wont catch . Only real concern is paint cans oil trays and rags get them away before you start . And once done give it half hour before locking up and going to bed ..

jossey - 5/1/13 at 03:49 PM

Get a fire extinguisher n move any paper but other than that don't worry.

My friend welded my chassis in my wood shed a few year back which had laminate floor and did a whole locost chassis n the shed didn't even have burn marks...

Oh n the roof lining was silver foil insulation.

If you are worried just cover up the gas box with a piece of silver wall insulation foil. I got 10m x 2m for £5 I just put that over my fuel cans etc.