Badger_McLetcher
|
| posted on 28/8/15 at 10:16 PM |
|
|
Yet another lucky escape...
I was out in the workshop welding up my harness mounts when I stopped to inspect it. Luckily something caught my eye - a stray spark had managed to
ignite the padding on one of my seats, which was blazing merrily away. A brief attempt to beat it out (wearing my welding gloves) proved completely
futile, so out with the extinguisher - powder everywhere but the bloody fire was out.
I was lucky - it was a small fire and I caught it before it spread, but I guess I'm posting this up to remind people to have a fire
extinguisher handy when working, especially if you're doing hot work like welding or grinding. It's really easy to think it won't
happen - this is the first major fire I've had in about ten years of working on cars - but I'm bloody glad I had it, no real damage
done.
Preach over, I'm off for a beer 
If disfunction is a function, then I must be some kind of genius.
|
|
|
|
|
SJ
|
| posted on 29/8/15 at 06:33 AM |
|
|
I did a similar thing ages ago. I was welding my Alfasud when a spark went into some Waxoyle on the front of the car and set it on fire.
I didn't have an extinguisher, and the house door was locked but after running about madly looking for my keys I wet some towels and put it out.
Very scary though.
A worse one was on another Alfa, welding close to the petrol tank. We had the filler pipe disconnected and my brother was supposed to be keeping all
covered with damp cloths to stop any sparks getting in. I stopped welding and took away my mask to find my brother chatting to the neighbour and
flames coming out of the fuel filler.
|
|
|
INDY BIRD
|
| posted on 29/8/15 at 07:55 AM |
|
|
a fire blanket is even better no mess and will kill it quickly, if you have ever trained as a fire marshall, they say use this for the small fires you
had, wrap it around so to cover your hands and roll it onto the fire away from you, dont through it onto it etc, but im sure you guys can google how
to etc,
glad it didnt get out of control and good advice etc above
|
|
|
Oddified
|
| posted on 29/8/15 at 08:32 AM |
|
|
I always have an extinguisher to hand when welding, all to easy to get a bit of trim/carpet/underseal to ignite. I have a few of the old Halon
extinguishers, not legal to buy new any more as they're not Polar bear friendly but they put any fire out very very well and don't leave
any residue at all.
Ian
|
|
|
blakep82
|
| posted on 29/8/15 at 08:59 AM |
|
|
bucket or watering can full of water first for me, then extinguisher
bucket or watering can full of water will usually do less damage than powder everywhere. extinguisher stays in its bracket on the wall so i know
exactly where it is, and is kept as an emergency last resort
________________________
IVA manual link http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=RESOURCES&itemId=1081997083
don't write OT on a new thread title, you're creating the topic, everything you write is very much ON topic!
|
|
|
owelly
|
| posted on 29/8/15 at 09:19 AM |
|
|
I have a bucket of water with a couple of rags in. Perfect for quenching hot things (including body parts!) and a wet rag will cure most little fires.
I have a pair of powder extinguishers attached to the welding trolley, a water and a powder wall mounted in the garage. A pair of powders and a water
in the house and a powder in each car.......it just so happened that it was cheaper to buy new extinguishers at work then have them hydro-tested
and/or serviced.....and to save having to pay to have the 'outgoing' extinguishers disposed of, some may have fallen into the back of my
car. 
http://www.ppcmag.co.uk
|
|
|
lsdweb
|
| posted on 29/8/15 at 11:08 AM |
|
|
Sound advice from everybody! I spent thirty years working in a profession where you were allowed to burn your mistakes and get praised by the media
:-)
Most fires can be caught early with a little common sense. I'd also suggest not walking away from 'hot work' when you've
finished but hanging around to make sure nothing flares up on you when you're in the house having your supper!
I remember the first garage fire I went to - I was a young 'sprog' and went in to a commercial garage on fire with an
'experienced' old hand. The mechanic had gone through the fuel line whilst cutting / welding. The old hand ran out and started shouting
for an all out foam attack. One of the proper old hands told me to go into the garage's toilet, get a bar of soap (remember those?!) and stuff
it onto the end of the fuel pipe to stop the leak. Worked a treat and I dealt with the small running fuel fire in seconds.
Wyn
quote:
Originally posted by owelly
I have a bucket of water with a couple of rags in. Perfect for quenching hot things (including body parts!) and a wet rag will cure most little fires.
I have a pair of powder extinguishers attached to the welding trolley, a water and a powder wall mounted in the garage. A pair of powders and a water
in the house and a powder in each car.......it just so happened that it was cheaper to buy new extinguishers at work then have them hydro-tested
and/or serviced.....and to save having to pay to have the 'outgoing' extinguishers disposed of, some may have fallen into the back of my
car.
|
|
|
